President Biden has signed a bill introduced by Senator Tammy Baldwin to support Wisconsin’s agriculture economy. The bill provides funding for agricultural research, rural development, clean water infrastructure, rural broadband, and affordable housing. It also funds child nutrition programs, SNAP, WIC, hunger relief programs domestically and abroad, and the FDA. The bill will help farmers maintain their leadership in production and sustainability and deliver results for rural communities in Wisconsin and the country.
President Biden has signed into law new legislation to support Wisconsin’s farmers, rural communities, and the Made in Wisconsin agriculture economy. The bill is a result of the efforts of U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), who chairs the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies. The new law, the Fiscal Year 2023 Agriculture Appropriations bill, provides significant funding to help farmers, ranchers, and growers maintain their global leadership in production and sustainability.
The bill includes increased investments in agricultural research, rural development, clean water infrastructure, rural broadband, and affordable housing. The Agricultural Research Service is funded at $1.74 billion, with the National Institute of Food and Agriculture receiving $1.701 billion, including $455 million for the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) and $50 million for Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE). The bill includes over $2 billion for the Rural Housing Service, $127 million for Rural Business programs, and $1.078 billion for Rural Utilities Service.
The bill also fully funds child nutrition programs at over $28.5 billion, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) at $154 billion, and the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) at $6 billion. The U.S. is also committed to combating hunger both domestically and abroad, funding the PL 480 Title II grants program at $1.8 billion and the McGovern-Dole International Food for Education Program at $248 million.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is provided a net increase of $226 million, including $35.8 million for medical product safety, $41 million for food safety activities, $122 million for cross-cutting initiatives, and $21 million for infrastructure investments.
The new law provides much-needed support to Wisconsin’s agricultural economy, helping farmers, ranchers, and growers maintain their leadership in production and sustainability. With increased investments in research, rural development, and other critical areas, the bill delivers results for rural communities across the country and Wisconsin.
Image provided by Diego F. Parra
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