07.24.15

Hoeven: Agriculture Appropriations Bill Provides Support for Expanded Ag Research

WASHINGTON – Senator John Hoeven today announced that the Senate Appropriations Committee has approved the Fiscal Year (FY) 2016 Agriculture Appropriations Bill. The annual funding bill includes expanded support for agriculture research, including at North Dakota State University.

“American agriculture has managed to provide our country and the world with the highest quality, most affordable food supply in history,” Hoeven said. “That is in large measure due to the remarkable research being done at facilities like North Dakota State University, the Red River Agricultural Research Service and other quality institutions focused on improving the production and quality of our food supply.”

  • Agriculture Research Service (ARS) is funded at $1.137 billion, an increase over the Fiscal Year 2015 level. ARS is USDA’s in-house research arm and maintains facilities such as the North Dakota’s Red River Valley Agricultural Research Center in Fargo. The Red River Valley ARS conducts critical bioscience research that, among many things, seeks to improve the effectiveness of bees used in crop pollination.
  • National Institutes for Food and Agriculture (NIFA) is funded at 1.294 billion, an increase over the Fiscal Year 2015 level. NIFA is critical to funding ag research at America’s land-grant institutions, such as NDSU. Funding is maintained at the FY15 levels for formula research, cooperative forestry, and cooperative extension programs for land-grant and Native American colleges and universities. 
  • Grants for Alfalfa and Forage Research and Potato Research is funded at $2 million, an increase above Fiscal Year 2015.
  • Pollinator Health Research will receive an additional $2 million and wheat and sorghum research will receive an additional $1 million each. 

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