Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research (FFAR) Community Support Letter

Dear Chairman Thompson, Ranking Member Craig, Chairman Boozman, and Ranking Member Klobuchar:

As you work to complete a final Farm Bill, we respectfully urge you to include the Senate provision providing $200 million for the Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research (FFAR) in the final farm bill agreement.

FFAR represents one of the federal government’s most effective public-private partnership models. Established by Congress in the 2014 Farm Bill, FFAR was specifically designed to expand food and agricultural research by requiring private-sector investment alongside federal funding. Since its creation, FFAR has consistently exceeded that requirement, leveraging an average of approximately $1.40 in non-federal funding for every federal dollar invested, more than doubling the impact of taxpayer dollars.

This proven model delivers a strong return on investment for American agriculture. FFAR has partnered with more than 550 organizations spanning the food and agricultural value chain, including farmers, universities, commodity groups, and agribusinesses, to advance research that addresses real-world challenges facing producers. Through these partnerships, FFAR has invested hundreds of millions of dollars in collaborative research that accelerates innovation while ensuring that stakeholders have a direct role in shaping research priorities… (download attachment for full letter).