b'I want to emphasize that universities, like Purdue, are incubators for technol- THE BILLS BIGGEST CHALLENGEogy and innovation, she says. The private sector comes to us to collaborateOne of the biggest challenges to the bill continues to be the timeline. According to the American Seed Trade because we support a dizzying array ofAssociations (ASTA) Janae Brady, the 2018 Farm Bill was a little bit further along in April and May than were disciplines at a university. The seed indus- currently seeing right now.try is primarily R&D based, just like other industries such as pharmaceuticals, andWere on a very, very condensed timeline right now, Brady, vice president of government affairs of ASTA, says. sometimes, people dont realize that. ButThat doesnt mean its not possiblewere certainly optimistic that its going to get done. But its just a matter even the largest corporations cant affordof this sort of uncertainty that comes with the potential need for extension.to support the breadth of expertise that exists at universities. According to Brady, the farm bill hasnt been passed by the expiration date since the 1990sone of the closest As an example, Rainey describedyears the farm bill was passed to the extension date was in 2018, when the bill was passed in December of the the use of solar-powered autonomousyear it expired.vehicles to spray weeds and deliver other inputs. Many practical and technical chal- If the bill doesnt get passed by the expiration date, typically the solution is to draft and approve an extension lenges need to be solved to realize theof the current farm bill. Thats what happened in 2012a year-long extension was passed to help continue the potential of these technologies. Thatsnegotiations for the bill, which eventually became the 2014 Farm Bill. an engineering challenge needing to be addressed.If a farm bill isnt approved or extended and ends up lapsing, Brady says that wed revert to permanent law, While private companies can addresswhich has roots back in the 1930s.those, land grant universities have theWhile that sounds negative, it also adds motivation to getting something done, she says. It really makes sure expertise across multiple fields and sec- the stakes are high and provides the need for the farm bill to be in place.tors to work on things like sensors that will deliver inputs in a way thats more sustainable, more economical and more effective, provided funding is available and universities are collaborating to com-mercialize innovations.We need agriculture research fund-ing to support the private sector, public sector and the environment simultane-ously. Theyre linked, Rainey says. We want to support technological innovation because thats going to allow for sustain-able food security in the future.Without Funding, Heres What Wed Be MissingAfter Raineys testimony and as she looks to the future, she will continue to empha-size the importance and necessity of private-public partnerships. As public scientists, were not here receiving federal funding to do just what-ever suits usits often in support of the private sector, she says.In terms of public breeding programs supported by things like federal funding, its a huge number of items that growers and private companies can benefit from. Its almost a question of where do you start? Rainey asks. When we think of public breeding programs, we canDr. Katy Martin Rainey and masters student Vince Seal use Plot Phenix to analyze drone consider work on genetic diversity, coverimagery at the Indiana Corn and Soybean Innovation Center in West Lafayette, IN.18/ SEEDWORLD.COMJUNE 2023'