Op-ed: With the Midwest mired in drought, Congress must help farmers cope

Drought in America’s heartland is worrying for farmers, since our livelihoods are directly tied to the weather. But it’s also bad news for consumers, who have already felt the pinch ofWhile costs have come down from last year’s peak, some analysts are cautioning that the current drought and other extreme weather events around the world could spur

. This is troubling not only for the U.S. but also for people in developing countries where hunger and malnutrition have increased significantly in the past few years, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, war in Ukraine and other global shocks.These days, we farmers have some tools at our disposal to help produce crops even in difficult times.

Since then, agricultural technology has continued to improve. Increasing use of drought-tolerant seeds, precision agriculture and conservation practices that enable soils to better retain water may help farmers who adopt these tools get through this season. As extreme weather events become more frequent, farmers will increasingly rely on technology. That’s why we need to make sure the U.S. doesn’t fall behind when it comes to investment in agricultural research and development.Importantly, this is an area in which the public and private sectors need to work together. Private-sector research investments in major U.S. crops including corn and soybeans have enabled farmers toin the past few decades.

The public sector often supports early stage research that can be developed later by private companies. Public research also investigates subjects that benefit society broadly but offer less direct market returns, such as food safety, environmental and animal health research, and research that may benefitBecause of its multiple benefits, public funding in agricultural research has an extremely high return on investment — according to the U.S.

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