▶ 0:03:20Committee will come to order. Welcome. Thank you for joining today's hearing entitled Past Breakthroughs and Future Innovations in Crop Production. After brief opening remarks, members will receive testimony from our witnesses today and then the hearing will be open to questions. So once again, good morning everyone and welcome to today's hearing.
▶ 0:03:40I want to begin by thanking Ranking Member Craig for her partnership in hosting this bipartisan hearing and I appreciate the participation of our colleagues on both sides of the aisle who are here to examine a topic that lies at the very heart of American crop production Also like to extend my sincere thanks to our panel of witnesses. You each bring valuable expertise and real world perspective to this conversation and we're grateful that you've taken time out of your schedules to be with us today.
▶ 0:04:10I look forward to hearing your insights on how innovation is shaping the future of agriculture and what we as policy makers can do to support that momentum. For generation, our farmers have not only fed this country, they've helped to feed the world. and they've done so by continuously adapting and embracing new tools, technologies, and practices.
▶ 0:04:30The success of US agriculture has been built through ingenuity, hard work, and the strategic application of science and technology from seed to to soil to harvest. That innovation has been the engine that drives productivity, efficiency, and stewardship across the entire agriculture value chain. Simply put, American agriculture has become the envy of the world because we have embraced science, technology, and a commitment to progress.
▶ 0:05:01Throughout history, producers have benefited from a steam steady stream of scientific breakthroughs that have changed the face of farming. The introduction of hybrid corn in the early 20th century marked a turning point in the yield improvement and reliability. The expansion of modern fertilizers to meet key crops uh needs drove an additional era of unprecedented productivity.
▶ 0:05:24The roll out of biotechnology traits like insectresistant Bt cotton and glyophate tolerant soybeans gave farmers important tools to combat pest and weed pressures. These traits alongside proven crop protection tools not only protect crops from devastating lo losses but also help producers more effectively steward their land by enabling soil conservation practices like no no till.
▶ 0:05:53Alongside these historic breakthroughs, we've also seen seen remarkable progress on the next generation of tools to work handinand with these proven technologies. Innovations in the crop protection space have given producers targeted solutions that improved efficacy while um uh while reducing offtarget impacts. Biological products such as bio stimulants are unlocking new ways to strengthen plant health and productivity.
▶ 0:06:23And gene editing tools are already leading to the development of crops that are more resilient to drought, disease, and environmental stress with traits tailored to farmer and consumers needs. Today, thanks to decades of investment in agriculture innovation and the tireless efforts of our producers, the United States is home to the most abundant, affordable, and safest food supply in the world. We should be proud of that legacy.
▶ 0:06:50We should also recognize that sustaining it will require us to remain forward-looking and focus on reducing the barriers that stand in the way of continued innovation. For these promising new tools to reach the farmgate and ultimately benefit consumers, rural economies, and the environment, we must have a regulatory environment that is grounded in science, transparent in its decision-making, and predictable in its timeliness and When innovators
▶ 0:07:20face confusion about which agency has jurisdiction, or when reviews take years with no clear rationale, or when litigation is used as a tool to block technologies that have already been proven safe, we lose more than just time. We lose investment and competitiveness and we risk falling behind global competitors who are moving fast to deploy the tools of tomorrow.
▶ 0:07:46As a committee, we have a responsibility to ensure that our regulatory framework are built for the 21st century and effectively protect human health and the environment without stifling innovation. That means modernizing and streamlining roles where appropriate, clarifying approval pathways for new technologies, and making sure that the rules of the road are clear and based on measurable risk, not hypotheticals.
▶ 0:08:12Today's hearing is about honoring the legacy of past breakthroughs while creating the conditions for future success. We'll hear about the incredible potential for emerging technologies, the challenging faces innovators, the real world impacts on producers, and the opportunities for Congress to create smarter science-based policy that keeps American agriculture on the cutting edge. With that, I I'd now like to welcome the distinguished ranking member, the gentleoman from Minnesota, Miss Craig, for any opening remarks that she would like to give.
▶ 0:08:43Thank you so much, Mr. Chairman, and thank you to our witnesses for being here today. American farms are among the most productive on Earth, enabling our farmers to feed the country and the world. They take responsibility seriously for this just as seriously as their commitment to farm using methods that keep their neighbors, consumers, and the environment safe.
▶ 0:09:06Today, I'm excited that we get to focus on and learn about how cuttingedge tried and trueue crop production techniques, and sound policy equip our farmers with the tools they need to continue feeding America's families. To maintain a highquality food production system, we need a regulatory framework that's transparent and based on sound science.
▶ 0:09:32The moment we begin to stray from these principles is the moment that trust in our food system begins to That is why I'm concerned with so many of the comments and actions coming out of the current administration that seem designed to undermine people's confidence in our regulatory system. Attack innovation taking place on our farms and make it harder for family farmers to do their jobs.
▶ 0:10:00Take for example the Maha Commission report which was riddled with errors and cited non-existent studies. Errors and misinformation like these have consequences. It undermines Americans trust in the food we eat and attacks farmers for the work that they do.
▶ 0:10:19Secretary Kennedy's disregard for science and perversion of facts and data are dangerous, erodess confidence in our public health and regulatory systems, and dissuades talented scientists from joining the civil service.
▶ 0:10:35The Environmental Protection Agency has also begun to move backward with the haphazard firing of technical staff and scientists responsible for properly assessing new chemicals and technologies and their impact on our people, food, and the environment.
▶ 0:10:54This work requires talented toxicologists, chemists, and other scientists who collaborate with industry and advocacy groups to protect the environment while ensuring farmers have access to the tools they need. This uncertainty isn't just bad for the agency and American citizens that rely on the government to protect their health and the environment. It's bad for business.
▶ 0:11:18Innovative products that could have come to market will be stalled in the pipeline as review times get even worse. American scientists and farmers have unlocked the building blocks of many plants, discovering how to make crops more resilient to drought, increase production yields, and reduce resource consumption.
▶ 0:11:40Defunding fundamental science research and firing the civil servants and scientists who work with private companies and farmers to bring technological advancements and new crop tools to market will put us further behind as countries like Brazil, India, and China increase the size and scope of their research programs.
▶ 0:12:02We all want science-based regulatory decisions and policy, which is why I urge my colleagues to oppose any further defunding and termination of our research programs and scientists, and rather look for opportunities to invest in these efforts and people, which we all agree are critical to the future of farm country.
▶ 0:12:22We have before us an impressive panel of witnesses, all of whom have extensive experience in how to effectively use crop protection tools and use groundbreaking technology to bring new and innovative products to market. As we start to move toward reauthorization of the Pesticide Registration Improvement Act, testimony like yours can help to inform us of what improvements and changes might be made. So, thank you so much for being here again to our witnesses and Mr. Chairman, I yield back.
▶ 0:12:54I thank the ranking member. The chair would request other members submit their opening statements for the record so the witnesses may begin their testimony and to sure that there's ample time for questions. Uh I'll now yield to the gentleman from California, Mr. Costa, to introduce our first witness.
▶ 0:13:11Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman, ranking members, members of the committee. Uh this hearing today uh past breakthroughs and future innovations in crop production is critical to the future of American agriculture. And as many of you have heard me say uh regularly, uh food is a national security issue. And so therefore, having this uh panel of witnesses here before us this morning is appropriate and fitting.
▶ 0:13:35The first uh witness that will testify is a a person who is a longtime friend for constituent and a person I've worked with in agriculture for many many years and actually a neighbor farmer. I'm speaking of Mr. Don Cameron uh from my home county in uh Fresno, California. U the county of Fresno of course is where Don farms.
▶ 0:13:59He's vice president and general manager of Terteranova Ranch, a 6,000 acre farm uh near in the area where I farm. Um and also operator of Prao Farms. He holds a degree in California State University at Fresno uh my alma mater. Go dogs.
▶ 0:14:17Um and uh his ranch produces amazingly members of this committee that I've been to numerous times 25 different crops including conventional and organic and biotech field crops such as tomatoes, peppers, onions, corn, various seed crops as well as perennial crops like walnuts, wine grapes, almonds and pistachios and olives.
▶ 0:14:39Uh Don does it just about everything and some of you the chairman and past uh a secretaries have been to his farm um in which he's held forums and meetings to better facilitate cooperation. Uh food um on America's dinner table is a national security issue. Don has led the development in efforts to uh demonstrate that.
▶ 0:15:06He won the 2017 Governor's Envir Environmental Leadership Award and the Agricultures of the Year by the Fresno Chamber of Commerce. He is innovative in technology and water um recharge and he also serves on several agricultural boards. He's been the chair of the California State Board of Food and Agriculture since 2018.
▶ 0:15:28He's a full package and we look forward to hearing his testimony on these important issues because change is constant and change is hard and Don Cameron represents a good model on how you adapt and address to change. We'll look forward to hearing his witness his testimony. Thank you.
▶ 0:15:48Thank you, gentlemen. Our next witness is Mr. uh Terry Abbott, chairman of the Council of Producers and Distributors of Agro Technology. Our third witness today is Dr. Carl Wyant, the director of aronomy at Nutrient. Uh our fourth and final witness is Mr. Brian Witherby, the chief executive officer at Agriine Incorporated. Uh thank you all for joining us today and we will now proceed to your testimony. You each have five minutes.
▶ 0:16:16The timer in front of you will countd down to zero at which point your time has expired. Mr. Cameron, please begin when you're ready. Thank you, Chairman Thomas Thompson, good to see you again. Been about a year and a half since you were visited our farm.
▶ 0:16:33Um, and ranking member Craig and members of the committee, it's an honor to be invited here today to help inform on the important decisions that you've been elected to make on behalf of US and uh for food security for this Um, you heard my name is Don Cameron, a vice president, general manager at Teranova Ranch in Helm, which is, uh, in the Sanwaqin Valley of California. You heard we farm quite a few different crops.
▶ 0:17:04Uh, Jim missed a few, but I'm, uh, not going to bring those up, but we we do farm a wide variety of different specialty crops on the farm. Um, as I said, we uh our capacities uh as a farmer have included uh being president of the California State Board of Food and Agriculture, which advises the California Secretary of A and the governor on issues in agriculture for our state and I'm also a Western
▶ 0:17:34Growers board member. Uh farmers are in the business of providing healthy, nutritious food. The everinccreasing cost of input, seed, water, energy, and labor make for thin margins without room for error.
▶ 0:17:49To ensure my livelihood and that food arrives at your grocery store, restaurants, and schools, I must protect my crops from pests and disease, I can assure you with all the costs of doing business and its associated regulatory burdens, farmers don't have slush funds to waste money on crop inputs that are not absolutely necessary.
▶ 0:18:10As a farmer, I'm aware of consumer apprehension about the use of pesticides and in turn retail uh grocery stores and restaurants that have also been sensitized to this issue. As a father and grandfather, I'm sympathetic to the consumer concerns when hearing about pesticides in the media.
▶ 0:18:29Sometimes we look we look past the fact that pesticides are regulated extensively by EPA with support from USDA, FDA and state agencies to ensure that they are safe for human health and for the environment under the intended use scientific data.
▶ 0:18:48The federal insecticide fungicide and roenicide act FIFA FIFA mandates rigorous risk assessments to determine any necessary mitigation measures that must be taken before a product can be registered and safely applied. Fruit and vegetable growers must meet a high standard for quality demanded by consumers.
▶ 0:19:09In today's culture, where shoppers often bypass slightly bruised produce in favor of perfectlooking fruits and vegetables, the pressure on farmers to deliver flawless crops is immense. To support consumer expectations and public health goals centered around nutritious diets, a full range of innovative crop protection tools, including pesticides, is essential to ensure the reliable production of appealing, highquality fresh produce.
▶ 0:19:39Growers have been in investing in crop innovations for a long time and are making great strides to reduce reliance on traditional pesticides, increase crop resilience, and diversify with innovative technologies. The agriculture industry needs your backing in these efforts, including research and support for no uh novel technologies.
▶ 0:20:02The Trump administration re recently released the Make America Healthy Again Maha Report, which spotlights the important and access to a healthy diet and can spur collaborations toward innovative tools to address concerns while cultivating a viable future for domestically produced fruits and vegetables. safeguards safeguarded from pests and diseases.
▶ 0:20:25Like to highlight a few recommendations you'll find more in my written testimony that will accelerate innovation including at the USDA. The IR4 program, IR4 project is a key resource for specialy crop industry and we support increased funding to enable continued work with novel novel crop protection technologies for specialty crops including biological crops or products.
▶ 0:20:53I also encourage an increase in research grants specific to the next generation of crop protection tools specifically targeted at pests that are our greatest threat to our food supply. While the scope of the committee's jurisdiction over EPA is limited, I think we can agree that EPA's impact on agriculture cannot be overlooked. We appreciate the committee's attention to this issue.
▶ 0:21:16EPA staffing issues directly impacted the ability to move applications through the registration process in a timely manner. There simply aren't enough EPA staff to keep up with the workload and staff being hired are not as familiar with biologicals and are often grounded in conventional products. Growers support increased staff who can focus on biological registration.
▶ 0:21:40As I close, it's my hope that through conversations like this and through your leadership, we can pave the way for America to lead these innovations and in doing so continue to produce healthy food long into the future. Thank you again for the opportunity. I look forward to the questions and to this important discussion today. Thank you.
▶ 0:22:00Thank you, Mr. Cameron, for your testimony. Mr. Abbott, please begin when you're ready. Good morning, Chairman Thompson, Ranking Member Craig, and members of the committee. Thank you for the opportunity to testify today. My name is Terry Abbott as I serve as chairman of the Council of Producers and Distributors of Agro Technology and as senior product portfolio manager at Adgivants Unlimited based in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
▶ 0:22:26CPDA represents the formulators, distributors, manufacturers, and suppliers of adgivants, inert ingredients, and post-patent pesticide products representing nearly 90% of the US crop protection market.
▶ 0:22:40Our members drive innovation across formulation, steward, stewardship, and field When we talk about innovation in agriculture, it starts with access to Farmers need affordable, reliable options to manage pest, protect yields, and keep their operations productive.
▶ 0:23:01That includes maintaining a competitive market for postpent crop protection products and ensuring a regulatory system that delivers timely science-based decisions. Our industry also drives innovation beyond active ingredient. Companies like mine are ad are advancing agate and inert technologies that improve how products perform in the field.
▶ 0:23:25These tools reduce drift, enhance coverage, and support compliance with environmental requirements, including the Endangered Species Act. They are essential for precision stewardship and modern production. To keep these tools available, we need a regulatory system that works. Right now, over half a billion dollars in CPDA member products are stuck in the EPA's regulatory backlog.
▶ 0:23:52In turn, CPDA strongly supports full funding for EPA's Office of Pesticide Programs, and we encourage continued improvements under PRIA to strengthen transparency and predictability in the registration process. A well functioning OP benefits farmers, innovators, and the environment. ensuring access to safe, effective, and trusted crop protection tools.
▶ 0:24:21We appreciate the farm program improvements in the one big beautiful bill act, but we also support a farm bill 2.0 that builds on this momentum and reflects the needs of today's agriculture. Last year's farm, food, and national security act includes provisions we view as important. We support language directing NRCS to update conservation practice standards so that programs recognize current technologies.
▶ 0:24:46We also support expanding access to technical service providers to ensure farmers have expert guidance when implementing conservation plans. We are encouraged by the proposed centers of excellence for crop protection products and application technology. These centers would support research and innovation in formulation and delivery, helping ensure the United States remains a global leader in crop protection, environmental stewardship, and egg innovation.
▶ 0:25:13Lastly, I want to emphasize the critical role crop protection technologies play in maintaining a safe, affordable, and abundant food supply. These tools undergo rigorous review and are used responsibly by farmers every day. As the Maha Commission continues its work, we urge policymakers to recognize the science, the safety record, and the value of these technologies in supporting both production and public confidence.
▶ 0:25:42Thank you again for the opportunity to appear before you today. I look forward to your
▶ 0:25:48Mr. Rabbit, thank you so much for your testimony. Much appreciated. Dr. Wyan, please begin when you're
▶ 0:25:58Thank you. Good morning, Chairman Thompson, Ranking Member Craig, and members of the committee. Thank you for the opportunity to appear before you today to discuss innovations in crop production, including bio stimulants. My name is Carl Wyant, and I serve as the director of aronomy at Nutrient.
▶ 0:26:14I'm also a certified crop adviser and certified professional aronomist through the American Society of Aronomy, where I advise growers on their inputs and help solve problems during the growing Nutrient is the world's largest provider of crop inputs including fertilizers and agonomic services supporting hundreds of thousands of grower customers across the United States and globally.
▶ 0:26:37We serve 45 states through our extensive retail network where we provide seed crop protection tools, fertilizer and agonomic services supporting both conventional and organic farmers of many crops and farm sizes. We are proud to be a leader in agricultural innovation including plant bio stimulant products.
▶ 0:26:56Plant bio stimulants are a class of crop inputs that includes diverse substances such as humic acids, seaweed extracts, beneficial microbes and protein hydraysates to among others. These work differently than fertilizers or pesticides which add nutrients directly to the plant or soil or protect the plant from pests and diseases. Bio stimulants work by enhancing the plant or soil's natural processes.
▶ 0:27:23In essence, triggering the plant's own systems to boost nutrient release and uptake, improving stress tolerance to heat and cold, and supporting overall plant and soil health. For example, nutrients reacted carbon technology platform was shown in a study to improve yields in wine grapes by 13% over a control plot.
▶ 0:27:44This product works by stimulating microbial growth in the soil which improves soil conditions and root growth and therefore improves the ability of the plant to access water from the soil. This study took place in droughtprone California highlighting the the usefulness of bio stimulants in a fertilizer program to improve grower Bio stimulants can also improve environmental outcomes such as reducing nutrient loss, improving fertilizer use efficiency, and supporting plant resilience to extreme weather
▶ 0:28:14events. Unfortunately, plant bio stimulants face an uncertain inconsistent regulatory framework. There is currently no federal definition for plant bio stimulants, leaving a state patchwork of regulations leading to inconsistent labeling and marketing claims, which could ultimately impact growers. Additionally, incorrectly trading bio stimulants as pesticides delays innovation and denies useful tools for farmers. That is why we are urging support for the bipartisan plant bio stimulant act of 2025.
