Skip to Content
Member Login

ASTA Highlights the Importance of Agriculture Research, Co-Signs Several Letters

  • On March 18, 2026

As the congressional appropriations committees write bills to fund the government for fiscal year 2027, ASTA partnered with dozens of fellow agriculture and food organizations to highlight the importance of agricultural research funding.

As a member of the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) Coalition, ASTA co-signed a letter calling for the appropriations committees to fund the AFRI, USDA’s premier competitive grants program to support merit-based, fundamental and applied research, extension, and education that strengthens U.S. agriculture across crops, livestock, food systems, and rural economies. In recent years, AFRI funding has experienced reductions, even as producers face tighter margins, evolving animal disease treats, and intensified global competition.

The coalition sent a separate letter to the leaders of the appropriations committees requesting  they provide a robust allocation for the Agriculture – Food and Drug Administration (FDA) appropriations bill. Because this legislation is the vehicle that Congress writes annually to set funding levels for the USDA and the FDA, if Congress budgets more money for this appropriations bill, it can then fund programs within this legislation at greater levels.

As a member of the Food and Agriculture Climate Alliance (FACA), ASTA also co-signed a letter advocating for the funding of a variety of programs important to its membership. Relevant programs addressed in this message include AFRI, conservation programs, and the Agriculture Advanced Research and Development Authority (AGARDA).

Lastly, ASTA sent a separate letter to Congress to specifically advocate for funding AGARDA. Although the 2018 Farm Bill called for Congress to fund the initiative at $50 million annually, appropriators have allocated less than $4 million total since.

ASTA’s Government Affairs team remains hard at work advocating for the seed industry and its priorities, working with allied organizations to amplify its voice in Washington, D.C.