News

Universities calling for more ag research support in farm bill

 

Agricultural universities are banding together to urge Congress for increased research funding in the next farm bill.

FedByScience is a new initiative of 16 public and private universities to increase awareness of food and ag research and secure more funding in the next farm bill.

FedByScience co-chair Ronnie Green of the University of Nebraska says stronger investment in agricultural research can provide the science and innovation that farmers need to be successful.

The coalition says in the last ten years, China has surpassed the U.S. as the world leader in total public ag research funding and in 2013 funding became almost double that of the U.S.

Iowa State University, Michigan State University, Purdue University, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, University of Wisconsin-Madison, and Washington University, St. Louis are among those participating.

The Trump Administration’s 2019 proposed budget cuts USDA funding by 25 percent, including cutting the Economic Research Service’s budget by nearly 50 percent, the Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education program by 23 percent, and the Agricultural Research Service by more than 14 percent.