In This Issue:

  • Fiscal Year 2022 Appropriations Bills Enacted with Barley Research Priorities
  • NBGA Urged Action to Avert Further Supply Chain Disruptions with Canada
  • Guiness Announces Regenerative Barley Pilot Program
  • USDA Prospective Plantings Report Projects Increase in Barley Acres
  • President's FY2023 Budget Request Proposes an Increase for USDA and Agriculture Programs
Fiscal Year 2022 Appropriations Bills Enacted with
Barley Research Priorities

In March Congress finally passed an omnibus appropriations package for Fiscal year 2022. Enactment of new appropriations bills for FY22, rather than a Continuing Resolution for the year, is positive for barley interests. The agriculture appropriations portion of the omnibus includes the following barley priorities:

  • $1 million increase for the Barley Pest Initiative, bringing the total funding to $2 million for FY2022

  • Funding for the Wheat and Barley Scab Initiative is maintained at the full authorized level of $15 million.

Overall, the omnibus appropriations package provides a 7% increase in domestic (non-Defense) spending and the agriculture appropriations portion received a 6% increase. The legislation contains $3.5 billion for agricultural research, a $217 million increase from FY21. The bill provides $1.1 billion for the Farm Service Agency (FSA), directing at least $15 million of that for new employees. The bill would provide $550 million in additional funding to USDA for rural broadband, which comes on top of the $2 billion earmarked for rural broadband under the bipartisan infrastructure law enacted last fall.
NBGA Urged Action to Avert Further Supply Chain
Disruptions with Canada

NBGA joined twenty other major agricultural organizations on a letter to President Biden urging him to engage with Canadian leaders to avert a railway labor strike and to rescind or modify cross-border vaccine mandates that would further disrupt the movement of vital ag inputs.  
Guinness Announces Regenerative Barley Pilot Program

Guinness has unveiled plans for a three-year regenerative agriculture program aimed at slashing carbon emissions from its barley production in Ireland, which it has touted as one of the most ambitious projects of its kind.
The farm-based scheme aims to highlight opportunities for reducing emissions through efforts such as improving soil health and unlocking its carbon sequestration potential, enhancing biodiversity, reducing synthetic fertilizer use, improving water quality and boosting farmer livelihoods. The full article can be found here.
USDA Prospective Plantings Report Projects Increase in Barley Acres

The USDA Prospective Plantings Report issued on March 31st estimates that total barley acreage will be over 2.9 million acres in 2022, up 11% from 2021. The full report with state by state projections can be viewed here.
President’s FY2023 Budget Request Proposes an Increase for
USDA and Agriculture Programs

President Biden’s budget request would provide $31.13 billion in discretionary spending for USDA for the next fiscal year, a 9 percent increase above fiscal year 2022 levels and a 17.1% increase from the 2021 enacted level. Notable increases include $4 billion for agricultural research programs, up from the $3.5 billion they are getting for FY22. The Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) would get increased funding to pay for an additional 650 staff for technical assistance. The budget also proposes an additional $600 billion for USDA’s ReConnect grant and loan program for broadband expansion to build on the $487 million Congress set aside for the program in the FY22 omnibus spending bill and the $2 billion earmarked for ReConnect under the bipartisan infrastructure law enacted last fall. The USDA budget also proposes a 4.6% pay raise for employees. 
National Barley Growers Association
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