b'With the UpcomingFarm Bill, Lets Emphasize the Importance of ResearchTheres a lot on the mind concerning the farm bill, but one thing remains certain: innovation is a must.Alex MartinSEPTEMBER 30, 2023.Thatpresident of government affairs with date might not mean a lot to somethe American Seed Trade Association people, but if youve been working in(ASTA) says. Having Chairman the ag space, you might realize thatThompson take over means a shift in date has a bit of weight behind ititspriorities, because theyre now in con-the date the 2018 Farm Bill expires.trol of the hearing schedule. In addition, Legislators, lobbyists and associa- Senator Stabenow has announced her tions are working hard to educate a newretirementeven though shell be here Congress and Senate about the bill,for the next couple of years, that adds which is historically one of the largesta layer of urgency of her being able to bipartisan bills to cross the floor.fulfill a legacy item in the next couple of Last year when we talked withmonths.Janae Brady, one of the biggest con- Although there have been shifts in cerns she had leading up to the 2023the representatives on the floor, Brady Farm Bill revolved around budgets,says this hasnt hugely impacted ASTAs more specifically, focusing on investingpriorities for the farm bill. Instead, the more research dollars to the agricultureteam has been spending the last year sector. But, a lot has changed in thetrying to drill down and go into more span of one year. detail on different aspects that theyre looking for.2023 Updates and ASTA Priorities Ag research remains one of the Since our last update on the farm bill,top priorities, and were continuing to the political landscape changed, as aadvocate on the needs for ag research, midterm election shifted the control ofwhich are significant, Brady says. the House to the Republicans.That said, the biggest challenge in The biggest changes since theterms of funding is that really, its a pri-last time we spoke is the change inority for everyone, across all titles of theKaty Martin Rainey serves as a control of the House and the Housefarm bill. At the end of the day, Bradyprofessor of soybean genetics and ag committee leadership, Brady, viceknows itll be a difficult decision for thebreeding at Purdue University.14/ SEEDWORLD.COMJUNE 2023'