The National Young Farmers Coalition is proposing 1 Million Acres for Farm Bill 2023. Between 1948 and 2019, total agricultural output in the United States grew by 142 percent. This rise was not due to increases in agricultural land or labor—in fact, both inputs declined over the period. The productivity stemmed from the adoption of a whole suite of innovations and technology transfer in crop and livestock breeding, nutrient use, pest management, farm practices, and farm equipment and structures. These innovations are the fruits of publicly funded agricultural R&D.
That is why this Budget proposes an increase of over $355 million for a total of $4.05 billion for USDA relief for black farmers and to extend research, education, and economics programs. This investment is critical to addressing the mounting hunger and nutrition insecurity crises, strengthening and building markets for farmers and producers, and addressing the impacts of climate change. This Budget includes increasing the National Institute of Food and Agriculture’s (NIFA) Agriculture Food Research Initiative (AFRI) to $564 million, an increase of $119 million over 2022 enacted to include broad emphasis on rural circular economies through clean energy technologies and climate-smart agriculture and forestry.
These investments complement proposed increases for the Agricultural Research Service (ARS) to expand research to fully understand the myriad aspects of climate change drivers and impacts, and to strategically develop approaches that can help mediate climate change and its impacts on agriculture, our rural economy, ecosystem services, and the quality of our natural resources. Finally, the Budget proposes investments in USDA’s research agencies to rebuild both capacity and credibility after years of staff losses.
In FY 2021, the Research, Education, and Economics Mission Area was successful in hiring above their FY 2020 staffing levels, but they are still significantly understaffed to address the current and emerging challenges noted above. Combating Climate Change Climate change presents real threats to U.S. agricultural production, forest resources, and rural economies.
Producers and land managers across the country are experiencing climate impacts on their operations through shifting weather patterns and increasingly frequent and severe storms, floods, drought, and wildfire.
This Budget underscores the Biden-Harris Administration’s commitment to address the impacts of climate change with a comprehensive approach that’s inclusive of science and on-the-ground investments to support our producers and land managers across the country.
Farmers, ranchers, and foresters can lead the way with tackling the climate crisis through the adoption of voluntary and farmer friendly incentive-based climate-smart agricultural and forestry practices. That is why this Budget proposes $1 billion for Conservation Operations to support producers and landowners in undertaking voluntary conservation and climate-smart practices on agricultural lands that will improve the profitability and resilience of producers and reduce emissions. The Budget proposes $20 million for the Healthy Forests Reserve Program to enroll
