Washington, D.C. – Amidst a hectic policy push to meet the Senate Ag Committee’s March 31st deadline for Farm Bill proposals, Regenerate America submitted appropriations requests for fiscal year 2024 to Senate and House Ag Appropriation sub-committee leaders.
The requests call for key USDA programs, including FOTO and ATTRA, to be funded at their authorized levels, as well as funding for the proposed permanent Pandemic Cover Crop Program. The request letter is available to be viewed here, and the full set of requests is below.
Program: Conservation Technical Assistance (CTA)
- Agency: Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Funding: $1.1 billion, including:
- $30 million dedicated to the Grazing Lands Conservation Initiative (GLCI)
- $10 million to implement agency-wide standardized soil testing protocols and lab calibration (previously passed as report language in FY 2020)
Program: Appropriate Technology Transfer for Rural Areas (ATTRA)
- Agency: Rural Business-Cooperative Service (RBCS)
Funding: $5 million (which is the authorized level, but the program was only funded at $3.5 million in FY 2023).
Program: Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI)
- Agency: National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA)
Funding: $550 million (to support critical research on soil health and on-farm resilience)
Program: Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE)
- Agency: National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA)
Funding: $60 million (which is the authorized level, but the program was only funded at $50 million in FY 2023)
Program: Farming Opportunities Training and Outreach (FOTO)
- Agencies: National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) and Office of Partnerships and Public Engagement (OPPE)
Funding: $50 million, split appropriately between BFRDP and 2501, as authorized in the 2018 Farm Bill (in addition to the $50 million in annual mandatory funding)
Program: Local Agriculture Market Program (LAMP)
- Agencies: Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) and Rural Development (RD) Funding: $20 million, split appropriately between FMLFPP and VAPG
Program: Direct and Guaranteed Farm Ownership and Operating Loans
- Programmatic Account: Farm Service Agency (FSA) Funding: Full funding based on identified need
Proposed Legislation: Make the Pandemic Cover Crop Program permanent
- Agency: Risk Management Agency (RMA)
Funding: $75 million (to provide $5 an acre premium support on crop insurance policies for farmers who plant cover crops)