▶ 0:28:45This bill establishes a science-based federal definition of plant bio stimulant aligned with international plant nutrition standards already recognized in the EU, Canada, and other major agricultural economies. The bill will provide regulatory clarity and consistency across all 50 states, ensure bio stimulants are recognized as a distinct input category and avoid mclassification under FIFA. Improve the integrity of product registration and keep US growers competitive with China, Brazil, and the EU.
▶ 0:29:15I strongly urge the committee to support the plant bio stimulant act and its inclusion in the upcoming farm bill so our farmers have the tools they need to meet the challenges of the future. Thank you again for your time and for your continued leadership in supporting American agriculture. Thank you.
▶ 0:29:31Dr. Wyan, thank you so much for your testimony. Mr. Witherby, please begin when you're ready.
▶ 0:29:39Chairman Thompson, Ranking Member Craig, and members of the committee. Thank you for the opportunity to testify at today's hearing. My name is Brian Witherby, and I'm president and CEO for Agene Incorporated. Agriene is an innovative agricultural biotechnology company working to transform how we manage pest species sustainably precisely and without reliance on chemical pesticides. Agroene was fostered in the vibrant St.
▶ 0:30:02Louis biotech ecosystem with early support from bioestl and biogenerator two nationally recognized organizations dedicated to advancing science-driven startups and building next generation technologies in agriculture health and the environment. Agregene is advancing a groundbreaking approach to insect pest control, precision guided sterile insect technique or PGSIT to meet the urgent fa challenges facing growers today. Modern agriculture is under increasing stress.
▶ 0:30:30Invasive pests, climate related migration, resistant to pesticides, and environmental concerns are driving the need for safer, more targeted pest control tools. At the same time, the outdated US regulatory system, based on legislation and guidance written decades ago, struggle to accommodate modern biological innovations.
▶ 0:30:49Our regulators are often constrained by these outdated frameworks, lacking the authority and tools to flexibly evaluate 21st century technologies, even when they offer far safer and more sustainable alternatives to legacy chemical or genetic products. Aggregene's PG SIT technology presents a modern evolution of sterile insect technique, a method used for decades to suppress pest populations like Mediterranean fruitfly and the new world screworm. Traditional SIT uses radiation to sterilize insects.
▶ 0:31:19But this process often causes broad unpredictable DNA damage, reducing male fitness and performance in the field. PGSIT, by contrast, uses modern gene editing tools like Crisper to precisely and reliably edit the genes responsible for fertility and female viability, producing sterile males and only sterile males. These males are healthy, competitive, and self-limiting. When released into the environment, they mate with wild females, leading to population suppression without harming non-target species or leaving behind any residues.
▶ 0:31:48PGSIT is species specific, scalable, and aligned with modern agricultural and ecological pri priorities. Agene's leading application is targeted towards spottywing Drosophila, one of the most economically damaging invasive pests in soft fruit crops across North America and Europe. The annual economic impact from S SWD in North America alone is around a billion dollars. Existing control options for SWD rely heavily on chemical pesticides, the average age of which was introduced widely and used by barrier growers is over 42 years old.
▶ 0:32:19These insecticides must be applied repeatedly and as a result SDW SWD populations have developed resistance. PGSID offers a breakthrough alternative. To validate our technology, university researchers at land grant institutions in Washington, California, Oregon, Michigan, and Minnesota are currently conducting performance evaluation under controlled conditions.
▶ 0:32:40These trials in partnership with leading entomologists and public sector scientists demonstrate strong institutional support for PGIT's real world potential as a safe, effective, and sustainable pest control method. Despite this progress, regulatory uncertainty continues to limit deployment. Technologies like PGSIT don't fit neatly within categories defined by outdated laws like BIFRA or plant protection act.
▶ 0:33:02Current agency guidance does not provide regulators with the flexibility they need to evaluate modern gene edited tools based on their precision, safety profile, or ecological behavior. As a result, innovators face costly delays, cons inconsistent treatment, and significant barriers to commercialization even for technologies that outperform conventional methods in both safety and effectiveness. Modernizing our regulatory system is not only necessary to bring better tools to growers, but also essential to national preparedness and biocurity.
▶ 0:33:31The US has faced costly disruptive outbreaks of invasives pests such as new world screwworm, Mexican fruitfly, and Mediterranean fruitfly. The next outbreak is inevitable. Without a modern regulatory framework that enables pre-approval and proactive validation of precision biocontrol tools like PGIT, we risk being caught unprepared. To fix this, we must update federal legislation agency authority to reflect the realities of 21st century biology.
▶ 0:33:57Create science-based risk proportionate pathways that recognize the unique properties of biological and geneedited pest control tools. Enhance inter agency coordination is absolutely critical to streamline reviews and eliminate duplication and then support field validation programs in advance of emergency needs so that safe effective tools are ready for rapid deployment when threats arise. Cost and speed to market is absolutely critical to startup and emerging companies like Aggene. This is truly a matter of survival.
▶ 0:34:25Therefore, an efficient, transparent, riskbased system is essential. The US has the opportunity to lead the world in agricultural innovation, but we must equip our regulatory agencies with the modern tools, guidance, and authorities they need to support that future. Thank
▶ 0:34:42Mr. Witherby. Thank you so much for your testimony. At this time, members will be recognized for questions in order of seniority alternating between the majority minority members and an order of arrival. For those who joined us after the hearing has convened, you will be recognized for five minutes each in order to allow us to get to as many questions as possible. At this time, I recognize the gentleman from Oklahoma, Mr. Lucas, for five minutes.
▶ 0:35:08Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and thanks to our witnesses for testifying here today. Mr. Rabbit, your testimony touches on the importance of producer choice and flexibility for pest management strategies. Yet, the EPA's complex regulatory framework often makes it difficult for producers to access new and innovative crop protection products and post patent products. Can you explain the regulatory hoops that a company like uh yours has to jump through before a product can hit the
▶ 0:35:37Thank you, Congressman Lucas. Yes. Um so we help our customers develop inert systems for their postbatent chemistries that they're actually so we support and do a supporting role. They ultimately uh submit but we do the behind thescenes work with them. So we try to make sure that they have everything they need uh from the confidential statement of formula to uh everything that they can think of. So
▶ 0:36:07what if anything uh can Congress do to clear up the regulatory burden for innovators and bringing products to the market faster?
▶ 0:36:15From your observations, what could we
▶ 0:36:18Well, I thank you for Pria 5 and that was a great start. We're working towards it with um Lee Zelden coming on board and we're starting to push through the backlog, but we've got a long way to go. I would say we need to be adequately funded.
▶ 0:36:33I know you guys have pushed that forward, but we really need you to work with your colleagues if at all possible on the appropriations committee to try to get full funding because as of right now, this is the third year in a row, we're 20% light on funding uh on the OP.
▶ 0:36:50Uh Mr. Weatherbe, your company has modernized the sterile insect fly technique to target a pest that's especially catastrophic to soft fruit crops. Your testimony touches on the unique challenges your company faces with regulatory uncertainty, but can you expand on this for a little bit and as you're thinking about that, does the current regulatory framework incentivize new technologies and if not, what can we do to help ensure that that we incentivize innovative technologies like your own?
▶ 0:37:23Apologies. I think that's the tough thing is that the legislation that's there is uh been there for chemicals. Um we're looking at modern breakthroughs that aren't necessarily there based in plants or in our case insects or you know even biologicals. Uh you know part of it is is the framework's not set up to handle those well.
▶ 0:37:40Um the the expertise that's available for the EPA and the USDA is very focused on what they used to do which was a lot of chemical pesticides and insecticides that went through um updating you know the talent pool there as well as the ability to handle some of these tech new technologies that fit very close. So we're you know my example would be that aggroene being treated as a pesticide. Um even though we're not really a chemical that's being applied to anything.
▶ 0:38:08um it is a biological material but it is going down that path. So giving a little bit of flexibility to the people that are in the EPA and the USDA is really important also because it doesn't fit clearly into any of those categories. We're actually having to go through both the EPA and the USDA and having uh for deregulation and part of that is alignment is important.
▶ 0:38:30So part of it is is that one agency can be a little slower than another and would uh keep us from getting to commercialization which is you know with a startup is vital that we get through you know we have limited funding. Um part of it is is uh needing to get through some of those regulatory processes in order to show the proof of our technology and that's true of a lot of these different companies.
▶ 0:38:52Absolutely. Mr. Abbott turning back to you. testimony mentions that many post patent products still face the same backlog of approval at the EPA that the new chemistries face. Can you share with us uh your perspective on why this continue is continuing to occur even when these products have been in use for decades in most cases?
▶ 0:39:14Well, where where it stems and as I understand how the system works, they are required to go in through registration as well. So, they don't leaprog. are still put in the line. And so if there's a backlog already, it's going to continue, right? That's where we're at. So until we get adequate staffing on the OP, I think you're going to continue to see that uh be an issue even though it's maybe 40 years of chemistry. Anytime you make a change, it goes into the EPA for re-registration and re-evaluation.
▶ 0:39:45Thank you. And thank you for the courtesy, Mr. Chairman. Yield back.
▶ 0:39:48Gentleman yields back. Now recognize the general uh gentle lady from Minnesota, our distinguished ranking member for five minutes.
▶ 0:40:02Thank you so much, Mr. Chairman. Uh Mr. Witherby, I'm concerned that reduced funding and support for research is going to have serious downstream effects on new products and the private sector. You noted in your testimony that you worked with various land grant institutions including uh the great University of Minnesota. How do these research partnerships work and how does public funding for research help to catalyze development of innovative private sector products?
▶ 0:40:31Yeah. Um thank you. Uh previously like a lot of these land grant universities the professors there are you know tabbed within the state to look at different technologies for their growers within the state. Um part of the funding comes from either their ability to apply to the government for grants andor the university for grants. Um that money coming obviously from uh what had been funded towards you know uh research and science. The other part of it comes from companies like us.
▶ 0:40:58And so, as I'd mentioned before, part of our innovation of getting products through and showing proof is that um you know, we need to attract investors and investors look at track record and look at how well you've been able to get your product tested and move forward through through regulatory approvals.
▶ 0:41:16Um that's all kind of uh in a tough state when you know part of the university funding is held up uh or from the government based on some of this and a lot of it is important pieces u uh very similarly we had talked a little bit about funding towards spotted wing drosophila but it's also for new world schoolworm very similar something that now is important to to protect uh not just uh for berries but also now cattle and other things and so these technologies getting tested and approved at some of these unities is
▶ 0:41:46really important for preparedness and to be ready to deploy commercially.
▶ 0:41:51Thank you so much, Mr. Abbott. In your testimony, you noted that Congress has fallen short of the minimum funding level that is set for OP. You also said that a well-funded OP benefits everyone. Uh, I completely agree. Are you concerned that recent staff reductions at EPA will lead to greater delays in product approval? And do these cuts, coupled with the anti-science rhetoric coming from Secretary Kennedy, create a healthy business environment?
▶ 0:42:23The way I understand it, I believe um Lee Zeldon is moving the parts around. He's he's taking one over because you're talking EPA in general. I'm focused more on the OP side of things where it the backlog is and that's what's important to us.
▶ 0:42:39So I believe as long as we can continue to move staffing and full fund the staffing there that's where we're going to uh unstick the drain if you will right that's where the holdup is on our constituents over here uh on the postbatten as well as the multinationals we're all affected by it
▶ 0:42:59the consequences if we aren't able to fully fund and that gets slowed down
▶ 0:43:04the consequences are the farmers in general they're they're the ones to pay, right? Who's using the chemistries out there right now? If I go back in my career, and I've been at this for about 29, 30 years, a lot of the chemistries that I started out in my career are no longer there. Uh, and that's a good thing because some of them needed to go by the wayside. We have new innovation, new greener chemistries. Um, and it's all around public safety and stewardship and environmental stewardship. So, go ahead. I'm sorry.
▶ 0:43:34Yeah, I was No, I was just going to say, is it your understanding that, you know, family farmers across this country are committed to good environmental stewardship? I'm I'm not sure. Is environmental a band word or not? I'm going to just Yeah.
▶ 0:43:47No, having been boots on the ground and actually talking with and working with farmers uh for most of my career, it's not a bad word. They understand it and they were here. They understand if they don't take care of their land, they won't have it. So, they really need to take care of it and steward it so it continues to produce.
▶ 0:44:07That's certainly been my experience with Minnesota farmers. There's uh no group of people more committed to the land and good environmental stewardship than family farmers across this nation. So, thank you so much, Mr. Abbott. And I yield back, Mr. Chairman.
▶ 0:44:21Thank you. Well, thank recognize the gentleman from Georgia, Mr. David or Mr. Austin Scott, first for five minutes.
▶ 0:44:30Thank you, Mr. Chairman. And uh I can honestly tell you the last thing I did before I left home was to mix 15 gallons of glyphosate and spray a bunch of weeds. And I've been using that product effectively for over 30 years. And uh I think it's unfortunate uh what what's happened.
▶ 0:44:50I think the litigation and the uh false narrative around that product is something that we need to pay attention to because it's been it's been very effective at taking something that we need off of the markets in the United States and it's expensive and farmers don't just buy chemicals for the sake of buying chemicals, right?
▶ 0:45:11I mean and the new technology is expensive and one of the things I don't think we talk enough about is the land grant institutions and uh research and then the extension that has to come with that research for uh our a communities to produce the products that we all depend on uh being on the shelves when uh the other 98 or 99% of Americans that aren't involved in agriculture go to the grocery store.
▶ 0:45:36So uh with with that said and again going back to the land grant institutions, how can industry and producers more effectively partner uh with the land grant institutions to not only accelerate the development of these technologies uh but ensure their practical deployment on the farm?
▶ 0:45:55and what additional support or policy initiatives might strengthen these collaborations to benefit both uh the innovation uh and the extension uh that's necessary for farmer adoption. Any of you can answer that question
▶ 0:46:13Thank you. That's a that's a great question. I think uh the the first thing that we can do is recognize the role that extension does play in in new product discovery, new ingredient discovery, workforce development. I'm sure in this committee there's many of you had had a stint in an extension lab at some point um doing research or maybe had a where it took a class for an extension professor.
▶ 0:46:36So I think recognizing that the extension's role in the supply chain process and in the innovation process is key. And I know my my extension colleagues, you know, they're they're uh sometimes strapped for that funding they need to do the work. And I think what we could do is is help, you know, give back to those extension uh researchers and and make sure that they're uh getting the work done in the field that needs to get done. Thank you.
▶ 0:47:04U we see in California we have the University of California and we have the University of California a and natural resources department. We know that the research done on many of the land grant uh colleges and universities does get um transformed to the growers through the a extension service.
▶ 0:47:28uh we have relationships with them on farm and we actually work with some of the researchers directly with the universities to do cutting edge technology on our farm so that we can show other people some of the new advances uh that can be applicable really throughout California and and the world. So having the connection between the university and the uh advisor is critical for getting information out to
▶ 0:47:58Mr. Abbott, I'm going to come to you with another question if I if I can down to a minute and a half, but I do want to express one other concern that I have and it is the accumulation of this technology by China through uh Kimchina. And uh I I think we're we're being naive as Americans to think that uh allowing somebody who is now our um no longer an aggressive economic competitor but actually an adversary to control the chemicals that we need in the food supply chain that that's
▶ 0:48:28not going to come back to bite us. Uh Mr. Abbott, in your testimony, you provided an overview of on the challenging delays occurring at the EPA related to the regulatory review. Uh, I know you spoke to this, but um, with more than half a billion dollars in post patent formulation improvement products stuck in that review, can you elaborate to the committee why timely access to these innovations is just as important, if not more important than the new chemistry
▶ 0:48:55because it it puts us in a better spot. Uh, we need to be remain competitive because otherwise we just handed over to your point the Chinese, right? they're going to come in and they're going to take no prisoners, so to speak, to to paraphrase there. So, I think to be get our growers in a competitive situation, we need to make sure we continue to quickly push those through. Um especially when the chemistries have been around for quite some time.
▶ 0:49:21Yes, sir. Gentlemen, thank you for being here. Uh I look forward to continuing the discussion. I do think hopefully we'll see bipartisan uh efforts to to solve these problems. With that, Mr. Chairman, I yield the one
▶ 0:49:35Gentleman yells back. And now I recognize the other gentleman from Georgia, Mr. David Scott, for five Mr. Weatherby, excuse my coal, but you all at your firm have been working with the SWD flies for over 15 years.
▶ 0:49:56I want to talk about that because they're targeting our blueberries and peaches and we lead the nation in producing blueberries and peaches. It's our great industry. Over is what our farmers bring in.
▶ 0:50:20And yet many Georgia Georgia farmers continue their crops being infested and destroyed by these SWD flies. I want to talk about that because it's putting both our supply chain and our farmers income at risk. So can you talk to me about that, Mr. Weatherby?
▶ 0:50:48Can you expand on the benefits of Congress helping to grow these public private partnerships that you're involved with and uh can you help us in this area? What are you specifically doing?
▶ 0:51:07Yeah, thank you. So, actually we just spoke with a professor at the University of Georgia that we will start to do some testing on blueberries and peaches as well in Georgia here very soon. part of the part of the process going forward is that this is you know and we talked about chemicals and other things of of that nature. You know this is a safer you know people do worry about their community. Um you know I had mentioned in my talk that we're dealing with chemicals that have been around for over 40 years.
▶ 0:51:35Um the only opportunity they have and your growers have is to continue to spray those. Um we've built resistance. A lot of those are harmful. Some of those did get removed and and importantly so. Um unfortunately they have no new tools because it's specialty crops. It's a smaller uh footprint compared to corn and soybean etc. And so um you know the average to create a new active ingredient is uh 12 years of development and going through regulatory process and about $300 million.
▶ 0:52:05So it's very costly to bring on a new uh penalty. Uh so technology like ours which utilizes uh some of these new modern tools can allow to make these cheaper. So um you the government has put in a lot of effort into making sterile insects uh through different processes particularly to protect our borders from uh other spec invasive species. This is a modern version of it that is actually a lot cheaper to do.
