U.S. Agriculture Built the 20th Century. Innovation Will Decide the 21st.

By AEM Senior Vice President of Government and Industry Relations Kip Eideberg and ClearPath CEO Jeremy Harrell --

Editor's Note: This was originally published by the Agri-Pulse. It is being republished here with their permission.

Some of the world's greatest accomplishments came from American farmers.

In 1793, Eli Whitney invented the cotton gin, dramatically increasing cotton production and fueling economic growth. In 1837, John Deere invented the steel plow, allowing farmers to cut through soil more efficiently. In the 1940s, Norman Borlaug developed methods to increase crop yields and help feed the world.

But for the past two decades, America's research and development has stalled. China has more than doubled our investments in agriculture R&D. India and Brazil are also on pace to pull ahead of the U.S. The world will need approximately 50% more food by 2050 to support a growing global population. To meet this demand, America's manufacturers and farmers will have no choice but to innovate. At the same time, our government leaders must commit to supporting these innovations.

Under President Donald Trump's first term, we made significant progress. The 2018 Farm Bill, which improved farmer and rancher access to Environmental Quality Incentives Program grants, established the Agriculture Advanced Research and Development Authority, or AgARDA, a new research program to replicate the success of the Department of Defense's Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, and reauthorized the Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research, a successful public-private partnership. The following year, Trump signed Executive Order 13874-Modernizing the Regulatory Framework for Agricultural Biotechnology Products.

Additionally, the USDA developed the Agriculture Innovation Agenda, under then-Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue, which set the ambitious goal of increasing U.S. agricultural production by 40 percent by 2050 while reducing agricultural emissions by half through the development of new and truly transformative innovations in agriculture.

These initiatives were a strong first step toward unleashing America's agricultural dominance. But under the previous administration, we lost this momentum. Now, we have the opportunity to get back on track by passing a new farm bill.

This year's reconciliation package was a strong start. It included $37 million for FFAR to maintain investments in American agricultural R&D and leverage private sector partnerships, as well as $16 billion in baseline mandatory funding for conservation programs, such as EQIP, to support American farmers. Programs like these boost yields and keep America the global agriculture leader while also helping reduce emissions and protect our environment.

As Congress begins debating the farm bill, we should build on these programs, keeping research and development a priority. In particular, the next Farm Bill should focus on unleashing precision agriculture technology.

Today, American companies are producing high-tech precision farming equipment, improving soil health with better fertilizers and preserving water, all while lowering emissions, like nitrous oxide, which makes up over three-fourths of agricultural emissions. In fact, due to these advancements, U.S. agricultural emissions have declined by 30% since 1990.

Current adoption of precision agriculture has driven a 5% boost in annual crop production, with an additional 6% potential gain if adoption increases further. The technology has also helped avoid the cultivation of 11.4 million acres of cropland, an area comparable to five times the size of Yellowstone National Park.

Precision agriculture technologies help farmers use land, water, and fuel more efficiently. This allows farmers to grow more with less, lower their overall costs, and reduce their environmental impact. By passing measures such as the PRECISE Act and Precision Agriculture Loan Act in the next farm bill, more farmers will be able to take advantage of this technology. Furthermore, continuing support, or even elevating programs like AgARDA, will help plant the seeds for the next generation of American agricultural innovation.

Let's keep America's free market advantage and increase our ability to innovate by passing the next farm bill. When we produce more food and reduce emissions, America wins.