ASA Chairman Richard Wilkins Testifies To House Ag On Importance Of Research Funding In Farm Bill

Mar 17, 2017

American Soybean Association (ASA) Chairman Richard Wilkins, a soybean farmer from Greenwood, Del., testified Thursday on the significant role that public-sector research plays in continuing the stream of technological innovations that drive the agriculture industry. Wilkins testified in his capacity as vice president of the National Coalition for Food and Agriculture Research (NCFAR) before the House Agriculture Committee’s Subcommittee on Biotechnology, Horticulture and Research.

In his testimony, Wilkins spoke to the user-driven nature of the public-sector research industry, and how stakeholders from all points in the farm-to-consumer supply chain benefit from robust agricultural research.

“Tools provided through publicly funded research, extension and education are needed to help achieve safer, more nutritious, convenient and affordable foods delivered to sustain a well-nourished, healthy population; more efficient and environmentally friendly food, fiber and forest production; improved water quality, land conservation, wildlife and other environmental conditions; less dependence on non-renewable sources of energy; expanded global markets and improved balance of trade; and more jobs and sustainable rural economic development,” Wilkins said.

Wilkins advocated continued funding and support for the intermural and extramural research functions at the U.S. Department of Agriculture. To accomplish these funding goals, Wilkins noted the active role that NCFAR as a customer-led coalition plans on the research title of the 2018 Farm Bill.

“The research title of the farm bill represents the nation’s signature federal investment in the future of the food and agricultural sector,” Wilkins said. “In fact, the success of every other title in the farm bill and those who are charged with carrying out their respective missions is arguably dependent in significant part on scientific outcomes and tools generated by programs authorized through the research title, and then funded by Congress.”

Wilkins testified to the danger that the current lack of attention to the public research system presents in terms of missed opportunity for innovation.

Click here to see more...

Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.