▶ 0:52:31Um we're able to produce more sterile flies than what traditional sterile insect tech can do and then can be deployed.
▶ 0:52:39Well tell me what we can do here in Congress. What existing laws or agency authorities should we in Congress review to better assist our companies like yours that are continuing to develop these new and innovative technologies? What can we do to help you here in
▶ 0:53:05Yeah, I think part of that is related to the rules related that the regulators are having to go through. Almost all those were built for chemicals, not for these modern tools. So there's not a lot of flexibility there. As I'd mentioned before, this uh biological innovation which is using crisper, which has been shown to be very safe and effective and and and very precise at gene editing, unfortunately is being treated like a chemical because there is no other legislation that the regulators can regulate too.
▶ 0:53:32So we are having to go through things that do not make sense in terms of you know how long does it does this fly stay or active ingredients stay um how you know how how does what's the effect on human health when it's not really being applied or or what's the irritant level etc. These are all things that are part of the current rules and regulations that they have to legis regulate too.
▶ 0:53:54Yeah. Well tell me why blueberries why peaches? These are the only two that they seem to be targeting. Is there something about blueberries?
▶ 0:54:08Yes, they're very sweet. And uh part of it is they're soft skinned. And so the way these insects uh affect the fruit is that they lay their eggs by punching punching holes in soft fruit, laying their eggs in there. And then once their eggs lay um as they develop, the worms eat the fruit and that what causes them to be infested. We're trying to block that cycle without spraying chemicals.
▶ 0:54:31So, it's it's really it's because Georgia's uh
▶ 0:54:37peaches that are just so sweet.
▶ 0:54:41Exactly. Right.
▶ 0:54:42All right. Thank you.
▶ 0:54:46I thank the gentleman from the land of sweet fruit and now recognize the gentleman from North Carolina, Mr. Rouser, for five
▶ 0:54:55Thank you, U Mr. chairman and um I as I was sitting here listening to uh the testimony and uh some of the questions uh from my colleagues, it uh it occurred to me u when I uh was looking for a job soon to be out of school at NC State University. I was a chemistry a business management and uh economics a econ major.
▶ 0:55:20That was a a different stage in my life when I was far more intelligent than I am now. And uh I had a lot of different job offers uh from a chemical companies. Uh I say a lot certainly in um as it inh uh the number that uh are in business now. What happened there? Uh why was there so much uh and I think this would just be good for the record. Why was uh why has there been so much uh consolidation?
▶ 0:55:51Is it the regulatory environment? Uh, has all this been uh for the betterment of American agriculture uh to its detriment or or a mixed bag? I just I just throw that out uh for anybody who might want to answer or take a stab at it.
▶ 0:56:07I wish I had an answer because when I started there was 13 multinationals and we're down to four roughly and and one of which I used to work for and now as Corteva I used to work when it was DuPont Crop Protection. So, and why the I I don't have a good answer. I'm sure it's some around the regulatory. I'm sure it it's around um their boards looking at financials and making hard decisions on whether or not to continue. So, I know that doesn't answer your question, but
▶ 0:56:38anybody else have a thought?
▶ 0:56:40Yeah, I would I would tie it to what I had said before. in order for these companies and even for smaller ones to come up with a new active ingredient outside of what we know now. Um you know it's 12 years of development and regulatory approvals going through that process. So 12 years is a long time and it's about $300 million. Um that's a lot of money to cover in terms of uh you know what you'd have to sell in revenue. It's just not worth it for for a lot of them.
▶ 0:57:07And so a lot of them consolidate because um you know that there's a need to do that for their investors for their for the people that have uh put money into the company. I think beyond that looking at then some of the smaller companies like us that have new technologies and other things going through same kind of thing. It's a tough process to get through the regulatory process. Um they wait for those to happen and then may work to purchase those at some point but it has to be proven at that point.
▶ 0:57:35Yeah. Absolutely. Uh, Mr. Witherby, while while uh we're on you, can you speak to the links a company like yours goes through to demonstrate environmental safety?
▶ 0:57:46Yeah, absolutely. So, um, we're held to the same standard everybody else is. And, you know, for part of that is is that there's a series of testing. The the rules are what the rules are in terms of chemicals. So, we have to prove out that they're not a skin irritant, that they're not going to harm both the environment or human health. um you go through series of tests.
▶ 0:58:06Uh the problem is is that you can put the data together and provide that in a package, but it's still going to take you 15 to 19 months for the EPA to then look through that or the USDA or both in our case. Um if that happens, then 19 months, two years is a lifetime. Uh it's a lot of money for for us to be able to uh keep up and going while we're waiting for those regulatory approvals.
▶ 0:58:29Um so that process of kind of aligning the folks there then having kind of a quicker path to say yes it is you know you've met the standard of it is healthy to humans it's not going to harm humans it's it's safe for the environment and then allow the testing at the institutions to you know to go on that's the tough part that waiting period is three to four years at times um that's just a killer for a company that is living off of small dollars. Yeah, absolutely.
▶ 0:58:58Um, so just for the record, I've introduced the reducing regulatory burdens act the last two congresses to end EPA or states from requiring permits under the NIPD's program for discharges of registered pesticides if they are used for their intended purposes and in compliance with their pesticide label requirements. And you think that's a uh a good bill or not a good bill?
▶ 0:59:21It's a good bill if we can define what a pesticide is. And so right now that pesticide is being defined as a chemical. Um, a lot of the folks here are dealing with things that are not just chemicals. You know, we're dealing with uh whether it's bacteria or insects or other soil treatments, etc. So, um, if it's not a chemical, then that applies across the board and that's what we're kind of looking for help with.
▶ 0:59:43Yeah. Um, well, I've only got 13 seconds left, so I will yield my time. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
▶ 0:59:50Thank the gentleman. Now recognize gentleman from California, Mr. Costa for 5 minutes.
▶ 0:59:54Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman. Um, I want to uh dig a little deeper in terms of a part of a conversation that we've been having on public private partnerships and investments in our land grant universities and our state universities. As a part of that public private partnership for research in uh agriculture, as I said, change was constant. Uh Mr.
▶ 1:00:18Cameron, uh, you've been one of the innovative farmers and are a role model and you've done a whole host of efforts as it relates to using um various uh efforts to reduce the use of pesticides and I would like you to comment in terms of uh the importance of that part partnership with our research with not only the USDA but the California State Department of Agriculture, our land grant universities, Cal State University, our
▶ 1:00:48field stations that are at the cutting edge of developing these new efforts to have more droughtresistant uh crops uh those that are less determining on pest uh more pest resistant uh plants and the critical importance I' I've been critical of this uh this year in their reduction of uh uh funding for these kinds of programs some that have been in in in in efforts
▶ 1:01:19for several years. Could you care to
▶ 1:01:23Thank you, Congressman. Um, we know that u there's been federal funding uh frozen on project on five-year projects. Uh, one at UC Merrced, they were five they were two and a half years into the project. Um, their funding stopped. They didn't know what they were going to be doing. This was critical to farming in California. uh was water related.
▶ 1:01:48Fortunately, their funding came back and uh they're going to be able to finish their project, but we've seen where uh cuts have been made, projects have been stopped in their tracks, and the uncertainty that that brings is is really devastating to the research that they're working on and ultimately to the growers within California and the US.
▶ 1:02:12Do you think it would be helpful if we attempted to try to find uh a a effort to how many of these programs throughout the country are being taken in which sound research, sound science is taking place and we're abruptly uh cancelling these efforts uh that are critical to the future of American agriculture.
▶ 1:02:35Absolutely. We know that the research that we're doing today is going to be the technology of of our future. If we if we hold back on agricultural research, that hurts all of agriculture. It hurts the community. Uh it it hurts the uh the whole process of food production.
▶ 1:02:56So, anything we can do to maintain funding for for serious um agricultural research, we need to be on that. We don't want to get behind. We know we know other countries are moving ahead rapidly with uh with technology and innovation. And I think we should be the leaders in the United
▶ 1:03:17with climate change and other factors we're dealing with. Food again is a national security issue and and it will only grow in importance in our ability to compete. You have a particular experience with the ligus outbreak and uh pimacottton and uh the lack of effective tools that were engaged in research. This is just one pest.
▶ 1:03:38Uh there are others who have mentioned u the dialogue between the environmental protection agency and the California department of agriculture to pesticide research was uh trying to develop sustainable crop protection. Um what happened when there was a disrupt disruption that took place in the efforts to pursue this effort on Ligus?
▶ 1:04:03There was a situation in 2023 where ligus became an extremely important uh pest in cotton production. It causes the the bowl of the flower to drop off. Hence, you lose production. Uh there was there were products that were the product that was registered throughout the other states hadn't uh it actually had a lawsuit against it in California. It was brought back in. Um it still doesn't have full registration.
▶ 1:04:31There was an emer emergency exemption in 2025, but in 2023, California pimacotton grows lost 40 $41 million of production in just the one year due to one pest. My my time's expiring, but quickly, you know, California has among the most strictest pesticide and herbicide regulations in the country. the efforts to harmonize our own state regulations with the federal uh protocol. Um, are we having any success there?
▶ 1:05:02We know that the the federal EPA and the California EPA, Department of Pesticide Regulations are both um trying to get new registrations since we have dual registration. We need to coordinate. California needs to coordinate with the federal EPA so we have dual registration going on at the same time. Parallel registration. Thank
▶ 1:05:27Thank you, gentlemen. I'm going to um I'll take uh recognize myself for five minutes of questioning. Uh Mr. Cameron, uh good to see you again. Um, your testimony highlighted the importance of crop protection products and the rigorous regulatory framework the EPA carries out to ensure these products are safe when used as directed.
▶ 1:05:50The under the federal insecticide, fungicide, and rodenocide act, Congress has prohibited states from imposing additional or different labeling and packaging requirements beyond the federal standards. Unfortunately, there has been misinterpretations related to this policy, which could eventually lead to an unworkable patchwork of state regulations or growers losing access to products altogether because of litigation.
▶ 1:06:18As a grower in California who relies on these products, what impact would it have on your operation if you were to lose access to products if Congress does not act to clarify that
▶ 1:06:33Mr. Chairman, California many times is at a disadvantage because we have dual Products may be available across the state line that aren't available within our state. So if you have growers growing the same crop in two different states, if you're in California, you don't have the same tools to be able to move forward and protect your crop. And many times it may be a safer material, a less expensive material.
▶ 1:07:00Um, we know costs of growing in California are extremely expensive and highly regulated. So, it tends to the patchwork that we see going on tends to put our growers at a very strong disadvantage. We would love to see uniformity throughout the uh United States on labeling requirements.
▶ 1:07:21Well, thank you, sir. Mr. Abbott, much of your testimony was focused on the need for a well functioning EPA Office of Pesticide Programs. It seems that over the past few years, the EPA has been slow to register new chemistries, which are of critical importance to growers who need every tool that they can get to control damaging pests, weeds, and diseases.
▶ 1:07:41What actions should Congress consider to support a more efficient, science-based EPA regulatory process that fosters innovation, ensures growers have access to safe, effective crop protection tools? Well, if I might, um, going back in the history of my career, I've saw resistance firsthand.
▶ 1:08:00So, I think it's important that we fund the Office of Pesticide, you've heard me say that already, and I think it's crucial that we continue to make sure those dollars funnel down to adequate staffing so we can push through those regulatory hurdles because ultimately the grower pays for it, right? Uh, you got the egg value chain. Yes, we're all involved in that from the manufacturers all the way distributors, but the growers are the ones that are suffering and ultimately that translates down to us as the consumer.
▶ 1:08:30If they can't grow the food, we can't buy the food.
▶ 1:08:35Well, thank you, Mr. Abbott. One of the key drivers of innovation in agriculture, particularly as we look at the inputs that producers rely on, is having a regulatory system that is predictable, science-based, and timely. to any of the panelists. Can you discuss how having a well functioning regulatory framework enables companies to invest in research and bring new products to the market uh more efficiently?
▶ 1:08:59And what are the potential consequences for farmers and broader egg industry if regulatory delays, inconsistent policy or politicized decision-m begin to erode the certainty that innovators rely on to develop these tools?
▶ 1:09:14Any panelists care to respond to that?
▶ 1:09:16Yes. So, I think having it being predictable um meaning that we understand the time frames that really let you allow for what money is going to be needed in order to get a new concept through the regulatory process and then out into commercial commercial building. Um part of that would be very predictive in terms of you know you've provided all the science and all the uh requirements to the different agencies that they can go through and check that and that you know that that's going to happen in a timely six-month period or something to that effect.
▶ 1:09:47Right now it it is often paused and left to uh different timelines. And so now you're left trying to figure out do I need to have enough money to keep the company alive and the uh focus alive for 18 to 24 months instead of just six. So I think having that predictability is important for helping us understand what it's going to take to get innovation across the line and out to out to the growers.
▶ 1:10:10In the little time I have left, anyone else will care to weigh in, Mr. Cameron? Yeah, I I think the delays and the expense that go along with it prohibit small and medium uh startup companies from getting engaged in getting products to the finish line. They may have excellent products um moving forward, but they don't have the capital as you've heard to go through the the long waiting period of getting products to to market. Thank you.
▶ 1:10:40Which may certainly lead to consolidation as well that Thank you. Now, please recognize Mr. Governor for 5
▶ 1:10:47Well, thank you very much and I appreciate the witness's time and I've learned a few things during the testimony. Uh but I don't have any questions for them directly. Um I want to express some frustration not with you but kind of with this with this Congress. Uh I'm worried about where Congress is going. Um and I have to be frank. I think this hearing smells like cover for what Republicans on this committee actually want to do about pesticide policy. It's not the kind of innovation and precision that some of our witnesses touched on.
▶ 1:11:17Uh they're pursuing toxic substance deregulation and liability shields for multi-billion dollar corporations. Look what's happening right now in the Interior Appropriations Committee. Uh and they don't want some of their voters who care about pesticide reform to know that's what they're after. So, we're having a hearing to make it look like we're all on the same page. Look at we use over a billion pounds of pesticides in this country every year. And look, I understand why why that's important.
▶ 1:11:45I I visit my local farms regularly and we talk about the challenges that farmers face while protecting their crops. And I'm not interested in telling farmers how to do their job. But I am interested in protecting those farmers, their families, and their employees from clear and present danger. They need to know that the inputs they use aren't going to make them sick. And it's our job to set up a system that takes the that burden off their plate.
▶ 1:12:09fully one-third of pesticides used in the US are banned in other countries in Europe and Canada and even China and others because rigorous independent science has confirmed that they present an unacceptable risk to human health. And I've been working on reasonable pesticide reform for a long time. I think that's uh the direction that we ought to move in, but that's not where we're at. But I just want to say something else in terms of expressing my frustration. Mr.
▶ 1:12:35Chair, last Friday, my colleague from Massachusetts, Ayanna Presley, and I attended a listening session sponsored by an organization called Project Bread on SNAP with local and state government officials, leaders of nonprofits, but most importantly with people with lived experiences. Um, food insecurity and hunger is on the rise in this country and people are really worried about the impact that this big ugly bill that has just been signed into law is going to have uh on them.
▶ 1:13:05Uh people, we ought to be doing a hearing on that right now. What the impacts of the big ugly bill are going to be in terms of hiking up food insecurity and hunger in this country. People are struggling. They are working harder than ever and having difficulty putting food on the table. SNAP recipients are increasingly relying more on food pantries, uh, on food banks, on faith-based organizations to make sure that their families have enough to eat.
▶ 1:13:30Uh, they made it clear that the benefit that currently exists, which is about $2 per person per meal, is not enough. Um, and they expressed horror about what is coming uh, as a result of the legislation that this Congress passed. I mean, state officials are worried about how they're going to deal with the added burden, hundreds of millions of dollars in additional responsibility to make sure people in their states don't go hungry. They don't know how they're going to do it.
▶ 1:13:55Uh, and we talked to grandmothers and single parents and workers um who think that Washington uh doesn't care. Uh, look at this committee is responsible for the cuts that are in reconciliation with regard to SNAP. Um, and I have to be honest with you. Um, I don't we we can't have business as usual. Uh, we can't make believe like there's no big deal, that everything's just going to work out because it is not.
▶ 1:14:21Um, and I've been reading about uh talk about a new farm bill and about how we're going to throw a few sweeteners here and there uh to try to see whether we can uh pass a a farm bill. I don't know how we can move on a farm bill unless we fix reconciliation. Uh, and I, speaking for myself, do not want to be complicit um in covering up a Republican strategy that will dramatically increase food insecurity and hunger in America.
▶ 1:14:49Um, I think I I think it is important for this committee uh not just to move on. I think it's important for people to demand answers um and to try to find solutions about what we're going to do when people lose their benefits. And again, uh, working people who are on the benefit right now, yeah, can't make ends meet. Uh, and single mothers and grandmothers. We heard the testimony. It's heartbreaking.
▶ 1:15:15If you've ever met a hungry child in this country, it breaks your heart. Uh, and I worry very much that as a result of what this Congress has done, what what Republicans and Donald Trump have done, we are going to see a huge spike is unacceptable. We cannot have business as usual. We ought to be doing hearings on that. Uh and we ought to be figuring out a way to fix reconciliation. Uh it was rushed through. There's new uh there's new policy that we had no hearings on.
▶ 1:15:45We need to do better. And I urge my colleagues uh again to prioritize uh the issue of hunger and food insecurity which is getting worse. I yield back.
▶ 1:15:55Gentleman yields back. Now recognize the gentleman from California, Lester, Mr. Lameala for five minutes.
▶ 1:16:01Thank you, Mr. Chairman. And you know that that's interesting that we now have to fix reconciliation which uh the root problems were the taxes increases that were going to happen on middle and low-income families especially had that not happened as well as a secure border and the costs of an unsecure border to our country as well as getting at trying to tame a $2 trillion annual national deficit. All right. So when do we ever start doing that?
▶ 1:16:28When do we ever start rectifying uh that kind of overspending and what that does to our national debt and our ability to service that debt if interest rates were to ever go up dramatically. So, and we talk about people having trouble making ends meet.
