Presented by:

American Society of Agronomy

Crop Science Society of America

Soil Science Society of America

Agronomic Science Foundation

March 16-17, 2015

2017 ASA, CSSA & SSSA Congressional Visits Day

Sunday, March 12 Travel from airport by metro or cab to: A) The Hamilton Crown Plaza

1001 14th St NW, Washington, DC 20005 (202) 682-0111

The hotel is a 3 minute walk from the McPherson Square metro station on the blue, orange or silver line. Sunday night Dinner: On your own. The Hamilton Crown Plaza is about a 15 minute walk away from the downtown/Chinatown area of D.C. These are a few suggestions, but there are dozens of options in this area. (CCAs have Sunday dinner plans) C) Capitol City Brewing Company

1100 New York Ave NW, Washington, DC 20005 Brewpub fare

D) District of Pi 910 F St NW, Washington, DC 20004 Specialty pizzas

E) Shake Shack 800 F St NW, Washington, DC 20004 Gourmet burgers

F) Matchbox 713 H St NW, Washington, DC 20001 Wood-fired pizza & new American

G) Vapiano 623-625 H St NW, Washington, DC 20001 Casual Italian

H) Zaytinya 701 9th St NW, Washington, DC 20001 Greek small plates

I) Brasserie Beck 1101 K St NW, Washington, DC 20005 Belgian cuisine

J) Proof 775 G St NW, Washington, DC 20001 New American

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2017 ASA, CSSA & SSSA Congressional Visits Day Monday, March 13 Breakfast: On your own. Breakfast suggestions Starbucks In the hotel Corner Bakery Café 1425 K St NW, Washington, DC 20005

Pret A Manger 1432 K St NW, Washington, DC 20533 Hamilton Crown Plaza restaurant

Meet in hotel lobby at 8:00am to walk to: Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities (APLU) headquarters B on map) 1307 New York Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20005 1st floor conference room

8:30 am – 9:30 am Welcome – Ellen Bergfeld, CEO, Agronomy, Crops and Soil Science Societies Karl Anderson, Director of Government Relations

Introductions

9:30 am – 10:30am Sonny Ramaswamy, Director, USDA NIFA 10:30 am – 10:45 am Break 10:45 am – 11:00 pm Kira Mock, Program Manager for the AAAS Energy, Environment, and

Agriculture Fellowship Program 11:00 pm – 12:00 pm Congressional Science Fellow Panel:

Samuel Crowell, 2015 AAAS S&T Executive Branch Fellow, USDA Julia Bradley-Cook, 2016 ASA, CSSA, & SSSA Congressional Science Fellow Jimmy Zumba, 2017 ASA, CSSA, & SSSA Congressional Science Fellow

12:00 pm – 12:30 pm Crafting Your Message – Elizabeth Stulberg

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12:30 pm – 1:30 pm Lunch (gather in your small groups) 1:30 pm – 2:00 pm Advocacy Training 2:00 pm – 2:15 pm Mock Meetings Demonstration 2:15 pm – 3:30 pm Group Meeting Practice 3:30 pm Wrap-up and Depart APLU 5:00 pm – 7:00 pm CVD Reception

Hamilton Crown Plaza Hotel, Franklin Room 1001 14th St NW, Washington, DC 20005

Tuesday, March 14 8:00 am – 9:00 am Meet with group members in hotel lobby to travel to Capitol Hill by metro (exact meeting time to be determined by group) 9:00 am – 4:30 pm Congressional Office Meetings (lunch will be determined by your group based on your schedule) 4:00 pm – 6:00 pm CVD Debriefing and Reception 502 C St NE, Washington, DC 20002

Agronomy, Crop and Soil Science Societies DC Headquarters

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4

 

      

 Meeting with a Member of Congress or congressional staff is an excellent way to convey a message about an issue such as the importance of supporting funding for USDA Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI). The meeting also offers you the opportunity to develop a long‐term relationship with your Congressional delegation.   

Before your meeting…  Dress appropriately. We encourage you to wear business or business casual attire at your meeting. Remember to bring business cards if you have them.  Do your homework. Before you go into each office, check if the Member is on any relevant committees. Check their website to see the issues they care about and think about how they could tie into your conversation.  For each meeting, select a spokesperson (normally this will be the constituent). At the scheduled time of the meeting, the group will enter the office and the spokesperson will tell the office staff assistant you have a meeting. Include the time of your meeting and staffer’s name with whom you are meeting.   Be on time and be prepared to wait. Changes in the legislative calendar and office activity often means Members and their staff are dealing with multiple meetings. Space can be limited in Congressional offices, so be flexible. It’s not a sign of disrespect if you end up having your meeting in the hallway.   

