Congress to Consider Standing Up Advanced Research Efforts in USDA

On December 6, the Senate Agriculture Committee held a hearing to discuss potential research related provisions that may become part of the upcoming 2023 Farm Bill – the critical agriculture bill re-authorized every five years. Under Secretary for Research, Education, and Economics (REE) at the Department of Agriculture Dr. Chavonda Jacobs-Young was a witness for the hearing. Notably, Committee Chair Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), Ranking Member John Boozman (R-AR), and several bipartisan Members of the Committee were particularly interested in discussing the possibility of appropriating funds for an Agriculture Advanced Research and Development Authority (AgARDA), a high-risk, high-reward research agency within the USDA modeled after the highly influential and popular “ARPA-style” agencies such as the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). AgARDA, which was authorized in the 2018 iteration of the Farm Bill, has not yet been formally established due to lack of meaningful appropriations in Congress. Dr. Jacobs-Young remarked that there would be an implementation plan released early in 2023 on how to stand up the agency if it were to be given appropriations for fiscal year (FY) 2023.  A recording of the hearing and witness testimonies are available on the Committee website.