▶ 1:16:44And I can, you know, as a farmer on the farming witness firsthand just, was it three seasons ago when the price of fuel doubled and the price of fertilizer tripled, the price of our uh pesticide materials increased dramatically. Where's that going to come from? Is it going to come from the farmer taking less profit or the trucker who hauls that or the fertilizer? None of those people, you know, the miller, nobody's going to take less.
▶ 1:17:12That's all going to have to come finally at the end of it at the bottom line at the supermarket where people buy the products we grow. Otherwise, if any any of those people in that chain are in the red are in the red, the trucker, the fertilizer salesman, the farmer himself, then it's not going to be around very long.
▶ 1:17:29So what is the root problem in costs for families of buying food, of keeping food on the table, inflation, energy, the the the prices of everything in that chain, energy, you know, to taking that the the tilling of the ground in the spring, the the truck that brings the seed to the field and the and the truck that hauls the the grown product away. That's the big problem here. And it's not going to be fixed by government trying to throw more money at programs.
▶ 1:17:59So it needs to be looked at uh um right here with the cost of doing business driven by government by regulation by taking away materials and the pesticides themselves. You know, every time every generation is one that's working even better to be environmentally clean, environmentally sound, one that has a uh a hold period that the dissipation of it is completely gone by by that. They they're doing amazing things with the next every new generation of pesticides.
▶ 1:18:29Yet, it's made to sound like we're poisoning everybody if if you're using any of these materials, which really it boils down to they do have a purpose. Anything ending in the word is aside is to kill a weed or an insect that you don't want in there. Right? So, it comes down to the proper handling and application by following the label that the EPA has approved. So, let me drill down on the EPA. Mr. Abbott.
▶ 1:18:56Um, delays occurring at the EPA in in the regular regulatory pro review My notes say that we have at least a half a billion dollars in post patent and formulation improvement products that are sitting there waiting in review. Can you talk a little about the uh uh timely uh work in these innovations is as important as the chemistry themselves.
▶ 1:19:22So the timely Let me just understand the question. So you're looking at the innovation as far as what we do as a company and it goes back to my testimony and uh within agent unlimited here, right? We try to improve upon the formulations that are out there. Um some of these are are becoming more novel as well. Even though you take some of the older chemistry and you improve on the formulation and it's going to actually do a better job killing the weeds, right?
▶ 1:19:49Because weeds, dead weeds don't breed resistance. It's half dead weeds that all of a sudden they can reproduce and then you got a problem. So
▶ 1:19:58dead men don't talk. Dead weeds don't come back. Right.
▶ 1:20:00That is correct.
▶ 1:20:04Okay. Um Mr. Cameron, as a fellow Californian, certainly you've experienced a lot of the laughs and fun that I have as a grower as well. We're in rice business. may not have as tough as some of the row crops and such, but uh uh in your testimony you'd mentioned that uh consumers demand blemishfree products. And that's kind of a sidebar thought for me.
▶ 1:20:26If the product has to be that perfect, uh what is that doing to the the level of effort that farmers have to put in to make sure that product is perfect instead of maybe slightly blemish free like you might get at a farmers market or off your own tree for example,
▶ 1:20:42right? It it puts additional stress and an additional financial uh weight on having a product that looks good in the market. No question. Consumers have preferences. I know when I go to the store, being a farmer, I can usually pick out probably the the sweetest and the the best looking fruit, but most consumers look for certain qualities of unblenmished high quality fruit. And to do that, it takes it takes additional
▶ 1:21:12a much higher effort level of effort to have that perfect fruit instead of pretty darn good fruit, right?
▶ 1:21:18Yeah. No, we we grow many crops that are processed um where the quality has to be good but not
▶ 1:21:28Yeah. Okay. Appreciate that. I yield back, Mr. Chairman.
▶ 1:21:30Gentleman's time is expired. Now recognize Dr. Adams.
▶ 1:21:34Mr. chairman and thank you to the witnesses for being here today. Uh I I would first like to to make a statement about how deeply concerned I am uh with the Trump administration's handling of pesticides. In May, the United States Department of of Agriculture published a final rule removing the requirement for applicators to report their use of restricted use pesticides or URPS.
▶ 1:22:03This rule was issued without a public comment, without period or or notice. And it means that effective July 11th, 2025, farmers and other private applicators are no longer legally obligated to record critical information such as the pesticide used, application date, amount, location, and the crop treated.
▶ 1:22:28And this is troubling because the Environmental Protection Agency classifies certain pesticides as restricted use when they pose serious health and environmental risks if not handled with strict precautions. The EPA's list of RUPS spans 45 pages and it includes substances uh linked to severe issues such as Parkinson's disease, birth defects, and and other chronic conditions.
▶ 1:22:57In the USDA's final rule notice, agency officials dismiss these regulations as not a priority and states that to the extent that there is any uncertainty about the cost and benefits, it is the policy of the USDA to error on the side of deregulation. But the truth is regulations protecting human health and the environment should be strengthened, not not eliminated.
▶ 1:23:25Growing and and harvesting food should be a safe and healthy experience for everyone involved from farm to plate. Farmers and farm workers must be able to to trust that the tools that they use do not threaten their health, their communities, or the ecosystems that sustain their livelihoods. and families walking up and down the aisles of grocery stores should be able to trust that the products on the shelves are safe to consume.
▶ 1:23:55Uh, Mr. Chairman, I'd like to uh submit um for the record the uh rules and and regulations section of the federal registry uh which speaks to the use pesticides by certified
▶ 1:24:09Without objection.
▶ 1:24:10Thank you. Let me um uh continue by saying that an increase in resistance to pesticides means that pests are developing the ability to survive exposure to pesticides that were previously effective. This is a significant concern in agriculture and public health as it can lead to crop losses, disease outbreaks, and the need for more potent and potentially harmful chemicals. Mr.
▶ 1:24:39Weatherbe uh we've seen an increase in resistance to pesticides over the years with limited new chemical development. So can you speak to how technologies such as um agri jeans improve our ability to fight pests and limit chemicals in the environment?
▶ 1:25:03No, thank you. Um so part of the technology uh in particular to aggroene um development of using sterile insects would also then is very effective against resistant populations. You start to decrease those resistant populations. So you start to get rid of those which would also make chemicals more effective. Part of it would be um kind of the carry-on effect of reducing the amount that needs to be used. Also taking advantage of new technologies that um are maybe a little tougher for insects or pests to build resistance
▶ 1:25:34Okay. Would anyone else like to respond?
▶ 1:25:40Yes, sir. Go ahead. Got 50 seconds.
▶ 1:25:42All right. Um we use a lot of different technology on farm. We use pheromone for mating disruptions. We use sterile release of mos to prevent mating of naval orange worm so that we don't have to spray as often. In California, we have a system. We actually are required to for any restricted material put a a notice of use and it is reported via a website.
▶ 1:26:08Um, the location is within one square mile of the application and there are notifications that are sent via email, text or other other ways to anyone who is interested in any restricted material applications in their area. So, we've been very proactive in California to put this in
▶ 1:26:28Thank you, sir. Mr. Chairman, I yield back. Thank you, gentlemen.
▶ 1:26:32I thank the gentle lady. Now, recognize the gentleman from Iowa, Mr. Finestra for five minutes.
▶ 1:26:39Thank you, Chairman Thompson and Ranking Member Craig. Uh thank you for the witnesses for coming today. I am in the second largest egg district in the country. Um probably number one in corn and soybeans. And uh you know when we look at uh feeding the world, we need to create some of the safest and most affordable food, fuel, and fiber that we can do that. And we are currently doing that. I'm very grateful for for all that you have noted.
▶ 1:27:05uh these these tools go through robust science and risk-based regulatory processes and ensure safety for human health uh and for our families and for people around the world. And I'd like to just talk a little bit about this of how we can get to the next level.
▶ 1:27:21All right, we we know from the past what we've used, but now when we start looking at FIFRA, uh a science-based process to regulate distribution sale and the use of pesticides to ensure human environmental safety and then you have Priya who establishes a feebased system to support timely review of pesticide registration. So, so these are two significant tools that we use to review and create science-based safe uh production of product. So my question is this.
▶ 1:27:51Uh we saw pest pesticide registrations fall more than 70% over the last several years. And by the way, I talked to administrator Zelden from the EPA and he is very well aware and he said, "Randy, we got to do something about this. This is ridiculous that that we're far behind. I mean, these are great tools that are are on the forefront, but but they're they're not out there yet." So I want to talk to Mr. Abbott first. What is your thoughts on this?
▶ 1:28:16How does this affect the the current farming community uh when it comes to crop protection tools and and safety and how we can look
▶ 1:28:26Well, as I've already previously mentioned, um they pay for it, right? And they are looking for tools um to manage resistance, they need to rotate, right? How I'll use fungicides. If you continue to use the same fungicide over and over, you're going to develop a resistance at some point. So in order to avoid that you need to rotate and that's where the different tools come into play
▶ 1:28:48right. So but so there's new cutting edge tools that are on the forefront. I mean you start looking at that what that means uh you know less you know less product going going you know in the air in the water and all this stuff. Can you elaborate on that a little bit of of what's out there?
▶ 1:29:06Well and I'll go from the adivant side of the thing right what you're adding to the tank besides the pesticide the active ingredient. How do you make it work most effic uh effectively? And that's managing drift. That's also making it more effective getting into the either the plant tissue or the insect soft body, whatever it is. It's uh influencing that tank mix to a positive effect, right? You want to make sure um we talked about dead weeds, right? You don't want to have to respray.
▶ 1:29:37That's where you get more chemicals on there. That's right.
▶ 1:29:39So, it's about managing that. Don, you want to expand on that at all?
▶ 1:29:50Sorry. You know, our toolbox is is limited. We've had fewer products to use that are effective. And as we said, it creates resistance issues. We need to rotate chemistry. I feel that we have great products in the wings ready to go and we don't have access to them.
▶ 1:30:08I agree. I agree. It's frustrating. We need to get them out.
▶ 1:30:11Yep. Uh now I want to talk about maximum uh residue levels. This has always been a top issue. Uh when we start thinking about health and safety uh and the global supply chains, you know, uh when we start looking at international trade, we they always talk about maximum residual levels and where it's at and where it needs to be. Mr. Abbott, could you talk about the robust processes that go into setting the uh maximum res residual levels at the EPA? How does this work and why this is so important when it comes to our export markets?
▶ 1:30:42I can just speak from experience. I am not an expert in that field by any stretch of the imagination. But in my career, I have had to deal with the uh MRLS, right? And different countries have different levels and different active ingredients have different levels and they are rigorously followed. Um and it goes all the way down from the producer to the c-acker and it follows all the way through the supply chain.
▶ 1:31:05Yeah, it does. I mean, it's it's very well thought through of where it goes and and I mean, it's all identified. Yes. Done.
▶ 1:31:13Yeah. We have certain products we grow that could we if they're going to be exported to, let's say, Japan, we can't we have restrictions on products that we can put on that crop. That's right.
▶ 1:31:22Kind of limits us, but we see that in several of the different commodities we
▶ 1:31:27The ML MRLs hold back the use of certain products that we need.
▶ 1:31:31Yep. I hear you. Thank you. And I yield Gentleman yields back. Now recognize the gentle lady from the Buckeye State, Miss Brown, for five minutes.
▶ 1:31:41Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Um, for generations, farmers have fed and fueled this country, all while navigating uncertainty from extreme weather and labor shortages to market volatility. It is our job here in Congress to ensure farmers have the full range of tools they need to meet these challenges head on. One of the most important tools in their toolbox has been pest control products. When used safely, legally, and effectively, they protect our c crops, preserve yields, and secure our nation's food security.
▶ 1:32:11And that is why we have a strong and science-driven regulatory system. A system built on rigorous standards, not rhetoric. A system founded in fact, not fear. And a system informed by stakeholder input, not political agendas. Unfortunately, that brings me to the Make America Healthy Again movement, the MAHA report released earlier this year by the Department of Agriculture and the Department of Health and Human Services. By USDA's own admission, farmers and other key stakeholders did not have input when it came to this report.
▶ 1:32:41The report contains broken citations, misleading claims, and appears to cherrypick data while ignoring the long-standing science-based framework that governs crop protection tools. Mr. Abbott, you noted in your testimony that the Maha Commission's report, and I quote, undermines trust in the regulatory process by citing unver unverifiable sources, omitting key stakeholder voices, including farmers, food producers, and scientists, and making sweeping claims not grounded
▶ 1:33:11in the science or structure of the current system. I agree. If we are going to trust the science, we need to know that we are operating from the same set of facts. Moving forward, what would you like to see from the commission to restore credibility and demonstrate that it is engaging in an honest scientific
▶ 1:33:33I'm assuming it's me you're talking to. Okay. I I would like to see that once again, we're founded in science-based. We all up here on this panel and people we work for believe in the system, right, when it works. We want to make sure that we're adequately funding and I keep hammering that because we're not adequately funding to get the science that we need and the products out the door for the tools for the farmers.
▶ 1:33:58So, I really would say that we need to make sure that we're founded in science and we continue to do that. Um, and I agree wholeheartedly with you. We don't want to make this a political issue.
▶ 1:34:10Thank you. The MAHA report also calls for more research into health impacts of pesticides and other crop protection tools. But at the same time, the president has proposed a budget that poses significant cuts to agricultural and public health research programs that are essential to answering those very questions. How can we take the report's call for more science seriously if this administration seeks to defund the very institutions needed to produce it? So, Mr.
▶ 1:34:38Witherby, how important are federal research dollars to ensuring that our regulatory process remains grounded in sound upto-date science? Well, I think part of it first of all is just making sure that you have the um best scientists that are part of that regulatory process reviewing these um that they're up to date on modern technologies that they've had to look at this and that they um have the opportunity to quickly review and understand the you know safety and the environmental uh impacts
▶ 1:35:08to some of these new technologies. um that alone and then you know we have land grant universities and folks that are there to test some of these new properties. Part of it is is getting through the regulatory process in order to enable that testing to be done. Um that also requires dollars to do some of that testing uh at the universities.
▶ 1:35:27So um funding um part of that research is vital to building up our scientific knowledge and our understanding of some of these new technologies and how they're you know how how quickly we can get them through um some of those uh regulator you know uh resourcing in order to have their appropriate people in place to allow these new technologies to get through in a timely manner is
▶ 1:35:49Thank you so much. Um sound policy starts with sound science and that means trusting the facts. Uh, please know that I am committed to working with my colleagues to support the next generation of crop protection tools grounded in research and innovation so we can build a food supply that's not just safe but more resilient and secure for the future. And with that, Mr. Chairman, I yield back.
▶ 1:36:10I thank the gentle lady. Now recognize the gentleman from uh Alabama for five
▶ 1:36:16Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and I appreciate all the witnesses being here today. You know, Ronald Reagan had a saying. He said, "The government's idea on the economy is when it's moving, you tax it. if it keeps moving you regulating or fails you subsidize it and very often we see regulations being a huge problem and an inefficiency in government. So with that Mr.
▶ 1:36:32Abbott you testified that more than a half a billion dollars worth of your members products and current or currently d delayed in EPA's regulatory review process products that include both post patent tools and adgivants critical for crop protection. Can you explain how this backlog is affecting grower access to proven technologies and what consequences that has on production efficiency and cost?
▶ 1:37:00Well, as I've mentioned already before, it it puts a tremendous strain on the tools that are already out there, right? So, we need to have access or they need to have access to those tools to uh from a rotational purpose and to continue to apply the adgivants that are part of that tank mix as well. and they need to have timely access to those as well.
▶ 1:37:21Somebody mentioned earlier that there's just a like a chemical is it's it's already been approved but somehow it's still backlogging the process. Is that the case too as well? I think one of the witnesses mentioned that earlier. Are y'all familiar with something that may have been approved that's still being held up because it's in some sort of new Anything like that? Maybe I misunderstood when I when I heard that. But uh yeah, the regulatory environment is certainly crippling and and we get that in business. I grew up on a rowcrop farm. Mr. Weatherbeby, the technology has changed dramatically.
▶ 1:37:49I can remember standing in a peanut field. Mr. Cameron, you may have seen one of these, an old span sprayer where the product was in the tank and you literally just sprayed it out across the field. And so I think we were spraying Bravo for lease spot at the time. And I remember my dad and uncle complaining about how expensive that stuff was. I can't imagine what the the they were always grapping about cost and farming and we always are, right? But with inflation and the restrictions now that government tends to put on production is is certainly harassing. But Mr.
▶ 1:38:17Witherby, I'm going to move to you for a second. You mentioned that without updates to our regulatory system, the US risk falling behind in sustainable pest control innovation. What would what would that mean for American growers and our agricultural competitives competitiveness if the technology like PG sit were delayed or even possibly adopted in competing markets say in China, Brazil or the EU?
▶ 1:38:43I think that's the tough part is that we already do see some of those technologies going to South America and others because the uh regulatory environment or is uh uh moves a little quicker and able to get those out in the fields and so you're allowed to do some testing there. So we're already behind in some aspects. The the other part of it is is that um those innovations are stopping from getting to the growers and the growers, you know, most of the what we work on here is trying to make the cost of doing uh we know that our product has to be cheaper.
▶ 1:39:13You know, that that's important to the growers. Uh we also know it has to be safer. So we're all working on safer, cheaper innovations that can go out there to the grower. Unfortunately, they're just not getting there because we can't get through that regulatory process. the regulatory process in the US. How does it stack up compared to some of the other countries on timelines?
▶ 1:39:32Um the timelines are are a little longer. I think the part is is that um it's hard to hard to judge because uh you know there are certain things that say there are timelines and you do pay money into going into those, but you often get delayed or there might be uh not enough staff and so you're kind of left to um guess that you're going to hit that timeline or not. And then there's extensions. Um, so you it's
▶ 1:39:56it probably takes a long time to just get an extension, doesn't it?
▶ 1:39:59I can't imagine. So yeah, we when I was first out of college, I worked with the Lanco Animal Health and uh I think it was 12 years then if we found something that we thought might work. The science behind it was pretty darn good. It would take us 12 years to actually get that to the market. So I think that's about the timeline you're looking at now. You say 12 years possibly to get something. If you if you find a something that might be good for the growers, it takes maybe 12 years now. Is that what kind of the timeline for here in the US?