During your meeting….  Introduce yourself. Allow each CVD participant to introduce themselves. After everyone has been introduced, the spokesperson will begin by saying you are here to discuss funding for food, agriculture and natural resources research. (See the CVD Talking Points document for more suggestions)  Be succinct. Most meetings last only about 15 minutes, so plan on getting to the point quickly.   Use a short anecdote or offer facts that illustrate the value of food, agriculture and natural resources research.  Try to tie in an economic or local impact, e.g., jobs created, money coming back to the district/state. Answer the “so what?” or “why should I care?” question  Don't monopolize the conversation and don't patronize or complain to the Member or staff. Remember you are part of a team of scientists with the common goal of encouraging support for science research and education.      

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Take notes, especially if there is anything the member and/or staffer wants follow-up information on. Write down any questions that are asked (especially ones that you couldn’t answer). For each meeting, assign one group member as the note taker. Be aware of the time, especially if you have another meeting soon after. If you’re getting short on time, gently wrap up the conversation and tell the staff members you will follow up on any questions they have. Ask for a photo. Even if you are not scheduled to meet with the member of Congress in person, ask if they are in the office and available for a quick photo. (Sometimes this can get you a minute or two of face-to-face time!) Make sure to get a photo if you are meeting with the member of Congress. Thank member/staffer for their time.

After your meeting… Fill out a meeting evaluation after each meeting. Make note of who you met with and what you discussed and any questions that are asked. This information will help the Science Policy Office continue to build a relationship with this office. Send a thank you note. After you return from your visit coordinate with your team members to send thank-you letters/emails to the staff and members. The DC staff will provide you with a template for drafting thank you notes. Thank-you notes should be emailed to staff and faxed or mailed to members. Be sure to include:

Relevant points discussed, especially asking for their support of $420 million for AFRI

Respond to any informational requests

Remind them that you are a resource for their office Maintain Contact. Reach out to the staff members you met with at least twice a year. You won’t always get a response, but reminding them you are a resource is an important part of building a relationship with that office.

Remember to coordinate your activities with the Science Policy Office

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FY 2017 & FY 2018 Budget Numbers for AFRI

The “Ask”

For FY17, we’re asking for:

$375 million for AFRI (in both the House and Senate bills)

Pass the agriculture appropriations bill

No long-term Continuing Resolution

For FY18, we’re asking for:

$420 million for AFRI

Bring closer to the goal of $700 million (authorized level)

Agency - Program FY16 Final President's FY17 Request House FY17 Senate FY17 Our

FY18 Request

USDA – AFRI

U.S. Department of Agriculture - Agriculture & Food Research

Initiative

$350 million

$700 million (total)

$375 million (discretionary)

$325 million (mandatory)

$375 million $375 million $420 million

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CVD Talking Points

After everyone introduces themselves, the spokesperson can tell member and/or staffer that you are here to

talk about the importance of agriculture research and make a funding request for the USDA competitive

research program – the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI)

Introduce AFRI

AFRI is the premier competitive funding program for food, agriculture and natural resources research

and thousands scientists across the country rely on this funding source for their research.

Use a short anecdote or tell a story that illustrates the value of agriculture research.

This is a good place for each participant to give a brief description about your research or profession

and the potential impacts/outcomes of it.

You can also describe the economic impacts: highlight any research that addresses a district/state-

specific issue, jobs created, money coming back to the district/state.

Talk about why you are involved in research. Try to make it personal. What does increased research

funding mean for your future?

CCAs: How does federally funded research inform the recommendations you make to producers?

Make the “Ask”.

Due to strong Congressional support, AFRI funding has steadily increased over the past four years.

In FY17, both the House and Senate gave AFRI a $25 million increase to $375 million.

We support the $375 million for AFRI in FY17 and hope Congress will pass the Agriculture

Appropriations bill, not a long-term Continuing Resolution.

We want to continue this momentum in FY18 by requesting $420 million for AFRI and eventually get to

the fully authorized funding level of $700 million.

