05.11.21

Hoeven & Baldwin Introduce Legislation to Support Agricultural Research Partnership Between U.S. & Israel

WASHINGTON – Senators John Hoeven (R-N.D.) and Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) today announced that they have reintroduced their bipartisan legislation to strengthen and enhance congressional support for long-standing collaborative agricultural and scientific research in areas of mutual interest to the United States and Israel. The Binational Agricultural Research and Development Fund (BARD) program was first established in 1977 through an agreement between the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Israeli government, with USDA devoting approximately $500,000 of funding to the program each year.

The Hoeven-Baldwin bill would allow funding to be provided directly to the BARD program through the Agriculture Appropriations Committee, which is led by Baldwin and Hoeven. This would help ensure certainty for the BARD program, strengthen the U.S.-Israeli partnership and support projects that are critical to agriculture, food safety and conservation, among other things. 

“Agriculture is critical to our nation’s quality of life and is a cornerstone of North Dakota’s economy,” said Senator Hoeven. “Considering the importance of agriculture research in strengthening our producers’ competitive edge in the global marketplace, as well as the close relationship between the U.S. and Israel, it makes sense to continue supporting this research partnership, which has been in place for more than 40 years.”

“The Binational Agricultural Research and Development Fund, known as BARD, is an important partnership between the U.S. and Israel as we work together to create bold, global solutions that help address plant and animal health, food quality and safety, and environmental issues,” said Senator Baldwin. “I’m working with Senator Hoeven to support this vital research program and do right by farmers, agriculture businesses and consumers, both here at home and around the world.”  

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