▶ 1:40:26Yeah, it's uh from development through registration and into hands about 12 years and about $300 million.
▶ 1:40:31It's tough to cash flow for 12 years, guys, if you hadn't got a product. Go ahead, Mr. Cameron. I got about 40 seconds. I'd love to hear from you.
▶ 1:40:37I'll talk quick.
▶ 1:40:38Since you're from California, we want to hear from you, too. No, we we see that Brazil is taking the lead in uh biological uh use on farms and their government has partnered with the with the companies that are producing this to get the product in the field to the growers. I'm leaving Saturday to Brazil for a week with Secretary Bank out of California. We're going to see what they're up to.
▶ 1:40:58It'd be nice if government would come alongside instead of ride on our back sometimes, guys. I appreciate it. I'll yield back, Mr. Chairman.
▶ 1:41:05Thank the gentleman yielding back. Now recognize the gentle lady from Kansas, Miss Davids, for 5 minutes.
▶ 1:41:12Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and to our ranking member Craig for holding this hearing today. Protecting the integrity of our agricultural supply chain from pests and animal diseases is is critical, not just for our economy, but for our health and for our national security. From the fields where farmers work hard to protect their crops to the grocery store where canons are already stretching their budgets to feed their families, we see just how deeply interconnected food security and national security really are.
▶ 1:41:42I know we've said it a lot of times in this committee that food security is national security. Uh that's why investments in agricultural research are so important. These innovations help farmers and ranchers produce more. We've heard we've heard this uh multiple times today. These innovations help farmers and ranchers produce more waste less and improve the nutrition and safety of the food that we eat. In Kansas, innovation in agriculture means that our farmers can feed the world while keeping costs down.
▶ 1:42:12Something that directly impacts families at the grocery store. And that's especially important right now. Between 2020 and 2020 24, retail food prices went up more than 23%. Families are feeling those price increases acutely. Mr. Weatherbe, uh, in your written testimony, you mentioned the New World screw screworm. It's continued its continued spread could absolutely severely impact our cattle producers and even pose risks to humans.
▶ 1:42:42Can you talk a bit about how innovative tools to fight pests like the screwworm can help protect our food supply and broadly more broadly the agriculture economy?
▶ 1:42:52Yeah. So, in particular with New World screworm, you know, one of the key pieces that we use to fight that is sterile insect technique. It's been around for 60 years. It's effective, but we haven't tried to improve upon that. And that's what part of the technology changes there are. Um there has been other groups that have developed lines that could cut the cost of production which you know when we start to see an international emergency all of a sudden the costs are very significant.
▶ 1:43:18Um, part of that is is adoption of some of these newer technologies are not just because they're also they're effective, but they're also maybe cheaper and a better manufacturing process to get to that. Um, investment into some of those technologies that allow for us to get to the same kind of control and the same kind of agents, but at a cheaper cost and at a quicker timeline are important as well. And those are things that are often go neglected because it hasn't become a problem yet.
▶ 1:43:47Just really quick, are those uh competitors or the people who are coming up with this at a a more efficient cost? Are those international companies or
▶ 1:43:57No, that's here in the US too. And you know, we're and and in most cases, we're stuck in the regulatory process or approval process.
▶ 1:44:04Um things like invasive species are tough because it's tough to get permission to work on invasive species in the US as well. Obviously, they're not introduced here, but you know, it's one of the things we're worried about protecting. So, partnerships with the government, USDA, other institutions are really important. And so, part of that funding is needed to allow for these private and and public uh partnerships to get these done and not just to utilize old technologies, but to adopt some of these new technologies towards these problems.
▶ 1:44:34Yeah. Well, thank you. Um, I'm going to switch gears. Uh in addition to livestock, Kansas is a top wheat producer. Uh we grow about 1/5if of all the US wheat in our state and Kansas farmers deal with uh tough growing conditions and winter wheat, especially when used in sustainable rotations, can offer serious soil health benefits. Uh it does help prevent erosion, conserve water, it moderates soil temperatures and suppresses weeds.
▶ 1:45:02uh encouraging cover crops, cover cropping and and conservation practices can strengthen the long-term health of uh of our soil. Mr. Abbott, I was hoping to hear from you. I know your testimony outlines some ways to help farmers adopt uh these types of practices. Can you share a bit about um your how you think the federal government can help support farmers in making those making those transitions to those other uh practices?
▶ 1:45:29Well, I think just um like the NRCS recognizing adivants and giving them credit for that. We've been in discussions with them and we could use your help to help push those colleagues along um because we want to get that point system and give adequate uh credit to there. Now, we're working with the scientists and our our folks on the data side are supplying what they're asking for, but really and truly that's how we're going to get to the next level uh on a conservation aspect.
▶ 1:45:57Thank you. Uh, and thank you to all of our witnesses for taking time to be here with us. Chairman, I yield back.
▶ 1:46:03Thank the gentle lady. Now recognize the uh gentleman from Minnesota, Mr. Finstead, for five minutes.
▶ 1:46:11Thank you, Chairman Thompson. I really appreciate you holding this important hearing today. And thank you to uh our witnesses for being here and for everything that you do for the egg industry. As a fourth generation farmer from southern Minnesota, I uh raise corn, soybeans, and kids. My seven kids, the fifth generation uh God willing, that will uh we'll take over our far farm uh uh someday. Um really appreciate uh hearing uh your testimony. A couple thoughts that I have here.
▶ 1:46:41Um really around innovation and precision agriculture. uh as someone who has watched the evolution of my family farm over generations, everything from uh you know the the mboard plow to now we have the chisel plow, we have uh areas near us with no till, strip till and really we're we're managing our farm at sub inch accuracy with GPS technology.
▶ 1:47:07And when you look at today's prices, when you have sub $4 corn, sub $10 beans, I don't think a lot of us are raising our hands saying, "Hey, I I want to manage my farm to the dollars." We're managing it to the pennies. And so, we're not throwing money away uh where we don't need to. And and we're making sure that we're putting what we need where we need it, when we need it. And the tools that you all and your industries provide us have really helped us become much more efficient.
▶ 1:47:35Uh and if you look at with what I just said and the adoption of uh precision agriculture technology and all the innovations, American farmers have increased their production output by 175%. And we've done that while we're using fewer inputs including land, water, fertilizer, and other chemistries.
▶ 1:47:54And so uh be because of uh the constant work as as farmers who are the best environmentalists in the world bar none because we are managing our land to the subinch accuracy. We are we are in it for generations not for a oneshot make all the money go home but I want to see my kids farm that land so I can't abuse that soil.
▶ 1:48:16And so uh with that just a couple questions in regards to the industry and and how we can continue to evolve and continue to again acknowledge the fact that we are managing to the pennies right now not to the dollars.
▶ 1:48:30Um so for any of you uh that would like to take this uh question uh throughout the last several years uh each of your uh respective industries have made incredible strides in adopting practices that are better for production and the environment from safe handling to drift reduction agents. Taking these crop protection tools off the shelves increase costs and it forces our producers to farm with essentially one hand tied behind our back.
▶ 1:48:57And so can you speak to the steps that your industries have taken to implement self-regulation and the motives behind those uh decisions?
▶ 1:49:09I'll go ahead and start. So we personally were doing a lot of research and making sure that we know what we know before we actually release the chemistries out there to the public. And we do a lot of research behind the scenes and work with companies and customers to get them exactly what they need. And a lot of the customers that we service you more than likely buy from. So at the end of the day, we want to make sure you have the viable tools and at the most cost effectiveness that we can provide you to.
▶ 1:49:39Anybody else want a shot at that?
▶ 1:49:41Yeah, I think in terms of safety, that's one of the more important things we're dealing with ensuring that our products are safe. No one's going to use them if they aren't safe. The the other thing is is that we're entrusting uh some of these products. you know, we're not doing these uh by ourselves. That's why we utilize land grant universities where the professors and stuff are part of the community are part of the neighborhood and part of that and part of that environment.
▶ 1:50:06And it's important that they're able to provide testimony to the growers and the farmers in terms of a product's integrity. And and I think that's where all of us try to get our products tested and looked at because it's important to um build that trust and also to understand uh you know voice of customers always very important to us. We need to understand where does it need to be safety, where does it need to be costwise, how where how does this be more effective and we want that feedback in order that we can put that into our product development.
▶ 1:50:38In uh in California, uh the growers last year supported an increase in the mill tax or the or the tax paid on pesticides with the express idea that we will get faster turnaround through our department of pesticide regulation to get new products out quicker and get rid of the backlog. uh we've been promised that that will happen and I know it's already uh they've got new people in place.
▶ 1:51:05So, we're optimistic and we support uh our industry by doing that. I I appreciate you being here today. I would just close with saying we need more tools, not less. We need to make sure we're not tying one hand behind our back to farm and really appreciate you being here today. With that, I yield back.
▶ 1:51:22General yields back. Now, please recognize the gentle lady from Oregon, uh Mrs. Selenus, for five minutes. Thank you, Chair Thompson, and thank you to Ranking Member Craig for holding today's hearing. And thank you to our witnesses for your participation today. I'm really proud to represent a district that is home to countless specialty crops. Some of the finest wine grapes in the world. Um, the vast majority of this country's hazelnuts and a really impressive variety of berries are all in the Wamut Valley.
▶ 1:51:50And when I meet with these producers, I hear about the unique challenges specialty crop producers face and how they sometimes feel left behind by a federal government that really focuses a lot of times on large commodity crops. And that's why these producers really make the absolute most out of the specialty crop specific programs that do exist. Take the IR4 um project for instance. The crop protection industry focuses much of their efforts on um major crops that provide the best return on investment and that makes sense for their business.
▶ 1:52:20This leaves specialty crop producers though um whose crops may not be compatible with traditional pest control methods with fewer options to protect their livelihoods. IR4 fills this gap by using federal funding to develop specialty crop specific crop protection methods which may not have been otherwise discovered or pursued. Mr. Cameron, this question is for you. I appreciated that in your testimony you acknowledged the importance of the IR4 project and maintaining an emphasis on specialty crop specific needs.
▶ 1:52:49Could you expand a bit on the importance of IR4 and explain how increasing funding for it will benefit farmers?
▶ 1:52:57Be be happy to. Thank you. Uh the IR4 program does work for specialty crops. We need more funding. We know that many times we don't have the the tools we need for the uh crops that we grow. Um a good friend of mine started growing uh There's absolutely nothing labeled for agave in the United States. We grew wuli many years ago for seed production.
▶ 1:53:25It's a latex plant that people don't get allergic to. Absolutely nothing. So we know that uh as California produces half of the fresh fruits and vegetables in the United States that we need carveouts. We need support for our specialty crops. Um it's a very difficult scenario as you say because many of the crop protection chemicals are developed for the large commodity crops throughout the US and we do get left behind.
▶ 1:53:55We'd love to see specialty uh crop block grant money coming to California so that can be used to uh further uh products that will be used within the state. So the IR4 program we feel is excellent. The FAR program is also very good to get uh additional testing for uh for crops and that's through the farm bill.
▶ 1:54:19But uh we definitely uh get left behind many times in uh agriculture when we do have a heavy lift and produce
▶ 1:54:28abundant crops throughout the state for the for the nation.
▶ 1:54:32Thank you. And can you expand a bit on the importance of reestablishing IR4 and EPA's collaboration on their biopesticide demonstration grant
▶ 1:54:41Right. That the biopesticide uh demonstration grant program was an older program. It had been left behind. We feel that that would be critical um for getting products out in the field, giving growers confidence to be able to use these types of products uh and experience. Currently, um growers are reluctant. Our margins are so thin that it's it's difficult to take the risk on trying new products. If we lose a crop, we could be out of business.
▶ 1:55:11That's right.
▶ 1:55:12that's right. Thank you. All right. And this is um for all of our witnesses. Um, I'm sure you're likely aware last Friday the Trump administration took the dramatic step of closing EPA's Office of Research and Development. This is the latest instance of a seemingly unending string of actions by this administration that undermine scientific research and America's role as the global innovator. They fired scientists at the A research service, National Institutes of Science and Technology.
▶ 1:55:39They've cut climate research across multiple agencies and they've even attacked the National Institutes of Health. It's clear that this administration does not see the value in investing in science and innovation right now. So I think it's incumbent on Congress to ensure the United States maintains these investments and our global competitiveness at the same time.
▶ 1:55:59So again for the for panelists who would like to answer, I'd like to hear from you specific areas of investment that Congress should emphasize in the crop protection space and where is Congress underinvesting? Well, I think we need to invest in new newer innovation, new technology, right? We've heard that time and time again today and I think that's where we're going to grow. Um, and the farmers are going to get the tools that they need.
▶ 1:56:27So, we could use your support in that continued support and it's back to we need the appropriations committee to release those funds.
▶ 1:56:36Thank you. And I'm out of time. I yield back. Thank you. Gentle lady yields back. Now recognize the uh gentleman from Indiana, Dr. Baird, for five
▶ 1:56:48Thank you, Mr. Chairman, ranking member, and all you witnesses. I know it takes time out of your day, but we appreciate you being here. So, I'm going to start uh I'm going to start with you, Mr. Abbott. Uh but I may have any of you that may want to want to ask questions. But in your testimony, you mentioned that the EPA is integrating the ESA consultation into the pesticide uh registration decisions.
▶ 1:57:14You know, that kind of bothers me when I when I think about some of the species that are listed on the the ESA and the complications that causes in terms of moving forward. But you you suggest that there may be a better way. So my question is can you elaborate on that better way of doing that than than what they're proposing?
▶ 1:57:34Well, I don't think we're going to change the mind that that train has left the station. But what we can do and it wasn't until we had discussions with the EPA to even get adgivants as a part of the mit mitigation. Um that was several conversations over several days, months, weeks and we wanted to make sure that we got a seat at the table if you will. Um I think to quote um Chairman Thompson, if you're not on the don't have a seat at the table, you're on the menu, right? More than likely.
▶ 1:58:04So, we wanted to make sure that we had um a seat at the table and that we could actually give the viable tools that will help manage those buffers because we're not going to change the minds of what species are on there. That's a whole different department. And they've um did done their research. They've they've got different segments. I've seen different maps of it, but what we can do is advocate for reduction of buffers through the use of adgivants.
▶ 1:58:35Well, I certainly appreciate your perspective there. It's concerning to me that we don't ever take any of the species off of the endangered species licks and that that kind of can impact whatever we're doing in agriculture with FIFA and all of those issues. So, uh, I I think we definitely need to keep an eye on what they're doing with the ESA and how that how putting that in, uh, in with the EPA is concerning to me.
▶ 1:59:04So, does anyone else have a comment about about the ESA and the EPA program, the pilot program? Well, if not, I have uh uh Dr.
▶ 1:59:18provide I want to have uh you comment about uh representative Petta and I introduced the plant bio stimulate act and that's kind of important to hear that you support that idea as well as u as really I think it fosters innovation but my question is uh what do you think the view is of bio stimulants you know they're different than insecticides pesticides and that sort of thing so what do do you
▶ 1:59:48think the view is and and what do you think uh we can do about the regulatory confusion in that that arena?
▶ 1:59:56Thank you, Congressman. Yeah, I think with bio stimulants, we need to recognize that it's a diverse set of substances, humic acid, seaweeds. There's there's a long list of what can be called a bio-stimulant and we need to recognize the diversity of the modes of action, how they influence the soil, how they influence the plant.
▶ 2:00:14And I I think with the bio stimulant act uh defining what a bio stimulant is at the federal level would be a great start because it could start to set up the uh the environment where we we're working with some known parameters and I think that's where there's viewpoints in the industry of uh what is a bio stimulant. Some of them are uh are very well researched and have good claims and and good performance and some don't have those properties.
▶ 2:00:41So, I think that the consumer, the grower is the one that's been having to shoulder some of that burden of trying things in the field. Um, and if we could tighten up that that definition, that would be certainly helpful. I think recognizing bio stimulants as is not being pesticides or insecticides or herbicides also a great start because we need that innovative edge. We need that diverse set of substances that allows us to manage for other things. Abiotic stress. It's too hot. It's too cold.
▶ 2:01:09it's maybe the soil's a little bit salty um or overly wet. These new management tools we have uh that that are ne not necessarily um maybe moving forward as fast as they should because of that uncertainty. Thank you.
▶ 2:01:24And these these tend to be natural processes and so they really interact with the living organisms that we have in that in that uh soil uh to stimulate growth or stimulate plants or whatever. So, thank you very much. I'm sorry I'm out of time because I'd like to ask the rest of you more questions, but thank you and I yield back.
▶ 2:01:46Thank the gentleman. Now recognize the gentle lady from Hawaii, Congresswoman Takuda, for five minutes.
▶ 2:01:52Thank you, Mr. Chair. I want to build on the question that Representative Selenus started with in terms of uh the recent announcement of the elimination of the EPA's Office of Research and Development. Do you feel that the work that um OARD has been doing since I believe 1979 in terms of protecting human and environmental health research, technical assistance to tribes, states, local governments, data collections, dashboards, do you think all of these um the work that
▶ 2:02:22they did was in fact important? Just a simple yes or no from the members of the panel. I need a verbal. Do you think that erd uh EPA's od was important? Did they provide value?
▶ 2:02:41It's not a hard question. Yes or no?
▶ 2:02:49I'll pass on that. I'm here for bio
▶ 2:02:51Okay, I'll pass on that. So, right now, we are looking at the complete elimination of the office reduction of staff that they're looking to do. We've already lost thousands of EPA staff since the beginning of this year. They're looking at a 23% reduction. You've talked about the need for more technical assistance. You've talked about the need for research. You've talked about the fact that there is a backlog in the regulatory process.
▶ 2:03:14Do you believe that eliminating now staff, professional staff, researchers, scientists, individuals who have dedicated their life's work towards this mission is in fact a good thing. Now, from what I understand, the Trump administration plans to create a new office of applied science and environmental solutions.
▶ 2:03:37A few of the staff from ORD have been migrated over given this uh basically political Do you not think it in fact points to what Representative McGovern was talking about earlier that all this is is a shell game to try to deregulate, reduce oversight and transparency, eliminate data collection, all to speed this process up, but in fact reduce protections
▶ 2:04:08for human health by getting rid of the Office of Research and Development and all of the science and the work that has come with it over the last few decades. Could there not be a case made for that given what we're seeing as just a political shell game um and a reduction right now an elimination of research and protections, data collections, dashboards, technical assistance that have gone to states.
