FARGO, N.D. – On Friday, Senator John Hoeven outlined how priorities he worked to include in the Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 Agriculture Appropriations legislation will provide more than $50 million to strengthen North Dakota’s role as a driving force in the development of future agriculture technology and policy. Hoeven made the remarks as part of a roundtable he held at North Dakota State University (NDSU) with agriculture researchers, producers and commodity groups. The senator discussed his efforts as chairman of the Senate Agriculture Appropriations Committee to secure the following priorities in the agriculture funding legislation:
- Approximately $25 million for ag research in North Dakota with NDSU and its partners, funded through the Agricultural Research Service (ARS) and National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA).
- These programs cover a wide variety of commodities, supporting better yields and disease resistance for crops like wheat, soybeans, barley, oats, potatoes, pulse crops and canola, among others.
- $18.5 million for NDSU-led research initiatives, ranging from autonomous technologies to machine learning and data security in agriculture.
- Nearly $2.5 million for the NDSU Agricultural Risk Policy Center, which provides timely economic analysis on high-impact issues in farm country.
- This brings the total funding Hoeven has secured for this initiative to nearly $6.5 million since FY2024.
- Hoeven stressed the leading role that NDSU is now playing in agriculture policymaking for the nation, providing insights and driving policies that have a real-world benefit for producers.
- For instance, the policy center’s analyses have been key in shaping the updates to crop insurance and reference prices that Hoeven advanced in the One Big Beautiful Bill, as well as ongoing work on an agriculture assistance package.
- $5 million for the AgTech Cooperative Agreement between Grand Farm, NDSU and ARS.
- This includes $2 million to establish an ARS work site at Grand Farm and brings total funding for the partnership to $11 million.
- The partnership is working to develop the next generation of precision agriculture technologies, helping to secure U.S. farmers and ranchers’ competitive edge now and into the future.
- $3 million for continued renovations at the Edward T. Schafer Agricultural Research Center in Fargo, bringing total funding for the project to $18 million since FY2022.
“North Dakota has long been a powerhouse in agriculture, but with these latest initiatives in agriculture policy and technology, we are truly taking our leadership to the next level,” said Hoeven. “NDSU’s Ag Risk Policy Center is just over a year old, but it has already proven to be a key tool for policymakers and is shaping our nation’s ag policy to the benefit of farmers and ranchers as we speak. At the same time, the university’s AgTech partnership with Grand Farm and ARS is breaking new ground to empower our farmers to produce greater yields with fewer input costs. That’s just two examples of the cutting-edge work that we’ve funded in our FY2026 appropriations legislation.”
SUPPORT FOR FARMERS AND RANCHERS
In addition, Hoeven worked to ensure the FY26 agriculture funding legislation continues to provide strong support for farmers and ranchers, which includes:
- Helping ensure producer access to credit by fully funding the demand for the Farm Service Agency’s (FSA) direct and guaranteed operating and ownership loans.
- A measure prohibiting closure of FSA offices.
- $500,000 for blackbird depredation in the Northern Great Plains.
- Priorities for North Dakota livestock producers, including:
- $13.5 million to help ranchers comply with electronic identification (EID) requirements.
- Support for avian influenza and chronic wasting disease (CWD) prevention and research efforts.
- Measures to promote competition and transparency in cattle markets, such as:
- $1 million to continue Hoeven’s cattle contract library pilot program.
- Funding to enforce the Packers and Stockyards Act.
***AUDIO*** Hear a conversation between Senator Hoeven and Jesse Allen below:
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