Rational for this level of funding for AFRI

AFRI is authorized to be funded up to $700 million, but is currently funded at $350 million. The gap

between the authorized and the appropriated level represents missed research opportunities and loss

of innovation. (first graph on the one-pager)

There is a scientific need for this level of funding. AFRI consistently receives 3 times more proposals of

scientific merit than it can fund. For example, in 2015, over 2,000 proposals were recommended for

funding, but because of AFRI’s budget, only 569 proposals were awarded funding. (second graph on the

one-pager)

Answer any questions or respond to comments they have about the Ask.

If the office is supportive, ask them to include AFRI in their office’s appropriations request letter.

You will follow up with their office in the next few weeks once the agriculture appropriations request

deadlines are announced.

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2017 ASA, CSSA & SSSA Congressional Visits Day #SupportAgResearch

Sample tweets: On the Hill today asking @TomRooney to support funding for food and #ag research at the @USDA! #SupportAgResearch #Ag scientists help feed the world. @SenatorBurr, show your support for @USDA research in FY17 & FY18! #SupportAgResearch Talking to @KamalaHarris about the importance of @USDA research: food security, soil health, clean energy. #SupportAgResearch In DC telling @RepLynnJenkins about the #research I do at @KState! #SupportAgResearch .@ASA_CSSA_SSSA members are on the Hill today talking about the importance of #research at @USDA AFRI. #SupportAgResearch Last year Alabama received $2.1 million in @USDA AFRI grants. Keep investing @Robert_Aderholt. #SupportAgResearch

@ASA_CSSA_SSSA @SSSA_soils

@USDA @USDA_NIFA

Sample Facebook post:

Caption for picture Met with @<insert Congress member name> to discuss the importance of @U.S. Department of Agriculture #research. Nice to be representing scientists and @<insert university name> on the Hill. Science advocacy in action! #SupportAgResearch

Feel free to change these around, just make sure to include #SupportAgResearch

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Name Affiliation Email Cell Phone

Karl Anderson ASA-CSSA-SSSA kanderson@sciencesocieties.org 703-966-4374

Amy Asmus Asmus Farms amy@afschem.com 641-590-1658

Keith Backman Dellavalle Lab, consultant kbackman@dellavallelab.com 559-647-5330

Derek Barchenger New Mexico State University dwbarche@nmsu.edu 918-424 4187

Ellen Bergfeld ASA-CSSA-SSSA, CEO ebergfeld@sciencesocieties.org 608-345-5823

Dan Bjorklund MaxYield Cooperative dbjorklund@maxyieldseed.com 515-320-3960

Brian Bohman University of Minnesota bohm0072@umn.edu 651-307 8298

Meyer Bohn North Dakota State University meyer.bohn@ndsu.edu 701-220-5166

Chris Boomsma Purdue University cboomsma@purdue.edu 708-204-8520

Jessica Bramhall Kansas State University 13bramhallja@gmail.com 785-294-2195

Matt Bright Ohio State University bright.120@osu.edu 614-354-5587

Charlie Brummer University of California-Davis CSSA President

ecbrummer@ucdavis.edu 530-574-6133

Jessica Bubert University of Illinois-Urbana-Champaign

jbubert2@illinois.edu 815-871-1392

Ann Bybee-Finley Cornell University kab436@cornell.edu 304-549-0598

Armando Campos President, Nutrient Tech acampos2009@cfl.rr.com 407-470-4180

Mike Choriki consultant mdchoriki@aol.com 406-672-2675

Bill Cook ASA-CSSA-SSSA bcook@sciencesocieties.org 202-439-1385

Sam Croat South Dakota State University samantha.croat@jacks.sdstate.edu 507-329-1249

Jorge da Silva Texas A&M University Jorge.dasilva@agnet.tamu.edu

Jessica Davis Colorado State University ASA President

jessica.davis@colostate.edu 970-988-1850

Richard Dick Ohio State University SSSA President-Elect

dick.78@osu.edu

Tim Durham Ferrum College tdurham@ferrum.edu 352-215-4195

Matthew Dzievit Iowa State University mdzievit@iastate.edu 414-732-5568

Laura Emberson University of California-Davis leemberson@ucdavis.edu 831-212-0337

Tim Fink SoAR tfink@supportagresearch.org

Paul Fixen International Plant Nutrition Inst. ASA Past-President

pfixen@ipni.net 605-691-3072

Leif Fixen American Farmland Trust lfixen@farmland.org 605-690-6458

Sally Flis TFI sflis@aol.com 518-569-4333

Erika Foster Colorado State University ejfoster7@gmail.com 503-913-4532

Mandy Fox Agronomist mandyfox30@gmail.com 785-410-2633

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Name Affiliation Email Cell Phone