▶ 2:04:35I'm not versed enough to comment on that, so I'll pass.
▶ 2:04:39Anyone want to comment on this? Does anyone have any confidence that this new office of applied science and environmental protection will in fact protect human environmental health while also seeking as they say to deregulate the process?
▶ 2:04:55Not enough information to really understand that.
▶ 2:04:59So do I have some agreement that the elimination overall of ORD is in fact a bad decision by this administration? Do you feel somehow the elimination of OD will in fact help to deregulate the process and speed up introducing whether it's pesticides, bio stimulants, adgiants into the system? How do you think it'll help your industries and your members eliminating OAD? Do you think it will?
▶ 2:05:30I don't know one way or the other, but I don't I know what we were working with before wasn't getting through either. So, um, elimination of roles that are tied to the science and providing answers is tough. And so, you know, I'm looking at no matter what gets put in place, hopefully it's something that um is skilled, looks at the science, can make decisions, and can move them forward so that we can get some of these new solutions to growers.
▶ 2:05:54So, right now, they're getting rid of the scientists in RD. They are getting rid of what was literally the EPA's scientific backbone. I don't see how this is a good thing and again to point to the skepticism that was brought forward by Representative McGuffin earlier.
▶ 2:06:12It does point in fact to a political shell game that seeks to simply deregulate the process to reduce transparency and oversight and data that ultimately will undermine human and environmental health and transparency. And with that, Mr. Chair, I yield back. Thank you.
▶ 2:06:28Gentle yields back. I now recognize a gentleman from Kansas, Mr. man for five
▶ 2:06:34Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Thank you for having this hearing and thank you all for being here today. I represent the big first district of Kansas. Uh approximately 60 rural counties in the mostly western and central part of St. Kansas. Farmers, ranchers, and a producers are the original conservationists. Their livelihoods always depend on the health and sustainability of the land that they work. Knowing that stewardship today ensures productivity tomorrow.
▶ 2:07:00Technological advances have been helping farmers improve crop crop yields in Kansas for decades, and they continue to rely on evolving tools and techniques to secure the food supply and reduce losses caused by pest disease and extreme weather. As these challenges continue to evolve, it's essential that our farmers, ranchers, and producers have access to the tools and innovations necessary to ensure a successful crop today and for many seasons to come. so they can do what they do best, which we all know is to feed, fuel, and clothe the world.
▶ 2:07:31Farming practices such as no till um in Kansas has been used for for many, many years as as our farmers um you know work to sustain good soil health, but they got to have the tools to be able to do that. So, just a handful of questions. Um first for you, Mr. Rabbit, in your testimony, you mentioned that the US has the most scientifically rigorous and transparent pesticide regulatory system in the world.
▶ 2:07:57Could you further explain what specific features or processes that make the US system stand out compared to other countries?
▶ 2:08:05Well, first the the rigorous um testing that goes through and and the submission and the review process, you go to different countries, and I can't speak for every country. I know uh Priya it seems like it takes uh excuse me not Priya but uh PMR up in Canada it will take years and uh several millions and millions of dollars to get things registered there. Um you've heard our frustration on the backlog, right? That is real. But it's not the first time we've seen backlog.
▶ 2:08:36It's just never been to this degree. So I would say we really have one of the the gold standards, if you will. It's just a matter of adequately funding the staffing there to get things through.
▶ 2:08:46Yeah, that makes sense. You know, an area of growing concern amongst producers um all over Kansas is growing resistance to current crop protection tools which can reduce their efficacy and create vulnerabilities uh to damage. Again, for you, Mr. Abbott, can you speak to the role that adjuants and inert ingredients play in reducing the risk of weed resistance to provide growers with long-term success in uh in
▶ 2:09:11by the addition and and I'll speak for the inerts first, right? It's the inerts are part of the pesticide package, right? That's what helps them um work together, co-mingle together. If you're putting different chemistries together, they don't always like to play nice together. is how do you get those to where they're actually going to stay in uh stable form and where you can actually use them on the crop.
▶ 2:09:36The adivants are going to help influence the tank mix to a degree that you're going to see an improvement um between 15 uh even as high as 30% increase in efficacy versus the pesticide by itself. So, it's about getting it into the leave penetration, spreading across the leaf, and actually keeping the spray on the crop itself that you're spraying.
▶ 2:09:59All of which, you know, we need to be approved quickly approved as new technologies coming out to give our producers the tools they need.
▶ 2:10:06Um to sustainably farm and we also have to remember that at the core of sustainability is profitability.
▶ 2:10:12And if our a producers, you know, if if it's not profitable, it will not be sustainable. Um, last question uh for you, Mr. uh whether it be a Aggene's technology represents an exciting development in pest control that can grow a producers's toolbox of options as we look toward resilient farming systems. Can you discuss how your technology can be integrated with other proven crop protection tools to enhance integrated pest management strategies?
▶ 2:10:37Yeah, I think I think we all know by now that there's no real silver bullet. So the more tools that you can have so that you can do rotations so that you can apply different uh chemistries or different uh products etc. um gives the growers uh different opportunities to to do this and particularly with changes in climate changes in the way pests are act. They need these other tools and other options mechanism of actions in order to really fight the and and protect their crop and protect their current season.
▶ 2:11:06So, um, just having more tools in the toolbox and then, um, having, you know, as we've all learned, you know, the growers are smartest people out there. They know how to take care of their crops and to bring it to market. Um, they will find ways at at the right times to apply them and to get them in order to maximize yield and to hopefully maximize their profits as well. That's
▶ 2:11:25right. Well, thank you all again for being here. And with that, Mr. Chairman, I yield back.
▶ 2:11:31Gentleman yields back. Now, recognize gentleman from North Carolina, Mr. Davis, for five minutes. Thank you so much, Mr. Chair and our ranking member. Thanks to all the witnesses who are here today. The the inner regional research project number four, known as RF4 program, ensures specialty crop farmers have legal access to safe and effective crop protection products. The RF4 program is housed at North Carolina State University, just outside North Carolina's first district.
▶ 2:11:59Um, in East North Carolina, the R4 pro um program is essential for our sweet potatoes. uh sweet potato farmers in particular and my question is for any of the witnesses uh that could address this. Could you speak on the importance of the R4 program for specialty crop farmers and how how it actually interacts with uh pesticides specifically?
▶ 2:12:24Yeah, we we we believe the IR4 project uh has been a very effective program within California for specialty crops in getting um essentially minor registration or registration of traditional chemistry into the the specialty crop side of California Uh without that you leave you leave crops totally uncovered, unprotected.
▶ 2:12:49um when you got you have viable um products that are available and could be used on that crop. So, it's been a good entry point to move other products into the specialy crops um that are similar in uh in growth habits or in consumption. So, we support it. We support more uh money for that program and really would love to see expansion. Thank you.
▶ 2:13:19When I speak to farmers back home, they talk about the importance of access to different crop inputs as protection tools. Without them, their crops face various threats and potential financial losses. The loss of access to those inputs um poses an immediate threat to our ability to feed the American people um and the world. Um Dr. Wyatt, um, can you speak about what some of these crop inputs are and what, uh, they provide to farmers?
▶ 2:13:49Sure. Thank you, Congressman. So, we have, uh, from the nutrition side, we have fertilizers and they're long proven tools to help improve crop growth and crop yield. We have nitrogen, phosphate, potassium, and sulfur. your main four that growers use all over the world uh to uh to to help improve their crop at the end of the season. So we have that major class of inputs. We also have the crop protection inputs that my my colleagues on the panel could could answer questions about. So those those are your two major inputs.
▶ 2:14:20Uh we also are fortunate to have a good input of sunshine. Uh that's one of your key ingredients and of course uh water either from irrigation or uh or in the soil from rainfall. Uh so the new the new uh innovative piece for crop inputs is is certainly these bio stimulants. So living and and non-living products that really can help us manage other things. So we've we've figured out the pest control, we figured out nutrition.
▶ 2:14:45Now we can start to manage new things like the abiotic stress, you know, nighttime temperatures, um compacted soils, things like that. And I I think that's where the exciting um new space is for growers is is being able to turn to those tools and and manage things that and in the past have been very very challenging.
▶ 2:15:04Thank you.
▶ 2:15:05Mr. Witherby, how important is technological innovation in the agriculture industry and what specifically the new technologies provide farmers? If you could just
▶ 2:15:17speak on that. I I think uh you know as things have changed in terms of environment uh the different pest pressures, invasive species, other things that um technology allows us to uh attack some of these in different ways and and particular you know as as much as we've talked about it costs a lot of money in order to bring a new active ingredient through.
▶ 2:15:41um particularly with a lot of the crops we're talking about too, these are ones that uh a broad acre um application just isn't going to work for necessarily. It does for corn and soy and other things like that, but now when we get into specialty crops, there's certain things that um weeds are special, uh pests are special, um they all require different things, and it's not just going to be broad-based that does it. So, new innovations um are going to be important to bring in order to fight some of these newer pests and some of these newer problems that are being created.
▶ 2:16:10Thank you again to uh the panel or witnesses and I yield back.
▶ 2:16:17Thank you, gentlemen. Yielding back now recognize the gentle lady from Illinois,
▶ 2:16:21Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
▶ 2:16:23And thank you to our panel for being here today to to discuss these important topics. And like Representative Finstead, I also am a fourth generation farmer with my husband in central Illinois. We raise corn, cattle, and kids.
▶ 2:16:37We also have seven children and we are conservation farmers and we we I understand the challenges that the family farm faces between um being able to pay the bills and afford this great new technology that's on the scene. So, as you know, Illinois is one of the top producers of corn and soybeans in the country. So, this is a topic that hits home closely.
▶ 2:17:04Illinois farmers have long been leaders in adopting cutting edge technologies from precision agriculture to advanced seed genetics. This is all to increase productivity and to help feed our nation. But as we look ahead, our producers are also facing real challenges, including regulatory delays, input costs, and concerns over access to innovation.
▶ 2:17:29As we consider the next farm bill and other legislative efforts, we need to ensure that Illinois farmers and others across the country have the tools and the freedom to innovate, compete, and succeed. And it's kind of interesting because this month we're going to be having the Farm Progress Show in Decar, Illinois. And it's always a big deal for our family and and families show up. Family farmers show up and kind of drool over the equipment that they can't afford.
▶ 2:17:58So, as many farmers in my district continue to face tight margins, what steps can we take to ensure that innovations in crop production are cost-effective and scalable, especially for farm family
▶ 2:18:15I'll take a stab at that. Um, we've looked at a lot of innovations on farm from laser weeders to um really highly precise uh weeders that'll actually spray a minute uh amount of herbicide on a weed and leave the rest of the the crop alone. Um, but they come with a a hefty price. We're talking 750,000 to a million and a half.
▶ 2:18:42And for the for the average grower, that's way out of reach. Um maybe in the long run it can save money, but uh technology is expensive. I'd love to see maybe a program through NRCS where um there could be some help in funding new technology on farm. Get it get the money directly to the growers. Uh they know what to do with it. They know what they need.
▶ 2:19:06Um I think that's a good way to to advance technology on farm and to improve the a economy. Thank you. And Mr. Abbott, Illinois is home to worldclass a research institutions. How can we better leverage land grant universities and public private partnerships to accelerate the realworld adoption of future crop
▶ 2:19:34Well, I can speak right now from companies I formerly have worked for and the company I work for today. We actually do leverage that relationship. work with contract research uh organizations. We also you work with the different academics throughout not only Illinois, but we work uh Texas A&M. You go down the list, there's several of them out there that offer good programs and we partner with them so we can get uh good data back and uh I mean sometimes good data is it doesn't work.
▶ 2:20:04So then you know exactly where you stand and you move on.
▶ 2:20:08Well, thank you. I yield back, chairman. Thank you all for coming.
▶ 2:20:12Gentle lady yields back. Um, staying with that Illinois theme, recognize Mr. Sornson for five minutes.
▶ 2:20:20Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and to our ranking member. Um, agriculture at America today is being stressed from all different directions. New invasive pests are spreading from pen to pen and and field to field. New weather patterns are developing causing more frequent dos, flash flooding, and and as of today, the University of Nebraska reports nearly half of our country is experiencing drought conditions. A point being, we need smarter, safer solutions.
▶ 2:20:50Uh Illinois farmers, as the congresswoman had mentioned, uh were some of the best in the world when it comes to increasing production and being resilient in the face of adversity. uh our jobs on this committee to make sure that operations can be passed on to the next generation. We must give our farmers the tools that they need to succeed. I believe innovation is how we make the biggest move forward.
▶ 2:21:17We can use biologicals to lower inputs needed to deter pests and microbes can help us grow crops. In my district, the beacon of innovation is the Department of Agricultures National Center for Agriculture Utilization Research. But those of us in the heart of Illinois, we know it as the Peoria A Lab.
▶ 2:21:38Famous for discovering the method to produce uh mass produce penicellin, the A lab continues to be at the forefront in developing value added agricultural products and has been for nearly 80 years. A key area of the lab's work focuses on enhancing crop resilience.
▶ 2:21:57Scientists there have developed a natural pest control from a byproduct of mustard seed and also found a red cedar plant compounds that help predatory ladybird beetles. Innovation allows us to control crop pests naturally. And there's even more research that goes way above my head. From precision agriculture to increasing soil quality, providing resilience. The problem uh here is this.
▶ 2:22:26The path from laboratory to farm field, it remains too long and too uncertain. And it's not just creating innovation. It's scaling up. It's meeting standards. It's earning producer trust. And it's building supply chains. That requires investment. And it requires bipartisan agreement that we still want to make sure that farmers have access to the tools that they succeed. Mr. Cameron, we'll begin with you.
▶ 2:22:56I've heard stories where something so simple as failing to specify um how to properly apply biologicals to crops actually lowered the effectiveness. Ultimately, it wasted the farmer's time and money. In your testimony, you made a couple of suggestions such as creating incentives and providing technical guidance. Could you elaborate on elaborate on this?
▶ 2:23:17And are there specific products that you've seen adopted that farmers were initially wary of, but then they came around to it and how do we help identify new uses for
▶ 2:23:30I understand that biologicals are new for many growers. Their margins, as you know, are thin. They're they're reluctant to take the chance on a new product, especially when we talk about biologicals that may require special application, special handling, maybe a combination of of several biologicals to make the products function synergistically to be effective.
▶ 2:23:55We know that there's actually not many people out there that really have the knowledge for that, the training to be able to articulate that to the growers at the level that um they'll want to try and understand. We've been working with trying new products on our farm. We we're constantly doing our own
▶ 2:24:14trial and error, right?
▶ 2:24:16Yeah. We uh we sometimes think we're a test or research station, but
▶ 2:24:21but we know that if if we don't do it, we're gonna we're gonna be left behind.
▶ 2:24:25thank you. Thank you for that.
▶ 2:24:27I appreciate that. I want to get to Mr. Weatherbe. You know, as a scientist myself, I'm I'm always concerned with the increasing anti-science rhetoric around the country and it gets politicized and it's it's terrible. Honestly, uh, you know, we've seen it in campaigns around GMOs and corn syrup, and now consumers are are becoming skittish when they hear gene editing. I've got 30 seconds left. How can companies like Agriine and the government more effectively communicate the safety of new technologies?
▶ 2:24:55Well, part of it, I think, is financing the science and and being supportive of the science, particularly if it's the US science, right? And and it's in our nation's interest. So part of it is is going back to more of a fact-based approach of, you know, this is the facts, we've tested, we've put it out in our land grant universities, we've had some of our best scientists test this, and here's the proven facts about this, not the hearsay.
▶ 2:25:17And I think it's important to get back to the facts and to then u make sure that that's being represented to the growers that then get the opportunity to try some of these tools. as as I said, some of them will work, some won't, but part of it is trying to find that out and doing that early through trusted people like what we have as in terms of our scientists and folks at at plan grant universities is very important.
▶ 2:25:39Couldn't agree more. Thank you so much to our panel and Mr. Chairman, I yield
▶ 2:25:43Thank you, gentlemen. Uh, now recognize the gentleman from Wisconsin, Mr. Weed, for five minutes.
▶ 2:25:54There, Mr. Cameron. uh you you uh grow both organic and conventional crops. Could you further explain what your experience has been with crop protection tools with both of the production
▶ 2:26:08We we find a very limited selection of crop protection tools for organic uh that actually do the job. Um we we talked earlier about working with one hand tied behind your back. That that is how it feels many times. Um we've been able to get good at it. We're uh we've been able to get windows that we don't have the pest pressure possibly. Weeds are always an issue. We spent a lot of money there, but um we're very limited.
▶ 2:26:37Uh there really haven't been a lot of new products coming into the organic market that are very effective. We're hopeful that there will be with additional biologicals hitting the the scene in the future. conventional products. We're we're getting we're just not getting a lot of new products to use and that means we're using old older products, older chemistry. Uh we have to worry about resistance developing. We're extremely careful about rotation of our chemistry when we do make applications.
▶ 2:27:05And we're trying to find ways to do things better and lower our cost.
▶ 2:27:11Thank you. So, in recent months and years, there's been, you know, a much larger and louder conversation to get Americans to be healthier and make healthier decisions regarding their food. How do you think, uh, these crop protection tools play a role in increasing American sourced healthy
▶ 2:27:28You know, I believe that, you know, when I started farming, we used some very tough materials that uh would kill everything in the field. We're now using targeted materials that kill only the insect we're that's being the problem, leaving the rest of the field, the beneficial insects to help uh continue um attacking the ones that do come back. I think the food we produce is extremely healthy. We become very good. Our production has gone up.
▶ 2:27:56The genetics have improved immensely uh in the crops that we do grow. But uh farming is a difficult operation.
▶ 2:28:07So on that, what what driving factors do you use to determine which protection tools you use for your conventional crops versus your organic crops?
