Last week, the Senate Appropriations Committee passed a fiscal year 2020 funding bill for the Departments of Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies bill by a vote of 31-0.

The bill provides $3.172 billion for agricultural research, $72 million above fiscal year 2019 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. Due to partisan divisiveness in the House of Representatives’ companion bill, no reference to aerial application of numerous other ARS research programs was listed in their report, however, in the past when situations like this occur both reports are combined of supporting programs when reconciled.  This will likely be the case again this year, nevertheless 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 $10,112,500 for federal funding for aerial application technology research.

The discretionary funding in the bill totals $23.1 billion, $58 million above the fiscal year 2019 enacted level. The Senate bill still need to be reconciled with the House agriculture appropriations bill, which set spending levels at $24.3 billion for the 2020 fiscal year.