Reps. Panetta, Feenstra Introduce Bipartisan Legislation to Bolster Agricultural Innovation
Monterey, CA – Today, U.S. Representatives Jimmy Panetta (CA-19) and Randy Feenstra (IA-04) introduced the Advancing Cutting Edge (ACE) Agriculture Act to better foster innovative agricultural research and development at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). The ACE Agriculture Act would bolster the agricultural leadership of the United States, strengthen American and global food supplies, and help producers tackle 21st century agricultural challenges from pathogens and pests, high fertilizer prices, drought, poor soil health, and extreme weather. Senators Michael Bennet (D-CO) and Roger Marshall (R-KS) have introduced companion legislation in the Senate.
Investing in the development of novel agricultural technologies, approaches, and data systems are frequently too technically and financially risky for private capital. At the same time, this type of advanced research and development is often left out of the priorities of the existing research programs at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), which tends to prioritize lower-risk projects that reliably deliver incremental progress.
The 2018 Farm Bill established the Agriculture Advanced Research and Development Authority (AgARDA) at USDA to fill this gap and invest in high-risk, high-reward research and development in agriculture and food. Modeled after the successful Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and Advanced Research Projects Agency–Energy (ARPA-E) programs, AgARDA spurs innovation through the development of breakthrough technologies and practices to address water conservation, soil health, disease and pest management, and extreme weather variability.
"Our farmers face an evolving set of challenges and need new, groundbreaking agricultural technologies, approaches, and data systems to continue to survive, provide, and thrive," said Rep. Panetta. "This bipartisan legislation would double our investment in agricultural innovation and expand our efforts to provide for our nation's food security and climate resiliency. For our farmers to continue to compete, they need to be equipped with cutting-edge tools that will push both American and global agriculture forward."
"Continued investment in agricultural research and development is vital to the success of our family farmers and rural main streets in Iowa," said Rep. Feenstra. "From foreign animal disease mitigation to increased crop yields, cutting-edge agricultural research and innovation will help make our farmers and producers more profitable, productive, and competitive in global markets. I am proud to help introduce the ACE Agriculture Act to provide our nation's brightest minds with the resources they need to power American agriculture and support Iowa farmers."
The ACE Agriculture Act would:
- Double the authorization of the existing program from $50 million to $100 million to ensure access to more transformative agricultural innovation projects across multiple states.
- Expand the existing program's scope to:
- Address animal and plant pathogens and pests which could help farmers increase production capacity and competitiveness.
- Include opportunities for projects that could help farmers and ranchers use less water; enhance soil health; and mitigate, reduce, and/or sequester greenhouse gas emissions from farms and ranches.
The ACE (Advancing Cutting Edge) Agriculture Act is endorsed by; the Food and Agriculture Climate Alliance (FACA), University of California, Santa Cruz (UCSC), and Iowa State University.
"FACA applauds Representatives Panetta and Feenstra for their bipartisan leadership on the ACE Agriculture Act, supporting AgARDA in the Farm Bill. Robust investments in research and innovation are vital to unlock food and agriculture's full climate mitigation potential."
"We appreciate Rep. Panetta's leadership through the Advancing Cutting Edge (ACE) Agriculture Act. California is a worldwide leader in agriculture, and University of California researchers, including those at UC Santa Cruz, work with farmers across the state to solve the most pressing challenges," said John MacMillan, Interim Vice Chancellor, Office of Research at U.C. Santa Cruz. "It is critical that the United States continues to pursue transformative innovations that can strengthen and protect our national food supply. The ACE Act is an important investment in our future."
"We are so pleased to have support for agricultural programs that benefit research at Iowa State University," said Peter Dorhout, Vice President for Research at Iowa State University. "Building on the strength of competitive and capacity funding from USDA, innovative programs like AgARDA can help usher in a new approach to applied research to help us continue our work as a trusted partner for farmers and producers in Iowa and across the nation."
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