▶ 2:28:16I'll start with the organic because that's very limited. We use but we do spray our organic crops. It's uh we definitely do put crop protection materials on that. Um but we're very selective. uh we use copper, sulfers. Um there are synthetic or there's actually I mean natural pythroidid available that doesn't have the same strength. We we rarely use it doesn't work great but um in dire situation we we will try it.
▶ 2:28:47Um we try to have a lot of diversity on our farm. We find that beneficial insects will switch from field to field and try and actually keep our some of the populations down not only in organic but in conventional. We've learned a lot of things in organic production we use in conventional and vice versa. But we we are running low on products um that we can use in organic and conventional farming.
▶ 2:29:16We uh we just see the backlog that it affects us directly. So lastly, I understand the crop protection options for specialty crops are fairly limited compared to those more traditional row crops we talk about more frequently. How has that impacted your business?
▶ 2:29:34You know, we we tend to tolerate more possible insect damage. If we don't have the product or a product that uh is registered on the crop that we're growing, um we may lose yield definitely. Um, we typically see a lower yield in organic crops versus conventional. We grow both side by side. Well, not side by side, but on the same farm. Um, typically we lose we we definitely have a yield loss when we don't have the crop protection
▶ 2:30:02Great. Well, thank you all for being here today. With that, I yield back.
▶ 2:30:07Gentleman yields back. Now recognize the gentle lady from Illinois, Miss Bazinski, for five minutes. calling today.
▶ 2:30:20Can you hear me now? Yes. Okay. I was thanking our chairman for hosting this. Um and also just wanted to say thank you to the witnesses for traveling to be a part of this discussion. Um I the conversation around innovations in crop production is I think something that's very timely.
▶ 2:30:38Uh we have all heard from farmers in our districts um mine certainly about the challenges of rising input costs and the difficult decisions that they must make to improve productivity but reduce costs at the farm. My district is home to over 1 million acres of farmland. And while much of it is corn and soybeans, we're also the home to a variety of specialty crops. I often like to remind people I represent Collinsville, which is the world capital of horseradish production.
▶ 2:31:08Um, but in central and southern Illinois, the a industry is not just farms. We are also home uh to incredible agricultural research. Um, at the University of Illinois, uh, but also Southern Illinois University in Edwardsville.
▶ 2:31:23Um, we're the home of corporate facilities like ADM's North American headquarters in Decar along with other a manufacturers like Primient um and facilities for some of the biggest names in a across the district including Nutrien um in Champagne, Illinois. My district is in many ways leading in that next horizon of agriculture. Uh be it in producing inputs, creating new markets through biio manufacturing. I also like to say I represent Silicorn Valley.
▶ 2:31:53It's a little bit of a joke, a corny joke for everyone. Um or even the integration of AI into farming operations. Uh the University of Illinois is the home of AI farms. Um I enjoy each of your testimonies about the role that you're playing in a innovation and the importance of a regulatory system that works for producers and growers. But I also want to underscore the importance of how these innovations can come um come to be in the first place.
▶ 2:32:21I've I have been a serious advocate for agricultural research um since I joined Congress and as a part of that I frequently talk about the importance of public private partnerships and the role u that these partnerships can play in ushering in the agriculture of the future.
▶ 2:32:38So, I'd ask actually each of the panelists, our witnesses, um, can each of you speak to the importance of Congress funding public agricultural and environmental research, especially as we work toward new horizons in a pest control innovations. Maybe we could start with you, Mr.
▶ 2:32:57Yeah. No and and part of it is is for sure as I'd mentioned before you know part of um aggroene came out of biol or biogenerator which is uh basically building on technologies and uh supporting early development.
▶ 2:33:13Um part of that's important and then we uh use strong linkages with the University of Missouri Danfor center other uh institutions in order to do the testing to get some of the products and to get some of the talent as well. And so I think it's important those relationships continue. A lot of that can is via funding that comes into those organizations to help with supporting kind of the next generation of innovators, uh, entrepreneurs or or just developers. And so I think it's very
▶ 2:33:43Thank you for your joke. I might steal it from you. Uh, and thank you for mentioning Nutrients Innovation Farm in in Champagne. Fantastic facility for showing growers and customers what's what's next. Yeah.
▶ 2:33:54Um I think for uh your your question about what Congress can be doing is is just taking those steps to make sure that those tools are in the toolbox that what whatever challenge we have coming down the pipeline is as growers have something they can reach into readily and take care of it.
▶ 2:34:10Thank you.
▶ 2:34:10Thank you.
▶ 2:34:13And I'll talk about investing in the the land grant universities and just the students themselves, right? We're seeing a lot of decrease of a students coming out of the universities and if you look here a lot of gray hair up here. Um we need people to replace us as we move on. Right. So I would really like to see Congress help push that initiative and get the funding that we need to to
▶ 2:34:38It's a great point. Yeah.
▶ 2:34:42I've got a lot of gray hair. Hopefully I'll keep it for a little while longer. But uh no, we we need that. We definitely need money for research in egg. I think without research uh we don't have a feature. There's absolutely no question about that. The the new technology is coming at a rapid pace and u you know growers have a lot of issues on their plate and uh this is a very important one. It's a basic uh one of our basic needs that we have to have.
▶ 2:35:09Yeah. Um, you know, research is the backbone of agriculture and if we don't have that, we're not going to have a future and we do need young people.
▶ 2:35:18To get to get into act, no question.
▶ 2:35:21Thank you. Well, you have a partner in me in that work and advocating for that funding. It is really critically important. Uh, thank you and I yield back, Mr. Chairman.
▶ 2:35:30Thank the general lady. Now recognize a gentleman from Indiana, Mr. Mesmer, for five minutes.
▶ 2:35:35Thank you, chairman, and for the all the witnesses today. Hooser farmers are incre in increasingly productive between 2020 and 2023. Net farm income grew by more than 60% even though active farm acres declined. While much of this pro productivity is due to expert expertise of growing some of it is of the efficiency some can be attributed to new farm tech. My district is the forefront of the next generation of crop protection chemistries.
▶ 2:36:02But before our a innovators can be can bring a product to market, they must grapple with the threat of IP theft. Mr. Abbott, can you speak to how IP theft impacts the decisions you make at Aduance Unlimited?
▶ 2:36:16Yeah, we take that very seriously, right? We we want to say and the proprietary uh nature of our business here is because a lot of the adivants are not patent protected as crop protection is. So we need to make sure that we uh keep that confidential and
▶ 2:36:34Okay. Thank you. Uh the USDA USDA identified cyber security as a primary threat to our national farm security. Uh Mr. Abbott, how can Congress partner with businesses like Aduance Unlimited to bolster IP protections through cyber cyber security enhancements?
▶ 2:36:50I would say wherever you can fund it, I would support that.
▶ 2:36:54Okay. Thank you, Mr. Cameron. I appreciate your comments about the pragmatism of of the American farmer. The producers who who have survived the last several years of razor thin margins are among the most efficient, innovative, and hardest working individuals out there. They are not wasting expensive chemicals on irresponsible over application. Mr. Cameron, for the purpose of shedding light on on a part of farming that is often misunderstood, can you quantify how much pesticide is applied on an acre of your conventional crops?
▶ 2:37:25Can I quantify the amount of pesticide
▶ 2:37:29You know, we grow a very diverse uh number of crops on our operation and u you know I think years ago we used to spray on a much more frequent basis maybe a calendar basis. Um we use integrated pest management on all of our crops. We scout. Uh we have companies that actually come do pest control work on our farm, check our fields, but we also check behind them. I always say the best footprints, you know, are your own to be on your farm.
▶ 2:37:58Uh we need to be out in the field looking at our own fields, but we as far as quantifying, you know, we grow, you know, we grow over 2,000 acres of processing tomatoes. We may put uh one product on sulfur, a very common for for disease and insect protection. And then we may later in the season put one spray on for worms uh to to keep them from getting into the tomatoes.
▶ 2:38:26But you know, I look back on how we used to farm. We used to spend more money. Uh we try to uh our products cost more, but they're more specific and they're more Thank you. Um, the National Corn Growers Association compares the amount of glyphosate applied to an acre of farmland to that of a large cup of coffee being spread evenly around a football field.
▶ 2:38:49Uh, but in the real world, the absence of this coffee cups worth of protectant is large it would lead to large crop losses and eradicate the use of soil health practices like no till. So, they're very important. Uh, FIFA keeps our producers, consumers, and environment safe. uh the process, but the process is incredibly slow and needs improvement. Mr. Abbott, you mentioned that a half a billion dollars in CPDA products are currently tied up in EPA reviews.
▶ 2:39:18How challenging is it for a small biotech innovator to wait, you know, to wait out these EPA delays?
▶ 2:39:26Very costly. I I don't know the exact dollar amount, but I do know the longer they wait every day is lost revenue. So, and not only for the small um startup companies, but also for the farmer as well because it's back to needing additional tools out there to be
▶ 2:39:43Thank you. Um in holding up pesticide reviews, the Biden administration forced small businesses to shoulder a heavy expense. I'm encouraged by the steps the current administration is taking to write these wrongs and look forward to working with them to ensure affordable access to critical inputs for Hooser farmers. With that, I thank you all for sharing today and I Mr. Chairman, I yield back.
▶ 2:40:04Gentleman yields back. Now, please recognize the gentleman from New York, Mr. Riley, for five minutes.
▶ 2:40:09Uh, thank you, Mr. Chairman. Thank you to all the witnesses uh for being here today. I represent a a rural district in upstate New York. I actually grew up um just a few uh blocks away from uh the cider mill. And you'll notice I said the cider mill, not a cider mill. Uh folks in Broom County uh understand that uh every kid uh has a field trip at some point uh where you go to the cider mill.
▶ 2:40:34My wife is uh she's a she's a Virginia and the first time I brought her home to meet my parents, our first uh hometown date. Uh I took her to the cider mill so she could see how the apples are crushed and we got some donuts. Um which may or may not be why she ended up marrying me in the in the long run. Um, but I raise all that because it's, you know, Apple's upstate. It's a big driver of our economy, but it's also a really important part of our culture. It's a really important part of our um our community.
▶ 2:41:04Um, but I don't think or at least I I wonder sometimes whether Congress is uh doing enough uh to support our apple growers. Unlike row crops, um specialty crops typically don't have the same level of access uh to crop insurance and to other uh safety net programs.
▶ 2:41:24And I've heard from a lot of our apple growers across upstate New York that uh that leaves these producers especially vulnerable uh when you have invasive pests or emerging diseases or shifting climate uh conditions end up hitting their fields.
▶ 2:41:40And sometimes when it comes to research dollars, uh, our specialty crop growers are are sort of an afterthought, uh, despite the fact that they probably need the help the most given that a lot of the challenges they face are crop specific or region specific and therefore require targeted um, science-based uh, solutions. And so, Mr. Cameron, I was just hoping you could speak generally um, and share your perspective as a specialy crop producer.
▶ 2:42:06um what are the handful of uh federal programs that could could be improved when it comes to pest management and research and mitigation tools for specialty crops? How should we be thinking about uh crop insurance and just generally as somebody who cares a lot about uh the apple industry um and specialty crops generally uh things that we should be focused on here in the eye Well, we know that IR4 pro project has been a a great boon to especially crop growers getting getting new chemistry
▶ 2:42:37into the uh the hands of especially crop growers. So that's number one. The FAR program that actually does testing and uh brings essentially brings uh other other products on farm for testing very important. Um especially crop block grants have been critical for getting projects within states um and getting getting new products, new technology on board in specially crop areas.
▶ 2:43:08You know, as far as insurance, um you're right. Uh many times specialy crops are left behind. They're difficult to uh to get insured. you go through uh maybe the I can't think of the term but for uh NRCS
▶ 2:43:24their program for non-insured crops it's it's a difficult process it's not easy I usually don't even bother with it because it's too cumbersome maybe maybe we can group them together in some way and uh have some type of a matrix that could could address some of the issues that you face and that we face in
▶ 2:43:47Yeah, I I appreciate that and would like to work with you on some ideas for both streamlining existing uh programs, but also uh making sure they're covering more folks and covering the challenges that are particular to specialty crops uh across the country. Uh thank you all for being here for your testimony. Mr. Chairman, I'll yield back uh my time.
▶ 2:44:07Gentleman yields back. Uh please recognize the gentleman from North Carolina, Mr. Harris, for five minutes.
▶ 2:44:13Well, thank you, Mr. chairman and uh thank you all on this panel for your time and your patience and uh the way you have brought your expertise on a very important subject to us today. Um Mr. Abbott, let me just start with you. Uh the office of pesticide programs was created to oversee the safe administration of pesticides in order to help farmers, but your testimony shows that it's failing to keep up with the demand.
▶ 2:44:40As a result, farmers are missing out on more affordable and effective products. And so in December, Mr. Abbott, Congress passed a law that asked for an independent audit of an independent audit of EPA processes and performance to make recommendations. And I just wanted to ask if if you might have some insights or what you might expect that that audit is going to find.
▶ 2:45:05It's a great question. Um, Congressman, I'm not sure what it will find, but I do know what we've done. Um, as regaid an additional 30%. That was what was agreed to, and we're not seeing that money for the backlogs that we continue to talk about here today.
▶ 2:45:22So, I would assume that it will maybe see some inefficiencies and where they could possibly um bolster different staffing that there um whether it's a reduction in staff, people retire, people leave. I mean, we just need to fix what's wrong.
▶ 2:45:41Gotcha. Well, let me ask you this. Are the delays at OP simply a matter of a lack of congressional funding or are there further regulatory changes that Congress really needs to consider?
▶ 2:45:54I think you always got to consider the future. Look at the past where we've been and where are we going with new innovations, new technologies, and whether or not the current system fits the bill going forward. Um, I can't speak to that per se, but I do know we just need to do and and I think doing an audit of it is going to probably get to the bottom of some of that.
▶ 2:46:16Okay. Thank you. Um, Dr. Wyatt, we we often hear from producers the need for more tools in the toolbox. We've used that phrase several times here uh this morning as they face increasing pressures and the need to produce more with less.
▶ 2:46:32I I wonder if you could take a moment and explain further how bio stimulants being used in conjunction with traditional crop inputs like fertilizer and pesticides can actually help producers form a well-rounded plan to protect their crops.
▶ 2:46:47Thank you, Congressman. Great question. So, those fertilizers serve as that foundational component. We need to provide the plants nutrition that they need to grow and produce a great crop. That's something we've been doing for a long time and uh and something that we nutrient prides itself on on bringing those materials to the market.
▶ 2:47:05One thing we can do with bio stimulants is add a new functional component where we can take a material and and bio stimulants are are a broad a big tent with lots of ingredients and lots of modes of action of how they impact the soil or the plant and we can add a new component to the fertilizer in a blend. we can put them together and make something completely new, completely innovative.
▶ 2:47:27And some of these products can be very tailored to what those local conditions are, field conditions, weather conditions, uh even crop specific conditions. Thank you.
▶ 2:47:38Okay, great. Mr. Cameron, given your experience producing both conventional and organic crops, I imagine you know the ins and outs of almost any type of crop production tool out there. I I think we would benefit from hearing your perspective on the value of the pesticides and ensuring an abundant US food supply since you farmed with them and without them. Um could you share with us today how access to these EPA approved pesticides is crucial for the farmer's success?
▶ 2:48:10Absolutely. Um we we know and we see with farming with very limited inputs in organic production that we run into disease issues. We run into pest issues that we really have a difficult time controlling. We've lost crops due to insects and disease um which which is why organic products or produce tends to be higher in price. There's more risk involved.
▶ 2:48:38And when we have conventional chemistry that we can use for crop protection, we have a better, you know, back to the toolbox, we have better tools to be able to um put specifically on for certain pests to control them and get our crop uh to where we we end up with with higher yields and and many times better quality.
▶ 2:48:59Thank you. Thank you all again for uh being here today and for your expertise that you've shared. And uh Mr. Chairman, I yield back. Gentleman yells back. Now, please recognize the general lady from Maryland, Miss Mlan Delaney, for five
▶ 2:49:14So, thank you to our witnesses here today. I know it's been a long morning and I really appreciate all of your expertise. And I do have to say thank you to our chairman JT Thompson and to our ranking member Craig because they really have focused on innovation and US competitiveness in the agricultural sector and um really appreciate that work. um your perspectives today speak directly to the importance of improving practical science-driven innovation in agriculture.
▶ 2:49:41Um and many of you have raised, you know, challenges um to those resources. And I have to say I am a fourth generation um Idahoan came from a farming family, but I represent Maryland's sixth congressional district and western Maryland in our a preserve. Um and I believe in our strong regulatory system although it clearly needs improvement but we can't need it uh we can't meet today's needs without um proper resources.
▶ 2:50:09So my questions are just going to focus on really underst staffing and resourcing probably at the EPA and also you know further research at our land grant universities. Uh the APA's office of pesticides program is chronically underfunded and understaffed as we've talked today and leading to backlogs that delay access to safer more effective tools. And um second I want to highlight the vital role of our land universities and regional um research and what that means.
▶ 2:50:38So with respect to these staffing shortages, Mr. Cameron, you highlighted um you know that there's simply not enough staff and resources to sometimes keep up with the applications in some of your testimony and I share your concerns especially given the impact on the EPA's ability to improve innovation products.
▶ 2:50:56Um, with growing resistance to existing pesticides and a shift in consumer demand, um, is there a way farmers in the private sector could help better address some of these staffing shortages and this education back loop? Um, I saw some of it in your testimony and thought it was really interesting and, you know, how how can we do you have any specific recommendations for us in Congress?
▶ 2:51:19And I might add that um up, you know, also open that up to the whole uh panel as
▶ 2:51:28No, we we know that we have a lack of products uh that we can use in in traditional farming and in the organic world. Um since I live in both realms.
▶ 2:51:37Um you know, we know that the products, you know, we're being asked to reduce pesticide use, produce healthy food for for consumers throughout the nation. the tools take time. You've heard 10 12 years to go from inception to being being able to be registered in the field. So anything we're getting now was designed or created, you know, years ago.
▶ 2:52:06So we're not seeing the technology move forward at a rapid pace. you know, possibly um you know, I can see some type of accelerated program for biologicals that may not have the traditional risk associated with it.