Emily Fuger ASA-CSSA-SSSA efuger@sciencesocieties.org 815-973-8982

Aldo Garcia California State University of Fresno

a_garcia1012@mail.fresnostate.edu

Mariela Garcia University of Massachusetts Amherst

mg794@cornell.edu 817-201-6243

Logan Haake Monsanto loganhaake@yahoo.com 419-438-6690

John Holman Kansas State University jholman@ksu.edu 620-290-4488

Emma Jobson Montana State University emma.jobson@msu.montana.edu 970-217-4098

Wednesday Jordan University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point

wjord631@uwsp.edu 331-208-3779

Andy Knepp Monsanto ICCA Past-Chair

andrew.w.knepp@monsanto.com 309-251-1678

Molly Kreykes Michigan State University mkreykes2@gmail.com 734-546-2428

Dylan Larkin Washington State University dylarkin92@gmail.com 541-525-2524

Leanna Leverich University of Minnesota lever115@umn.edu 608-487-6878

Stevan Madjarac Monsanto stevan.madjarac@monsanto.com

Julie McClure ASA-CSSA-SSSA jmcclure@sciencesocieties.org 240-461-4562

Joshua Miller University of Nebraska - Lincoln joshua.miller@huskers.unl.edu 402-440-5033

Brad Mitchell Mid South Farmers Coop bmitchell@midsouthcoop.com 662-415-4486

Jonathan Moore Policy Consultant jonathanm494@gmail.com

Galen Mooso JR Simplot galen.mooso@simplot.com 208-570-3373

Kevin Morris National Turfgrass Evaluation Program

kmorris@ntep.org 301-873-6545

Michael Nattrass Mississippi State University mpn25@msstate.edu 662-312-1769

Clayton Nevins Purdue University cnevins@purdue.edu 765-592-6270

Anna Normand University of Florida evangeline@ufl.edu 337-692-3071

Jeanette Norton Utah State University jeanette.norton@usu.edu 435-757-9660

Daniel O'Brien University of Arkansas dpo001@uark.edu 205-213-5357

Wayne Roper North Carolina State University wrroper@ncsu.edu 313-402-0162

Steven Rosenzweig Colorado State University steven.t.rosenzweig@gmail.com 518-527-8550

Candace Schaible Utah State University candace.schaible@usu.edu 605-351-2863

Hannah Schneider Pennsylvania State University hms221@psu.edu 952-200-0318

Andrew Sharpley University of Arkansas SSSA President

sharpley@uark.edu 479-871-6703

Gabriel Silva University of Houston gabriel.rsilva96@gmail.com 956-532-7859

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Name Affiliation Email Cell Phone

Luther Smith ASA-CSSA-SSSA lsmith@sciencesocieties.org 608-347-1507

Brandon Smith Texas A&M University wbsmith89@tamu.edu 334-798-2007

Mark Sorrells Cornell University mes12@cornell.edu 607-342-5015

Fred Strauss CPS, Branch Manager fredpca@yahoo.com 209-482-1046

Elizabeth Stulberg ASA-CSSA-SSSA estulberg@sciencesocieties.org 973-986-2010

Tim Temples Monsanto tim.temples@channel.com 573-624-0141

Ron Turco Purdue University rturco@purdue.edu 756-427-0285

Jay Weeks Kansas State University jjw226@ksu.edu 315-730-6031

Thom Weir Farmers Edge ICCA Chair

the.weirs@sasktel.net 306-821-1808

Mark Westgate Iowa State University CSSA President-Elect

westgate@iastate.edu 515-291-2576

Kirsten Workman University of Vermont, Ext. kirsten.workman@uvm.edu 360-280-6766

Jenny Yang Pennsylvania State University jty116@psu.edu 603-661-6581

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Congressional Visits Day 2017 - Team Assignments

