The National Alfalfa And Forage Alliance (NAFA) reports that U.S. Sen. Tim Johnson of South Dakota has been circulating a letter among colleagues in support of funding for the Alfalfa & Forage Research Program (AFRP).
Authorized in the 2008 Farm Bill, AFRP is designed to address some of the industry’s most pressing research needs, including improving alfalfa’s yield and persistence, reducing pest pressures, determining the bioenergy potential of alfalfa and other forages and reducing losses during harvest and storage.
Urging the Senate ag appropriations subcommittee to fund AFRP at $3 million for fiscal 2013, Johnson’s letter was also signed by four other senators.
Funding for AFRP was a focus of NAFA’s Washington, DC, Fly-In earlier this year.