Congress continues to work to keep the U.S. at the forefront of biotechnology innovation. The National Security Commission on Emerging Biotechnology recently released a report that included policy recommendations to help the ag industry streamline new technologies.
Commissioner Paul Arcangeli says 49 recommendations have already been submitted to Congress. “A total of 25 of them are already in bills in the House and Senate, so we’ve made very significant progress,” he says. The Commission is a bipartisan U.S. legislative commission established by Congress in the 2022 National Defense Authorization Act.
U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth Democrat from Illinois, says biotechnology is critical to safeguarding food security. “By investing in the bio-manufacturing industry, we’re leveraging our domestic supply chains,” she says. “It has to remain domestic so that we’re growing and providing a customer base for those manufacturers to keep them going from project to project.”
Duckworth says the $51 million investment into the Illinois Fermentation and Agriculture Biomanufacturing Hub is a prime example of how agriculture can leverage land grant universities to help advance innovation.
EDITOR’S TAKE:
As an early avid supporter of biotechnology, your AIR Editor supports efforts to expand the advancement and influence of biotechnology, which can be a pathway to huge improvements in food nutrition, quality and even, eventually, health benefits for consumers. Advancements in both crop and livestock genetics will help form the basis for feeding an ever-expanding global population. Couple biotech with precision agriculture and it forms the basis for the next revolution in how we produce food on a sustainable basis.
Speaking of improvement, have you taken time to really check out the new AGwagon®? It is an amazing feat of engineering sophistication that was designed by farmers and ranchers for farmers and ranchers. It is more than simply adding a few aftermarket parts. AGwagon® captures all OEM features and scientifically integrates all the new features into the improved design. It’s worth checking out….
