Science Magazine: Advocates Celebrate Funding Bump for USDA-funded Research

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Senate Farm Bill Recognizes Agricultural Research but Does Not Authorize New AFRI Funding While New USDA Report Shows US Falling Behind Other High-Income Countries

The Senate version of the 2018 Farm Bill was introduced today with no increase in the authorization for the US Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) program. Overall, this program, which sets the standard for scientific innovation in this field, has not seen major changes since 2008.

Research Funding Can’t Stand Still in 2018 Farm Bill as Farmers Face Greater International Competition

The Farm Bill sets the priorities and scope of the USDA every five years. In the 2008 Farm Bill, the USDA’s research programs were reorganized and AFRI was established as a new program to award grants through a competitive, peer-reviewed process. But the reorganization did not result in significant amounts of new funding.

New Legislation—“America Grows Act”—Would Increase Federal Investment in Farm and Food Sciences as US Agricultural Sector is Buffeted by Economic and Weather Crises

The Supporters of Agricultural Research (SoAR) Foundation welcomes the introduction of the “America Grows Act” by Senator Dick Durbin today. This bill would ensure that the budget targets for appropriators in Congress continue to expand.