WASHINGTON, DC (August 9, 2019)—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.
“For most of this year, many U.S. farms have
been literally and figuratively underwater. They’ve been hammered by extreme
weather and economic pressures,” said Thomas Grumbly, SoAR’s President. “Farmers
need new tools to meet these challenges. Cold hard science will help address these
problems. The ‘America Grows Act’ will make sure they get the innovation
needed.”
The America Grows Act would motivate
investment in U.S. scientists and producers and reassert American research
leadership on the global stage. Modeled after the successful 21st
Century Cures Act passed in 2016, which spurred additional funding for the National
Institutes of Health (NIH), the America Grows Act authorizes a 5 percent
inflation-adjusted annual increase for the next five years for agricultural
research in the following USDA agencies:
- National Institute for Food and Agriculture (NIFA)
- Agricultural Research Service (ARS)
- Economic Research Service (ERS)
- National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS)
USDA
projects 2019 net-farm income to be half that of 2013. Yet food and agriculture
remain a pillar of the
U.S. economy,
accounting for nearly $1 trillion of our GDP, 1 in 10 jobs, and a significant
contribution to our nation’s trade balance.
The timing for the America Grows Act
could not be better. The 2018 “Science
Breakthroughs to Advance Food and Agricultural Research by 2030” report
from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine identifies the
greatest opportunities within agricultural research and provides a clear
roadmap for additional strategic investment. The report also shows how the
advent of technologies unavailable even a decade ago have positioned our
nation’s scientists to deliver a new generation of solutions. These solutions,
however, will not be realized without additional funding.