On Wednesday, the House of Representatives’ Appropriations Committee passed a fiscal year 2019 funding bill for the USDA. The federal budget calendar runs from Oct. 1 to Sept. 30.

The bill would provide $3.1 billion for agricultural research, $72 million above fiscal year 2018 levels. NAAA again successfully pushed for language in the committee report to the bill indicating Congress’s continued support of the USDA-ARS Aerial Application Technology Program. The committee report to the bill reads, in part:

The Committee recognizes the importance of the ARS Aerial Application Technology Program. The program conducts innovative research making aerial applications more efficient, effective, and precise. Research for aerial application serves the public good as a vital tool for the future, as agriculture strives to meet the food, fiber, and bio-energy demands of a growing population.

The mention of aerial application within the report supporting the legislation is no small feat, as it is one of only a few ag programs specifically mentioned. NAAA will continue to work for adequate USDA-ARS funding for the continued design of aerial application technologies, tools and techniques that mitigate drift, result in fuel savings and make aerial applications more efficacious. Favorable committee report language sends a strong message to the USDA to continue to sustain appropriate funding for aerial application research despite the budget cuts. Since 2002 NAAA has been successful in lobbying the government for an additional $8,912,500 in federal funding for aerial application technology research.

Total discretionary funding in the legislation is $23.27 billion, which is $14 million above the fiscal year 2018 enacted level. In total, the bill allows for $145.09 billion in both discretionary and mandatory funding—$922 million below the fiscal year 2018 enacted level.