Thank you, Chairman Baird. I am excited to be here with you for another Subcommittee hearing to focus on research in the Farm Bill.

I look forward to collaborating with you to support universities from Indiana to Virginia, and am excited to have a representative of Virginia Tech, Dean Alan Grant, here to be a part of this conversation.

I also look forward to hearing from our witnesses today about how agriculture programs at colleges and universities throughout the country are conducting research to directly address the challenges faced by U.S. farmers, build more resilient food systems, respond to workforce challenges, and promote U.S. competitiveness on the global stage.

Today, we’ll also hear testimony on the needs of these research programs and how we can ensure the investments in this year’s Farm Bill are responsive to the institutions that are on the frontlines of this research.

Public investment in agricultural research is critical to the success of American agriculture. Research, development, and technological advancements have increased crop yields and improved crop resiliency in the U.S. relative to other nations.

However, U.S. agricultural research funding is not currently keeping pace with competitor nations. China is now outspending the U.S. by more than 2 to 1 on public agricultural research.

A safe and resilient food supply is critical to both maintaining American farmers’ competitive edge over other nations, and promoting U.S. national security.

We must view agricultural research investments as part of a broader U.S. effort to promote American competitiveness globally.

Back home in Virginia, I have heard from farmers and our institutions of higher education about the critical nexus between research and the success of Virginia’s number one private industry – agriculture.

I hope this hearing will build on the great discussion I had at my Farm Bill Summit in April, where we had panelists from Virginia Tech and Virginia State University discuss their work on research, workforce development, and the Cooperative Extension system.

I am amazed by the critical work done at universities in Virginia, with our two Land Grant Universities collaborating with USDA to complete cutting-edge research. At Virginia Tech, professors and students are focused on research and grants to help farmers implement climate-smart practices, promote the Virginia seafood industry, improve pest management tools, and much more.

At Virginia State University, professors and students work on research to minimize crop losses from pests, advance specialty crops, such as hops, and improve soil and water quality, to name just a few.

We then see research results put into action through extension.

I am proud of Virginia’s unique extension system, where Virginia Tech, our state’s 1862 Land Grant University, and Virginia State University, our Historically Black 1890s Institution, collaborate to administer extension services in every county.

I believe collaboration between research institutions and extension educators strengthens the service and perspective provided to farmers across the Commonwealth. Our extension system proves time and time again that investment in universities and research directly translates into investment in farmers.

Seeing this collaboration in action reaffirms my commitment to investing in all types of agricultural research programs, from the original designated Land Grant Universities, to Minority Serving Institutions, to Non-Land Grant Colleges of Agriculture.

All of these institutions are also critical for training the next generation of the agriculture workforce and promoting U.S. agriculture’s competitive edge over other nations to ensure our farmers can thrive.

I yield back.