Through efforts on Capitol Hill, NAAA has succeeded again in getting supportive language for USDA-ARS aerial application technology research in the House Committee on Appropriations Fiscal Year 2023 Agricultural Appropriations Spending Bill Committee Report. The language indicates Congress’s continued support of the USDA-ARS Aerial Application Technology Research Unit (AATRU) Program. NAAA has secured $11,912,500 in aerial application research funding since 2002. The language in the Committee Report reads:

Aerial Application.—The Committee recognizes the importance of aerial application to control crop pests and diseases and to fertilize and seed crops and forests. Aerial application is useful not only to ensure overall food safety and food security, but also to promote public health through improved mosquito control and public health application techniques. The Committee urges ARS to prioritize research focused on optimizing aerial spray technologies for on-target deposition and drift mitigation, and to work cooperatively with the Environmental Protection Agency to update their pesticide review methodology.

The report language supporting aerial application research may also be found on pg. 14 of the full House Appropriations Committee report.

The full U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate must pass their 2023 ag appropriation bills and reconcile them for signature by President Biden to finalize this process. This will likely happen later this year. Having this language included early in the process is a positive step to ensuring continued support for the AATRU program and will help to have the language included in the Senate appropriations process.