Investments in USDA priorities

The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023 provides $1.7 trillion in discretionary resources across the fiscal year 2023 appropriations bills and includes several crucial investments to advance the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) priorities for rural America. According to the Farm Journal’s AgWeb, money specific to agricultural research will increase by $175 million, to $3.45 billion in 2023, which includes the USDA’s Agricultural Research Service (ARS).

Of special interest to Pacific Northwest (PNW) producers, the ARS appropriation for the PNW Herbicide Resistance Initiative increased from $2 million to $3 million annually. The initiative is a collaboration between the three PNW land-grant universities and the ARS. Currently coordinated by Dr. Ian Burke at Washington State University, the initative will develop and deliver economically sound solutions for managing herbicide resistant weeds in wheat and associated rotational crops.

In addition, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is slated to receive $8.66 billion in fiscal year 2023 from the appropriations bill for construction, operations and maintenance of PNW rivers and dams. The Pacific Northwest Waterways Association (PNWA) successfully advocated for a list of regional projects to be included in the bill. The Washington Grain Commission is a member of PNWA.

We need your help!

QR code to Problem Weeds Survey #1PNW producers can help the Herbicide Resistance Initiative determine priority problem weeds and their location under different management systems. Click here, or hold your smartphone up to the QR code and select the pop-up link to access the Problem Weeds Survey #1.

This article originally appeared in the February 2023 issue of Wheat Life Magazine.

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