On February 4, 2025, ASPB joined more than 40 organizations in urging Congress to increase crucial US Department of Agriculture (USDA) program funding in Fiscal Year 2026 (FY26). In a letter to Congressional leadership, ASPB and others outline how USDA programs “support America’s farmers, improve the security of our food supply, and restore our nation’s … Read more
On December 2, 2024, the United States District Court of the Northern District of California vacated the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) SECURE Rule, which was finalized in 2020 as an update that enabled the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) to provide regulatory guidance for gene-edited crops. The SECURE Rule was adopted after … Read more
With a new Senate majority, a new incoming Administration, and new leadership of the Senate Agriculture Committee coming in the next Congress, changes are afoot in Washington, DC, with unknown consequences on the much-anticipated farm bill. These changes present continued opportunity for ASPB to advocate for funding for programs that benefit and support stakeholders in … Read more
The federal government has many opportunities for researchers, including not only funding calls but also opportunities to provide feedback, such as requests for information (RFIs). With so many potential ways to engage, it is easy to miss something important, such as a well-aligned funding opportunity from an unexpected agency or a request for comment that … Read more
By Elizabeth Stulberg, PhD, and Victoria Swiler, Lewis-Burke Associates LLC The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released a final Herbicide Strategy on August 20, a move that it anticipates will protect more than 900 federally endangered and threatened (“listed”) species from the potential impacts of herbicides. Since the Endangered Species Act (ESA) was passed in 1973, … Read more