Team One: Andrew Sharpley (Team Leader) University of Arkansas Faculty Daniel O'Brien University of Arkansas Student Brad Mitchell Mid South Farmers Coop CCA Michael Nattrass Mississippi State University Student Team Two: Charlie Brummer University of California, Davis Faculty Laura Emberson University of California, Davis Student Keith Backman Dellavalle Lab CCA Aldo Garcia California State University, Fresno GF Scholar Fred Strauss Crop Production Services CCA Bill Cook (Team Leader) ASA-CSSA-SSSA Staff Team Three: Jessica Davis Colorado State University Faculty Steven Rosenzweig Colorado State University Student Erika Foster Colorado State University Student Derek Barchenger New Mexico State University Student Tim Fink (Team Leader) SoAR Staff Team Four: Anna Normand (Team Leader) University of Florida Student Armando Campos Nutrient Tech CCA Wayne Roper North Carolina State University Student Team Five: Dan Bjorklund MaxYield Cooperative CCA Amy Asmus (Team Leader) Asmus Farms CCA Mark Westgate Iowa State University Faculty Matthew Dzievit Iowa State University Student Team Six: Andy Knepp (Team Leader) Monsanto CCA Jessica Bubert Univsty of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign Student Tim Durham Ferrum College Faculty Team Seven: Ron Turco (Team Leader) Purdue University Faculty Clayton Nevins Purdue University Student Chris Boomsma Purdue University Faculty Molly Kreykes Michigan State University Student

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Congressional Visits Day 2017 - Team Assignments

Team Eight: Jessica Bramhall Kansas State University GF Scholar Mandy Fox (Team Leader) Agronomist CCA Jay Weeks Kansas State University Student John Holman Kansas State University Faculty Team Nine: Kirsten Workman University of Vermont, Ext. CCA Matt Bright Ohio State University (MD resident) Student Kevin Morris National Turfgrass Evaluation Prg Faculty Jonathan Moore (Team Leader) Policy Consultant Staff Team Ten: Tim Temples Monsanto CCA Stevan Madjarac Monsanto Faculty Joshua Miller University of Nebraska, Lincoln Student Julie McClure (Team Leader) ASA-CSSA-SSSA Staff Team Eleven: Mike Choriki Consultant CCA Emma Jobson Montana State University Student Candace Schaible Utah State University Student Jeanette Norton Utah State University Faculty Karl Anderson (Team Leader) ASA-CSSA-SSSA Staff Team Twelve: Mariela Garcia University of Massachusetts, Amherst Student Ann Bybee-Finley Cornell University Student Mark Sorrells Cornell University Faculty Sally Flis (Team Leader) The Fertilizer Institute CCA Team Thirteen: Richard Dick Ohio State University Faculty Logan Haake Monsanto CCA Hannah Schneider Pennsylvania State University Student Jenny Yang Pennsylvania State University Student Elizabeth Stulburg (Leader) ASA-CSSA-SSSA Staff Team Fourteen: Meyer Bohn North Dakota State University Student Paul Fixen (Team Leader) International Plant Nutrition Institute Faculty Sam Croat South Dakota State University GO Scholar Thom Weir Farmers Edge CCA

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Congressional Visits Day 2017 - Team Assignments

Team Fifteen: Jorge da Silva Texas A&M University Faculty Gabriel Silva University of Houston Student Brandon Smith Texas A&M University Student Luther Smith (Team Leader) ASA-CSSA-SSSA CCA/Staff Team Sixteen: Galen Mooso JR Simplot CCA Dylan Larkin Washington State University Student Leif Fixen American Farmland Trust Faculty Emily Fuger (Team Leader) ASA-CSSA-SSSA Staff Team Seventeen: Ellen Bergfeld (Team Leader) ASA-CSSA-SSSA Staff Wednesday Jordan Univsty of Wisconsin, Stevens Point GO Scholar Leanna Leverich University of Minnesota Student Brian Bohman University of Minnesota Student

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Group Seven  Potential Meetings (you will received your final schedule at the training on March 13)   Sen. Joe Donnelly (D, IN)      Senate Agriculture Committee http://www.donnelly.senate.gov/    Sen. Todd Young (R, IN)       Senate Science Committee       https://www.young.senate.gov/    Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D, MI)      Senate Agriculture Committee (Ranking Member) http://www.stabenow.senate.gov/    Sen. Gary Peters (D, MI)       Senate Science Committee https://www.peters.senate.gov/    Rep. Todd Rokita (R, IN‐4) http://rokita.house.gov/    Rep. Peter Visclosky (D, IN‐1)      House Appropriations Committee https://visclosky.house.gov/    Rep. Mike Bishop (R, MI‐8) https://mikebishop.house.gov/  

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is th

e pr

emie

r ag

ricul

tura

l com

petiti

ve g

rant

s pr

ogra

m fo

r ba

sic a

nd a

pplie

d re

sear

ch

on fo

od, a

gric

ultu

re, n

atur

al r

esou

rces

, cle

an e

nerg

y pr

oduc

tion,

rur

al

deve

lopm

ent a

nd n

utriti

on.

