November 2023 - 6

SEEDS
Farm Bill wish list
Conservation, research lead seed association's priorities
BY CHRIS KOGER
MANAGING EDITOR
F
arm bill priorities for members of the American
Seed Trade Association (ASTA) are as diverse as
the seeds they produce and/or distribute, from
numerous crops to the regions of the U.S. they represent.
But as with agriculture in general, there are
overarching issues that span across the spectrum, from
apples to zoysia, and ASTA presents them every five
years or so, as in this year when the Farm Bill deadline
of Sept. 30 came without Congressional action.
ASTA released its Farm Bill priorities earlier this year,
and they focus on five areas: conservation, agricultural
research, trade, innovation and risk management.
Conservation
The association's conservation priorities focus on
cover crops, flexibility in conservation programs and
enhanced carbon sequestration and " land resilience "
via plant diversity.
According to ASTA, more than half of the funding
requests to the USDA's Natural Resources Conservation
Service (NRCS) conservation program are unfunded,
and alternate approaches to encourage cover cropping
should be considered. That could include financial
incentives tied to the number of species included in
cover crop seed mixes.
" Interest and enthusiasm surrounding cover crops
continues to grow as producers look for tools to
slow erosion, improve soil health and enhance water
6 | NOVEMBER 2023
availability, among other economic and environmental
benefits, " said Payton Englert, director of government
affairs at ASTA. With the Biden administration's interest in
funding climate-smart ag projects, the seed industry has a
unique opportunity to participate in efforts and projects to
support conservation efforts nationwide, Englert said.
Agricultural research
ASTA's Farm Bill priorities include " robust " funding
for Land-Grant University programs and facilities, as
well as various USDA research programs, from the
Specialty Crop Research Institute to resources for plant
breeders. A key priority is the National Plant Germplasm
System (NPGS): ASTA worked with members of Congress
for the 2018 Farm Bill to mandate USDA develop and
implement a national germplasm and cultivar collections
assessment/utilization plans for the NPGS.
" Agriculture research is the foundation for advancing
U.S. innovation in the specialty crop sector, and ensuring
a strong return on investment in public and private ag
research dollars, " Englert said. " Robust funding for
primary USDA research is essential, and desperately
needed to continue supporting the work of programs like
the NPGS, National Clean Plant Network, and Specialty
Crop Research Institute.
" Specialty crops are critical to complement staple
crops in providing essential nutrition and health to the
U.S. population, " she said.
ASTA is focusing also on the vulnerability of U.S.
production areas, singling out climate change and
evolving pest and disease pressure. Examples include the
spread of spotted lanternfly and unprecedented droughts
November 2023

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of November 2023
