U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Jerry Moran (R-KS), both members of the Senate Committee on Appropriations and the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, today reintroduced legislation that would require a five percent annual funding increase, plus inflation, each year for the next ten years for research activities at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). With federal agriculture research investments on the decline, the America Grows Act would restore the United States’ commitment to publicly funded agriculture research at USDA. Increasing research at USDA will boost American competitiveness, expand and create new domestic and foreign markets for farmers, create improved cropping systems, combat plant and animal disease transmission, and address the need for skilled jobs in food and agriculture.
“If America hopes to remain competitive in a global market, we must reinvigorate our publicly-funded agriculture innovations. The America Grows Act would boost USDA funding for more breakthroughs to push our nation forward in the agricultural industry,” Durbin said.
“For U.S. farmers and ranchers to remain competitive in the world, it is important for our country to prioritize investments in agricultural research,” said Moran. “With the help of the latest research and technology, Kansas producers are constantly adapting their practices and methods to improve the way we grow and raise our food. This legislation builds on the critical role USDA plays in conducting research to help our nation’s agricultural producers continue to feed, fuel and clothe the world.”
Source : senate.gov