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State Agriculture Officials celebrate House Agriculture Appropriations support
Story Date: 6/7/2019
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Source: PRESS RELEASE, 6/6/19
After the House Appropriations Committee’s approval of the fiscal year 2020 Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration Funding Bill, NASDA praises the committee for increasing discretionary funding for critical food and agriculture programs. In March, NASDA outlined priorities to the committee. Through this legislation, the committee included support for, state cooperative programs and food safety, rural mental health and urban agriculture.
“NASDA extends a great thank you to the House Appropriations Committee and the Agriculture Subcommittee for their work to financially support important programs that our nation’s farmers and ranchers depend on,” NASDA CEO Dr. Barb Glenn said.
NASDA is grateful for the committee’s dedication to the states’ work on implementing new ways to keep food safe and providing educational training to farmers. The Food Safety Modernization Act is a top priority for NASDA. Primarily, it’s NASDA members who work with farmers, ranchers and impacted stakeholders to implement FSMA in the states. The committee increased funding by $2 million to allot the maximum amount of $10 million for the Food Safety Outreach Program.
In addition, NASDA is thrilled to see the Farmer & Rancher Stress Assistance Network fully funded at $10 million. “The services that the network provides are imperative during these especially trying times for agriculture,” Glenn said. “We’re proud that Congress is investing in our industry’s foundation—the health of our farmers and rural communities.”
Also, $5 million was allocated to the new Office of Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production created by the 2018 Farm Bill.
“We’ve increasingly heard from members that urban agriculture is growing in their states. The USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service has also emphasized that urban ag is expanding, and funding for this office will enable its increasing importance as part of the U.S. agricultural system,” Glenn said.
NASDA looks forward to working with the Senate on the agriculture appropriations bill and the ultimate passage of legislation that supplies American agriculture with needed resources.
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