ASA, CSSA, AND SSSA Release Priorities For The 2023 Farm Bill

Dec 02, 2022

By Rachel K. Owen

The American Society of Agronomy (ASA), Crop Science Society of America (CSSA) and Soil Science Society of America (SSSA) represent nearly 8,000 scientists in academia, industry, and government. We also support a nationwide network of more than 13,300 Certified Crop Advisers (CCA) and over 700 Certified Professional Soil Scientists (CPSS) who work directly with farmers, many as technical service providers (TSPs). Our members and certified professionals are dedicated to meeting the demands of a growing world population through the pursuit and application of agronomic, crop and soil science knowledge.

In the past year, global challenges have pushed agricultural production systems past the tipping point of resiliency and threatened nutritional security. The 2023 Farm Bill can help America overcome these challenges and build resiliency for the future. This bill can prepare American agriculture for future threats to our food system by fostering growth, sparking innovation, and accelerating research translation. America’s robust and diverse agricultural productivity stems from past Federal investments in agricultural science and technology research being translated to farmers through on-farm advisers and outreach specialists. Research investments have helped U.S. farmers through droughts and floods, pests, and pathogens, and changing consumer tastes while simultaneously promoting sustainability and soil health. They help provide Americans with safe, nutritious, and affordable food.

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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.