ASM and Partners Support Funding for Ag Research Infrastructure
On May 3, 2021, the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI), of which ASM is a member, issued the following letter to House and Senate Agriculture Committee leaders. Over 350 national, regional and local stakeholder groups signed the letter, which states “investment is necessary to advance the critical work being done at institutions across the country to support American jobs, recruit a diversity of talent for the agricultural science pipeline, address our climate challenges and ensure ongoing U.S. leadership in food and agricultural innovation.”
Dear Chairwoman Stabenow, Ranking Member Boozman, Chairman Scott and Ranking Member Thompson,
Thank you for your support for agricultural research, education, extension and innovation. As you consider new initiatives to support rural America and investments in the agricultural economy, we strongly urge you to include a federal agricultural research infrastructure investment of $11.5 billion over a period of 5 years at U.S. colleges of agriculture. Such an investment is necessary to advance the critical work being done at institutions across the country to support American jobs, recruit a diversity of talent for the agricultural science pipeline, address our climate challenges and ensure ongoing U.S. leadership in food and agricultural innovation.
Modern agricultural research and education facilities serve as the backbone of the nation's cutting-edge research and applied science solutions. A report recently assessed the state of facilities at U.S. colleges and schools of agriculture, reporting that 69% of these buildings are at the end of their useful life. The report estimated the cost to upgrade deferred maintenance for these buildings now as $11.5 billion, and the cost to replace the dilapidated facilities as $38.1 billion. It further stated that strategic federal investment in these facilities at 1862, 1890, 1994 and insular landgrant and non-land-grant schools of agriculture would create 200,000 new jobs nationwide. Finally, this investment would contribute to solving the need for the U.S. to recruit and graduate 60,000 new U.S. graduates with agricultural expertise every year.
The pandemic has laid bare gaps and challenges in the American economy, but also demonstrates that the research, education and Cooperative Extension outreach performed by the nation’s colleges of agriculture have never been more relevant. The U.S. cannot rebuild our agricultural research prominence or keep up with international competitors when our research is done in facilities from the 1950s and 1960s. A transformative investment of $11.5 billion in agricultural research infrastructure at colleges of agriculture would be a significant first step in an overall strategy to ensure that the U.S. remains globally competitive. Our request reflects plans to invest in research and development by providing land grant universities with funding to upgrade their research infrastructure, including brick-and-mortar facilities and computing capabilities and networks. With this type of once-in-a-generation investment, we can position the U.S. agricultural sector to take the lead in developing climate innovations that provide new economic opportunities for farmers, ranchers and producers.
This investment would reposition the °®¶¹´«Ã½ States for long-term success in food and agricultural research, education and extension, accelerate rural and urban economic recovery, achieve more diversity and equity in agriculture and create the next-generation infrastructure needed to address the food and production challenges of feeding a growing world population.
Dear Chairwoman Stabenow, Ranking Member Boozman, Chairman Scott and Ranking Member Thompson,
Thank you for your support for agricultural research, education, extension and innovation. As you consider new initiatives to support rural America and investments in the agricultural economy, we strongly urge you to include a federal agricultural research infrastructure investment of $11.5 billion over a period of 5 years at U.S. colleges of agriculture. Such an investment is necessary to advance the critical work being done at institutions across the country to support American jobs, recruit a diversity of talent for the agricultural science pipeline, address our climate challenges and ensure ongoing U.S. leadership in food and agricultural innovation.
Modern agricultural research and education facilities serve as the backbone of the nation's cutting-edge research and applied science solutions. A report recently assessed the state of facilities at U.S. colleges and schools of agriculture, reporting that 69% of these buildings are at the end of their useful life. The report estimated the cost to upgrade deferred maintenance for these buildings now as $11.5 billion, and the cost to replace the dilapidated facilities as $38.1 billion. It further stated that strategic federal investment in these facilities at 1862, 1890, 1994 and insular landgrant and non-land-grant schools of agriculture would create 200,000 new jobs nationwide. Finally, this investment would contribute to solving the need for the U.S. to recruit and graduate 60,000 new U.S. graduates with agricultural expertise every year.
The pandemic has laid bare gaps and challenges in the American economy, but also demonstrates that the research, education and Cooperative Extension outreach performed by the nation’s colleges of agriculture have never been more relevant. The U.S. cannot rebuild our agricultural research prominence or keep up with international competitors when our research is done in facilities from the 1950s and 1960s. A transformative investment of $11.5 billion in agricultural research infrastructure at colleges of agriculture would be a significant first step in an overall strategy to ensure that the U.S. remains globally competitive. Our request reflects plans to invest in research and development by providing land grant universities with funding to upgrade their research infrastructure, including brick-and-mortar facilities and computing capabilities and networks. With this type of once-in-a-generation investment, we can position the U.S. agricultural sector to take the lead in developing climate innovations that provide new economic opportunities for farmers, ranchers and producers.
This investment would reposition the °®¶¹´«Ã½ States for long-term success in food and agricultural research, education and extension, accelerate rural and urban economic recovery, achieve more diversity and equity in agriculture and create the next-generation infrastructure needed to address the food and production challenges of feeding a growing world population.
