Ag coalition calls for more ag research funding

A coalition of agriculture groups and universities calls on Congress and the Biden administration to increase funding for agricultural research. The groups say an increase of $40 billion is needed for agricultural research. In separate letters to President Joe Biden and House and Senate leadership, the groups say, “We strongly support a robust investment of at least $40 billion, for agricultural climate research, agricultural innovation, and agricultural research infrastructure in any comprehensive infrastructure package moving forward.” The coalition says that research makes the food and agriculture sectors a powerhouse of the U.S. economy by providing solutions to short- and long-term challenges. A recent study found U.S. public food and agriculture R&D spending from 1910 to 2007 returned, on average, $17 in benefits for every $1 invested. The federal share of overall R&D spending as a percentage of GDP is now at its lowest point since the 1950s, and food and agriculture lags behind most other federal R&D areas.