The

gap

repr

esen

ts m

issed

opp

ortu

nitie

s and

a lo

ss o

f inn

ovati

on.

We

Ask

Cong

ress

to:

Pass

the

FY17

Agr

icul

ture

App

ropr

iatio

ns b

ill,

fund

ing

AFRI

at $

375

mill

ion

Su

ppor

t AFR

I with

at l

east

$42

0 m

illio

n in

FY1

8

$202

$262

$264

$264

$275

$316

$325

$350

$375

$700

2009

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

2017

millions of $

Appr

opria

ted

Auth

orize

d

470

403

331

343

423

467

569

835

1,01

2 1,

308

650

1,18

9

1,59

0 1,

453

0

500

1,00

0

1,50

0

2,00

0

2009

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

Total grants recommended

Awar

ded

Reco

mm

ende

d, b

ut n

ot a

war

ded

Awar

ded

R

ecom

men

ded

but n

ot fu

nded

198%

101%

33%

4%

China

India

Brazil

US

Perc

ent c

hang

e ba

sed

on 2

005

purc

hasin

g po

wer

par

ity (P

PP)

exch

ange

rate

s.

Supp

ort A

gric

ultu

re &

Foo

d Re

sear

ch In

itiat

ive

in F

Y 20

17 &

FY

2018

18

Sci

ence

Po

licy

Offi

ce |

502

C S

t N

E, W

ashi

ngto

n, D

C 2

0002

202.

408.

5558

| sc

ienc

epo

licy@

scie

nces

oci

etie

s.o

rg

agro

nom

y.or

g |

cro

ps.o

rg |

soi

ls.o

rg

Econ

omic

Impa

ct

$

USD

A re

sear

ch is

wor

king

for I

ndia

na Indi

ana

Agric

ultu

re

58,2

00 fa

rms

$11

billi

on in

com

mod

ities

$4.6

bill

ion

in a

gric

ultu

ral e

xpor

ts

120,

412

jobs

In 2

014,

agr

icul

ture

and

rela

ted

indu

strie

s add

ed $

985

billi

on to

the

U.

S. g

ross

dom

estic

pro

duct

(GDP

).

Agric

ultu

re e

xpor

ts h

it a

reco

rd h

igh

of

$150

bill

ion,

or 9

% o

f tot

al U

.S. e

xpor

ts,

in 2

014.

In 2

014,

17.

3 m

illio

n fu

ll- a

nd p

art-t

ime

jobs

wer

e re

late

d to

agr

icul

ture

– a

bout

9.

3% o

f tot

al U

.S. e

mpl

oym

ent.

U.S.

pub

lic in

vest

men

ts in

agr

icul

ture

re

sear

ch a

nd d

evel

opm

ent p

rodu

ce

bene

fit-c

ost r

atio

s of 2

0:1

and

high

er

Supp

ortin

g sm

all b

usin

ess

From

200

6-20

15, I

ndia

na sm

all b

usin

esse

s rec

eive

d m

ore

than

$4.

8 m

illio

n in

gra

nts

thro

ugh

the

Smal

l Bus

ines

s Inn

ovati

on R

esea

rch

prog

ram

with

in U

SDA

Grow

ers w

ho u

se sh

ade

stru

ctur

es to

cre

ate

prot

ecte

d en

viro

nmen

ts fo

r fru

its a

nd v

eg-

etab

les,

ben

efit f

rom

big

ger y

ield

s, b

etter

qua

lity

prod

uce

and

few

er p

ests

. In

Fort

Way

ne,

Trel

lis G

row

ing

Syst

ems,

LLC

rece

ived

an

SBIR

gra

nt to

dev

elop

a m

ore

affor

dabl

e sh

ade

stru

ctur

e sy

stem

.

Supp

ortin

g in

nova

tion

In F

Y 20

15, I

ndia

na r

ecei

ved

$4.5

mill

ion

in n

ew g

rant

s fr

om t

he A

gric

ultu

re a

nd F

ood

Rese

arch

Initi

ative

(AFR

I).

