Office of U.S. Senator Deb Fischer
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Deb Fischer (R-Neb.), a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, secured $16 million in additional funding for the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Agricultural Research Service (ARS) facility at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s (UNL) Innovation Campus.
The funding was included in the Fiscal Year (FY) 2025 Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act. It builds upon the $25 million Senator Fischer secured for the facility in the FY 2024 Appropriations Bill.
Senator Fischer also secured funding in this year’s bill to support both the National Drought Mitigation Center (NDMC) at UNL and the National Ag Producers Data Cooperative led by UNL. The legislation, which must still be voted upon by the U.S. Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives, was advanced today by the Senate Appropriations Committee.
“This bill includes new funding for the second phase of construction of UNL’s ARS Center, which will expand Nebraska’s leading role in agricultural innovation. This hub for research will attract students, scientists, and industry leaders focused on turning research into products and solutions in the field,” said Senator Fischer.
Additional details on the Nebraska projects Senator Fischer secured are below.
ARS National Center for Resilient and Regenerative Precision Agriculture:$16 million appropriated to continue construction of the ARS National Center for Resilient and Regenerative Precision Agriculture facility at UNL’s Innovation Campus.
NDMC at UNL:
Secured $3 million in program funding to help build resiliency to drought.
National Ag Producers Data Cooperative:
Secured $1 million in program funding to help promote collaboration between researchers and stakeholders to develop a framework for a standardized, secure system to process agricultural data.
Senator Fischer also secured language that would:1) Prioritize ARS research critical for the beef industry at the U.S. Meat Animal Research Center in Clay Center, Nebraska.2) Require the USDA to better utilize the Conservation Loan Program as a Precision Ag Loan Program.3) Push the USDA to provide advanced cost share on the Emergency Conservation Program.4) Require reporting on lab-grown and plant-based protein labeling.