ASA, CSSA, and SSSA release priorities for the 2023 Farm Bill

November 14, 2022 - Rachel K. Owen

The American Society of Agronomy (ASA), Crop Science Society of America (CSSA) and Soil Science Society of America (SSSA) represent nearly 8,000 scientists in academia, industry, and government. We also support a nationwide network of more than 13,300 Certified Crop Advisers (CCA) and over 700 Certified Professional Soil Scientists (CPSS) who work directly with farmers, many as technical service providers (TSPs). Our members and certified professionals are dedicated to meeting the demands of a growing world population through the pursuit and application of agronomic, crop and soil science knowledge.

In the past year, global challenges have pushed agricultural production systems past the tipping point of resiliency and threatened nutritional security. The 2023 Farm Bill can help America overcome these challenges and build resiliency for the future. This bill can prepare American agriculture for future threats to our food system by fostering growth, sparking innovation, and accelerating research translation. America’s robust and diverse agricultural productivity stems from past Federal investments in agricultural science and technology research being translated to farmers through on-farm advisers and outreach specialists. Research investments have helped U.S. farmers through droughts and floods, pests, and pathogens, and changing consumer tastes while simultaneously promoting sustainability and soil health. They help provide Americans with safe, nutritious, and affordable food.

To maintain America’s innovation and global competitiveness, we offer the following Farm Bill recommendations:

  1. Provide robust, consistent, and diverse support for agricultural research
  2. Improve coordination of climate research to enable translational research
  3. Facilitate FAIR data collection, sharing, storage, and reuse
  4. Support equitable outcomes in research, extension, education, and production
  5. Leverage networks of trusted, on-farm advisers to meet technical assistance needs

To read the detailed priorities and learn more about our Farm Bill advocacy efforts, visit https://www.agronomy.org/science-policy/issues/farm-bill/2023

For media inquiries please contact: Rachel Owen, Government Relations Manager, Send Message.