Rese

arch

ers a

t Pur

due

Uni

vers

ity h

ave

an A

FRI g

rant

to h

elp

prod

ucer

s im

prov

e re

silie

nce

and

profi

tabi

lity

in t

he fa

ce o

f inc

reas

ingl

y va

riabl

e cl

imat

e pa

ttern

s by

pro

vidi

ng s

take

-ho

lder

s with

bett

er d

ecisi

on su

ppor

t too

ls, su

ch a

s pre

dicti

ve c

limat

e m

odel

s.

AFRI

fund

ing

is be

ing

used

to id

entif

y th

e in

sect

vec

tor o

f Soy

bean

Vei

n N

ecro

sis A

ssoc

iat-

ed V

irus (

SVN

aV),

an e

mer

ging

thre

at to

soyb

ean

prod

uctio

n th

at h

as n

ow b

een

dete

cted

in

fifte

en st

ates

in th

e N

orth

cen

tral

regi

on, i

nclu

ding

Indi

ana.

19

Sci

ence

Po

licy

Offi

ce |

502

C S

t N

E, W

ashi

ngto

n, D

C 2

0002

202.

408.

5558

| sc

ienc

epo

licy@

scie

nces

oci

etie

s.o

rg

agro

nom

y.or

g |

cro

ps.o

rg |

soi

ls.o

rg

In 2

014,

agr

icul

ture

and

rela

ted

indu

strie

s add

ed $

985

billi

on to

the

U.

S. g

ross

dom

estic

pro

duct

(GDP

).

Agric

ultu

re e

xpor

ts h

it a

reco

rd h

igh

of

$150

bill

ion,

or 9

% o

f tot

al U

.S. e

xpor

ts,

in 2

014.

In 2

014,

17.

3 m

illio

n fu

ll- a

nd p

art-t

ime

jobs

wer

e re

late

d to

agr

icul

ture

– a

bout

9.

3% o

f tot

al U

.S. e

mpl

oym

ent.

U.S.

pub

lic in

vest

men

ts in

agr

icul

ture

re

sear

ch a

nd d

evel

opm

ent p

rodu

ce

bene

fit-c

ost r

atio

s of 2

0:1

and

high

er

Econ

omic

Impa

ct

$ Su

ppor

ting

smal

l bus

ines

sFr

om 2

006-

2015

, Mic

higa

n sm

all b

usin

esse

s rec

eive

d m

ore

than

$6.

7 m

illio

n in

gra

nts

thro

ugh

the

Smal

l Bus

ines

s Inn

ovati

on R

esea

rch

prog

ram

with

in U

SDA

Met

na, C

o. in

Lan

sing,

has

an

SBIR

gra

nt to

show

that

usin

g no

n-w

ood

biom

ass a

sh a

s a

com

pone

nt in

cem

ent c

onst

ructi

on m

ater

ials,

can

redu

ced

prod

uctio

n co

sts a

nd im

prov

e pe

rfor

man

ce c

hara

cter

istics

. M

ichi

gan

Agric

ultu

re

51,6

00 fa

rms

$7.8

bill

ion

in c

omm

oditi

es

$2.8

bill

ion

in a

gric

ultu

ral e

xpor

ts

128,

216

jobs

USD

A re

sear

ch is

wor

king

for M

ichi

gan

Supp

ortin

g in

nova

tion

In F

Y 20

15, M

ichi

gan

rece

ived

$8.

6 m

illio

n in

new

gra

nts

from

the

Agric

ultu

re a

nd F

ood

Rese

arch

Initi

ative

(AFR

I).

Rese

arch

ers a

t Mic

higa

n St

ate

Uni

vers

ity a

re u

sing

an A

FRI g

rant

to d

evel

op, e

valu

ate

and

diss

emin

ate

deci

sion-

supp

ort t

ools

to h

elp

farm

ers u

se “B

ig D

ata”

(ex.

yie

ld m

aps a

nd U

AV

sens

ors)

to a

dapt

to c

limat

e va

riabi

lity

and

incr

ease

thei

r res

ilien

cy to

clim

ate

varia

bilit

y.

AFRI

fund

ing

is be

ing

used

at M

ichi

gan

Tech

nolo

gica

l Uni

vers

ity to

det

erm

ine

if th

e an

ti-in

flam

mat

ory

activ

ity fo

und

in b

lueb

errie

s co

uld

help

pre

vent

or

redu

ce g

astr

oint

estin

al

trac

t alim

ents

such

as C

rohn

’s di

seas

e, IB

S or

eve

n GI

can

cers

.

20

21

U.S. Capitol Complex

22