Letter in Support of FY 2027 Funding for ARS

Dear Chairman Harris, Chairman Hoeven, Ranking Member Bishop, and Ranking Member Shaheen:

The undersigned organizations representing agriculture, academia, industry, and the food and nutrition community write to thank you for your continued bipartisan support of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Research Service (ARS). As your Committees consider appropriations for the Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies bill for Fiscal Year 2027, we respectfully request $1.877 billion for ARS salaries and expenses, representing a 5 percent increase over the FY2026 enacted level.

As USDA’s chief intramural research agency, ARS conducts food and agricultural research at more than 90 research locations nationwide and delivers science-based solutions that support American farmers, ranchers, consumers, and rural communities. ARS research is organized into 15 National Programs spanning crops, animals, natural resources, nutrition, and food safety—allowing multidisciplinary teams to address complex challenges across the entire food and agricultural system. More than one-third of ARS locations are co-located with public universities, strengthening partnerships that accelerate innovation and maximize the return on federal investment.

The long-term, mission-driven research supported by ARS has produced tangible outcomes that improve agricultural productivity, natural resource management, and public health:

● Plant Systems: ARS scientists have developed disease-resistant crop varieties and advanced breeding tools that help producers combat devastating plant diseases such as Fusarium head blight in wheat, citrus greening, and emerging pest pressures. ARS research has led the way on open-source, AI-training databases for plants that have paved the way for precision weed and pest management technologies. These innovations reduce yield losses, lower input costs, and strengthen the reliability of domestic crop production.

● Animal Agriculture: ARS research has led to improved animal health management strategies, including enhanced disease surveillance, nutrition optimization, and genetics research that increases livestock productivity while reducing losses from endemic and foreign animal diseases. ARS research is developing novel treatments, preventatives and response strategies to combat emerging challenges like New World screwworm. This work strengthens U.S. biosecurity and protects producers from significant economic risk.

● Human Nutrition and Food Safety: ARS researchers have conducted landmark research on infant and child nutrient metabolism, including how protein quality, carbohydrates, and micronutrients are utilized during early growth and development. This work has led to improvements in the formulation of infant formula and pediatric medical nutrition products, helping ensure that vulnerable populations—such as premature infants and children with metabolic disorders—receive safe, effective, and nutritionally appropriate foods. In addition, ARS is making meaningful headway on mycotoxin mitigation, specifically with aflatoxin and vomitoxin, and this progress helps reinforce a strong and safe food supply chain.

● Soil Health and Natural Resources: ARS research has advanced soil health management practices such as cover crops that improve water retention, reduce erosion, and increase carbon storage while sustaining yields. Through long-term research networks such as the Long-Term Agroecosystem Research (LTAR) sites, ARS generates critical datasets that help producers adapt to weather variability and resource constraints while protecting soil and water resources.

In addition, ARS maintains essential national research infrastructure, including the National Agricultural Library, the world’s largest agricultural information repository, and the Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN), which safeguards plant, animal, and microbial genetic resources vital to future breeding and food security. Together, these data collections enable research that consistently returns multiples of the original federal investment through higher yields, reduced input costs, and improved resilience across U.S. agriculture.

The benefits of agricultural research accrue over decades, not budget cycles. Sustained and predictable funding for ARS is essential to maintain scientific capacity, retain skilled researchers, and ensure continuity of long-term experiments and datasets that cannot be restarted once lost. A 5 percent increase for FY2027 will help ARS address rising operational costs, maintain research momentum, and respond to emerging threats to plant health, animal health, nutrition security, and natural resource management.

As you work on the FY2027 agriculture appropriations, we urge you to provide no less than $1.877 billion for ARS salaries and expenses. This investment will ensure that ARS continues to deliver science-based solutions that enhance U.S. agricultural competitiveness, strengthen food and nutrition security, and steward the natural resources upon which agriculture depends.

Thank you for your leadership and continued support of agricultural research. We stand ready to work with you and your staff and are happy to serve as a resource as the appropriations process moves forward.

Sincerely,

Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics

agInnovation North Central

agInnovation South

Agricultural & Applied Economics Association

American Association of Mycobacterial Diseases

American Association of Veterinary Medical Colleges

American Dairy Science Association

American Feed Industry Association

American Malting Barley Association

American Meat Science Association

American Phytopathological Society

American Society for Horticultural Science

American Society for Microbiology

American Society for Nutrition

American Society of Agronomy

American Society of Animal Science

American Society of Plant Biologists

American Soybean Association

American Veterinary Medical Association

Aquatic Plant Management Society

Association of 1890 Research Directors

Carbon180

Colorado State University

Council for Agricultural Science and Technology (CAST)

Crop Science Society of America

Ecological Society of America

Entomological Society of America

Farm Journal Foundation

Friends of the US Dairy Forage Research Center

International Fresh Produce Association

Maize Genetics Cooperation

Meat Institute

Mycobacterial Diseases of Animals – MI

National Association for Plant Breeding (NAPB)

National Association of State Departments of Agriculture

National Association of Wheat Growers

National Barley Improvement Committee

National Coalition for Food and Agricultural Research

National Corn Growers Association

National Cotton Council of America

National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition

North American Plant Phenotyping Network (NAPPN)

North Central Weed Science Society

Northeastern Weed Science Society

Organic Farming Research Foundation

Pet Food Institute

Soil and Water Conservation Society

Soil Science Society of America

Southern Weed Science Society

Spark Climate Solutions

The Breakthrough Institute

The Good Food Institute

University of Minnesota College of Food, Agricultural, and Natural Resource Sciences

USA Pulses

Weed Science Society of America

Western Society of Weed Science

World Coffee Research