▶ 2:52:21um maybe a special category, but definitely working with state governments that do have like we do in California, we have a department of pesticide regulation work in tandem, possibly get anou put together to where we can move products forward together rather than getting a product uh registered at the federal level and then going through a California process. It just delays. It's delay after delay. We need things now.
▶ 2:52:49the consumers are demanding it and we want to we want to be good stewards. We feel we are um we just need to get products through the process.
▶ 2:52:59Thank you. I am going to uh just move on quickly for time for university investment. U Mr. Abbott, you mentioned that the CBDA supports increased federal investments in applied research and demonstration projects through land grant universities and regional centers of excellence and Maryland has a great footprint of strong land grant universities. I'm curious, how can we better leverage to support testing new spray technologies, validating application strategies, and supporting farmer adoption through education and outreach?
▶ 2:53:27And then I loved the comment about investment in students themselves as well because I think that's
▶ 2:53:33Sure. No, and I'll just talk briefly here because I know our time is short here, but we're they're they've not stopped the research, right? they're going. I know several researchers they continue and I've also helped support by because they solicit grants and working for a large multinational at DuPont. Uh I helped get some of those fundings for them because I saw the importance. Um and it wasn't around just selling a product. It was actually getting the tools into the farmer's hands. So
▶ 2:54:01anyone else in terms of input on that? you all of you seem to really support research as well, but any other specific uh recommendations for us? All right. And for the record, I will um submit one more um uh uh question about regulatory delays, but um my time is up. I yield back and thank you all. Um very informative today and I appreciate your
▶ 2:54:26I thank the gentle lady. Now I recognize the pride of South Dakota, Mr. Dusty Johnson for five minutes.
▶ 2:54:35Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Uh, Mr. Cameron, come to you. I think we all realize producers deserve a consistent science-based approach toward crop protection tools. Uh, a national labeling standard that embraces that consistency and that science-based It seems like we increasingly have a state or two that is uh wants to be in the business of conflicting labeling What I mean tell me about the
▶ 2:55:05the frustration uh or the complication that causes producers. I said earlier that when when you have a product that's fully registered in one state but not in another, I think it put that state at a disadvantage. They can't compete equally and u it creates it creates issues.
▶ 2:55:29We may have a in may have an insect infestation that needs a product that uh isn't fully registered within that state creates issues. creates the use of using more material, maybe more uh toxic materials to try and find a solution to the to the problem a grower may have.
▶ 2:55:51So yeah, I'm always in support of uniform labeling and uniform uh I guess distribution of the of the product and and the legality the legal side of application and I think the committee here most members well understand the rigorous science-based approach that EPA um engages in to get these labeling requirements.
▶ 2:56:16I think it's broadly accepted across the States that are attempting to do their own labels have their own processes. Do any of them match or exceed the rigor of what we see at the federal level?
▶ 2:56:30Occasionally that is the case. Yep. Uh they may make the product more restrictive, put buffer zones uh um
▶ 2:56:38well, I know that they may be more restrictive, but is there scientific I mean, are they doing more science or are they allowing political science to creep into their findings? I think it's probably a mix of both.
▶ 2:56:51Yeah, sure. Okay. How about for you, uh, Mr. Abbott? Uh, let's You talked about, and I thought appropriately so, that ESA compliance has been trending away from practical solutions and toward more land restrictions. Seems like in some cases that can be the wrong approach. Can technology help solve these problems?
▶ 2:57:15I I believe so. And I'll say I lived in your beautiful state for five years. I was a DuPont rep up there. So lived in Pier, actually Fort Pier, West River. So
▶ 2:57:25um I would say yes, the advent play a huge part into that. Uh on the SA, there's several different things that can be and were recognized from nozzles, um different things. But in order to fine-tune it and help reduce that buffer even more because let's face it, if you do a buffer zone, that's loss production and that's money out of the farmer's pocket.
▶ 2:57:46So, I'm not saying that we don't um need to pay attention to the endangered species, but I think we have the tools and the technology to mitigate
▶ 2:57:56Uh so, you mentioned
▶ 2:57:58you mentioned uh nozzles. I mean, help us understand. I mean, explain for folks a little bit how some of these drift reduction uh tools, these practical tools can help. I mean, how do they
▶ 2:58:09Sure. So, when you add that to the uh tank mix, it's going to help increase the volume, the VMV is what it's called. Um, and it's the droplet size. And because what spreads and what drifts is fines when you come out of the nozzle body, out of the orphice, it's going to drift across the field. We're influencing that to minimize that. You're never going to totally eliminate it, um, but you can definitely severely reduce that.
▶ 2:58:40I don't have particular answer in mind, but is there something Congress can do to encourage more of these technological practical solutions rather than just cart blanch land restrictions?
▶ 2:58:53I would say work with um within the committees that are in Congress in support and the funding because I think some of this they don't quite understand we need to get adequate resources there to um bring in the experts, if you will.
▶ 2:59:08Thank you very much, gentlemen. Mr. Chairman, I would yield back.
▶ 2:59:12Appreciate the general. I appreciate the fact that we just actually passed legislation that increased investment in agriculture research. That's something that unifies u both sides of the aisle here. Recognizing that uh now pleased to uh recognize a a a patient and very effective legislator uh Mr. Taylor from Ohio for five
▶ 2:59:36Thank you, Chairman. Thank you, ranking member. I think if I just yield back before anybody walks in, you guys get to go home. But let's gamble a little bit Um, Dr. Wyatt, you have a lot of experience dealing with all the different state regulations and regulators, and you talked in your testimony about the trouble of a patchwork um approach concerning definitions as well. Could you talk about how having 50 different regulations and 50 different definitions of something would complicate your
▶ 3:00:06Thank you, Congressman. appreciate that question. Yeah. So, having this patchwork of regulation means some farmers in some states have tools available to them. We're just going over a border. They don't have that tool. And that's quite frustrating to the growers. Uh we experience that. I'm from Arizona. Uh we have access to tools that Californians don't. Even though it's just a river that separates us, u climate's very similar. The stressors are very similar. uh same maybe the same for Midwestern growers now where there's this heat dome going across the the country.
▶ 3:00:37An incredible stressful event for a crop that's that's uh developing and and at a sensitive time for yield. Um the heat dome doesn't care where state borders end and where they begin. It's it's a climate event. It's a weather event. Um, so I think cleaning up some of that uh patchwork and providing a federal definition of the of the what a bio stimulant is and what it isn't and then and excluding it from FIFA would really just expand access to the toolbox and even it out throughout these different states.
▶ 3:01:07Thank you.
▶ 3:01:08Thank you. Is that something you see a level of concern from the average farmer about or are they not as concerned as they should be if you understand what I'm what I'm trying to
▶ 3:01:18I hear I hear the frustration. I I came up in agriculture California Arizona. My first territory was Phoenix to San Diego. We farm out there. Uh if you're eating a salad in the winter time, it's coming from us. Um, and lots of frustration from growers uh on the the California side because they know their buddies over the river in Arizona have a tool that they don't have access to and they're frustrated and it's it's uh slow. It's it's delayed.
▶ 3:01:43Um, and it's years later maybe that tool does show up in the toolbox and it's and it's just differences in how states approach uh
▶ 3:01:51Sure. All right. Thank you,
▶ 3:01:52Mr. Excuse me, Mr. Mr. Cameron. As a farmer at the Terteranova ranch for nearly 40 years, I think you can provide a unique perspective on the changes in the agricultural industry. Uh from technology and equipment to yield and productivity, things have changed immensely in the egg industry over the last 40 years. During that time, I'm sure you've seen new technologies that helped, some that uh that weren't the right fit and maybe even some that you thought were going to be widespread but ultimately did not take off.
▶ 3:02:18Um America has been built on consistently changing and improving, but it can take time for adoption to occur. I'm curious as a farmer, could you talk about uh how adopting new technologies, especially from startup companies, can be a daunting task?
▶ 3:02:33Yeah, we we've worked with several startups over the years. Um we've actually worked with a company that is producing nitrogen fertilizer out of the atmosphere with uh with electric energy. Uh they came to our farm, we gave them a corner of the ranch. Uh we actually had Secretary Vilsac see that called it lightning in a bottle.
▶ 3:02:56They're now due to federal grants um they upsized and they're now cutting uh they're going to start ground uh ground ground work for a new facility in California in September. So I think working growers can can help. They can give them advice. They can uh they're things that uh that are going to be great for agriculture. But the changes I've seen over the years are immense.
▶ 3:03:21I've got a a vapam sodium metham 1 quart container that was purchased at uh Kmart generations ago and now we know the restrictive nature of using that product. Um we've come a long way. We've improved a lot. Um and I think we have a great future as long as we continue with research development of and being open to new products.
▶ 3:03:45Right. Are there things that that we can do meaning Congress to incentivize the adoption of of these things? I mean other than make them cheaper, subsidize them with other things we can do.
▶ 3:03:55Yeah, I mean we we know that um maybe tax breaks for new developments possibly um for incentivizing growers to make adoption of new technology. Um there's a lot of ways to incentivize farmers to get these new methods on farm.
▶ 3:04:13Okay, thank you very much. Um, appreciate everyone's time and sacrifices he made to be with us today and sorry about that. Uh, yield back,
▶ 3:04:22Thank you, gentlemen. Yields back. Now recognize gentleman uh from California, Mr. Gray, for five minutes.
▶ 3:04:31Thank you, Chairman, Ranking Member Craig for holding this timely hearing and thank you to our witnesses for being here today. Appreciate that. Yeah, I find myself concerned about the narrative uh developed around the health and safety of our crops.
▶ 3:04:50Farmers are under increasing stress uh tariffs, labor, changes in energy policy, and I think these last few few years have really revealed just how fragile our food production uh system can be. We must focus on science and research to ensure everyone has access to safe and healthy uh food.
▶ 3:05:16But the Central Valley grows healthy food point blank, full From vegetables to fruits to nuts, our producers are at the core of ensuring America is healthy.
▶ 3:05:31Our farmers care deeply about feeding Americans safe products and do so under a uniquely stringent regulatory environment in I worry that what seems to be a well-intentioned movement is achieving the opposite. By not following the science and creating dangerous narratives that go against what research and our institutions have told us, we endanger farmers even more.
▶ 3:06:02Mr. Cameron, it's great to see you here in Washington. I find myself, you know, concerned that while the MA report may claim it has the goal of making America healthy, the actual conclusions in the report are If you were writing your own report justifying your production practices and making suggestions for a healthier population, uh, what would you include?
▶ 3:06:33Thank you, Congressman Adam.
▶ 3:06:35Great. Uh, we know that we're producing the finest and highest quality food in the world with the safest practices for our workers, for our communities. We're doing the right thing. We're glad to see fresh fruits and vegetables being mentioned and increased uh consumption would be fantastic. That would help all of us in the farming community. But we we demand science at the at the base of decisions moving forward.
▶ 3:07:05Uh we feel very strongly that uh you know sometimes we get uh emotion. I know that Tik Tok people that that uh you know get a following may not be true could be great but uh we want to see science as a basis for any decisions moving forward.
▶ 3:07:29I appreciate appreciate that sentiment. I don't think we can expect our farmers to adapt to a constantly changing narrative uh around their crop protection tools while at the same time stripping away the staff and resources needed to ensure farmers feel safe uh adopting these new technologies. Just this weekend, in fact, the administration uh instructed further cuts at the EPA, closing down the office of research and development.
▶ 3:07:57These staff cuts lead to further delays in critical approval uh processes and frankly slow the opportunity for innovation uh in the crop production space. Uh Mr. Witherby, in your testimony, you call for the creation of a science-based risk proportionate pathways that recognize the unique properties of biological and geneedited pest control tools. Could you go ahead and elaborate uh on that?
▶ 3:08:22uh is the EPA adequately equipped to assess these technologies or do they need additional funds or perhaps specific scientists to efficiently and effectively review uh this type of technology?
▶ 3:08:34Yeah, I think that unfortunately they're legislating they're regulating to legislation that's been put in place for chemicals. As we start to look at some of these new technologies now, they are adapting to some of these. is just slow and and a lot of times it's plant first and then you know followed by other uh biologics or other things and so it's just not fast enough and it's not across the board. Um the same scientific decisions that are being made. Is it safe to the environment? Is it safe to people? Should we not be able to go and test that?
▶ 3:09:03Those three things are kind of key pieces to this to move it forward and to allow for the universities to test and then from that the data is there in order to approve it to to move on to commercialization and into the grower's hands.
▶ 3:09:18Thank you. Uh Mr. Chairman, I yield back the rest of my time.
▶ 3:09:23Gentleman yields back. Now, pleased to recognize the general lady from Florida, Congresswoman Kamik, for five minutes.
▶ 3:09:31Well, thank you, Mr. Chairman. Thank you to our witnesses for being with us today. Uh I really do appreciate um the commentary that has um been put forth today. It is a vital topic as the loan representative for the entire state of Florida. Uh being a very large a state and production state, it's it's critical. So thank you. Uh I'll start with you, Mr. Cameron. As you stated in your testimony, IR4 is a key resource for our specialty crop producers.
▶ 3:10:01And as so many of you know, Florida is home to 300 specialty crops. So something that is near and dear to our hearts. Can you share with us some of the breakthrough innovations over the last few years that that has enabled?
▶ 3:10:15I apologize. I don't have specific uh results for you, but um I do know that this has been a very successful program. We haven't had to deal at our location with products that have gone through the IR4 process. Although we are dealing one I take that back. We are running uh tests currently with through the IR4 program um for a pesticide that is used in some of the other commodity crops that we're trying on processing tomatoes.
▶ 3:10:46We want to see if there's uh if there's a fit, seeing if we can control thris uh early season um so that we can get control where we usually don't have products that fit that uh that need. So it is getting to the farm um maybe some other farms possibly more but uh we're always looking for new solutions.
▶ 3:11:09Well and I know you've touched on this a little bit today uh Mr. Cameron, but talk a little bit about the role that Congress can can play explicitly just so folks back home can really understand the role that we here can have in making sure that our producers, particularly as it relates to specialty crops, um have access to safe and effective crop protection options.
▶ 3:11:30And you can talk through regulatory reform, research investments, or other means, but uh really for the folks back home, what is the most important thing Congress can be Well, I think many times specialty crops get left out of the mix. We know that
▶ 3:11:45preach that many
▶ 3:11:47Thank you. Amen.
▶ 3:11:51Now, we realize that, let's face it, the commodity crops that have millions of acres. Um, it's a bigger market, gets more attention. In California, we have crops that you may only have a 100 acres, 200 acres in very small, specific crops that are being grown. and they're totally uncovered. They don't have the crop protection chemicals because nobody has pursued the label.
▶ 3:12:18That makes it very difficult to grow crops similar to, you know, very small plots. Uh when you compare it to the rest of the nation, so we always do need like an IR4 program.
▶ 3:12:31We need section uh 18 section 24s to where we have local special local needs that we can actually bring uh certain products uh into those situation but many times it takes a long time to develop those uh it's emergency situations even for larger minor crops. So any help we could get uh either in funding for research to where we can develop a label for some of these minor crops.
▶ 3:13:00I mentioned earlier my neighbor planted agave uh low water use.
▶ 3:13:05Uh we'll see how that works out but absolutely no products can legally be used on that crop
▶ 3:13:12for crop protection. So, anything you could do for funding to get into the IR4 program, you know, the FAR program to where we can actually see results in the field in growers hands is
▶ 3:13:29Okay, I appreciate that, Mr. Cameron. I'm going to go to you, Mr. Witherbeby. As you know, the Asian citrus u fly has decimated our citrus growers in Florida really and across the country. Um, have you performed any research on whether a sterile insect technique could be applicable in combating citrus greening?
▶ 3:13:50It's a little tougher mechanism of action unfortunately. Um, it could help. Um, you start to suppress the amount of insects that are available to uh link up to the orange and then you can decrease greening. Um, it's a it's a bigger problem and so it's one of those where it would require research.
▶ 3:14:06It's also we know it's important but it's also a specialty crop where you know the return on investment is really tough and so that's part of it is funding that would go into a lot of that research um for new technologies um just hasn't been there. It has been in some cases but this is where um over the years like I said the delays that would take to get it even if it was emergency use would be really tough to get something new to that into that industry very quickly.
▶ 3:14:35Well, I think you're making the case as to why the research dollars are so critically important and uh, of course, we're very proud of the fact that the farm bill includes another five years worth of funding to combat citrus greening because you can't have Florida without oranges, right? So, thank you. My time is expired, Mr. Chairman. I
▶ 3:14:55I thank the gentle lady and actually what we just passed is six years worth of funding. So, um, please recognize my good friend from California, Mr. Carveral, for five minutes.
▶ 3:15:07Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and thank you to you and, uh, ranking member Craig uh, for having this important hearing. Uh, Mr. Cameron, you're from Paradise, also known as California, and I'm really glad that you're imparting your wisdom on the rest of our country today.
▶ 3:15:24Uh I represent the central coast which is an even focused paradise within paradise uh in California and uh ranking member Craig was just in my district this past weekend and I was talking to the chairman about him visiting as well and so I I hope you enlighten him as to why he should come uh and and have a good time and and see the great agriculture in our state.
▶ 3:15:51Um, specialty crops are both unique and delicate and come with many challenges when it comes to protecting them against pests, invasive spa, pest and disease. You mentioned in your testimony that farmers have been investing in innovation to improve methods to manage pests while reducing risks to people, property, and the environment. What are some of the most effective ways this committee can support those efforts?
▶ 3:16:18And how can research at our local universities help specialty crop growers adopt safer and more effective pest management
▶ 3:16:31So, you know, we're looking at um I apologize. The first part of your question was related to
▶ 3:16:37what are some of the most effective ways this committee can support those
▶ 3:16:41Yep. We we believe that um additional money for research within California for specialty crops is imperative um either through the IR4 program, the FAR program, um specialy crop bl grants, um working directly with universities to fund research for specialty crops. As you know, in California, hate to say this, but we grow over 400 specialty crops.
▶ 3:17:08Um and we uh we have a lot of minor crops that need attention that usually don't get uh the funding and uh the the light shown on them to get to get results done in the field. We know that the universities are involved uh in many aspects of crop production and doing research. We know the strawberry commission does work at uh Kalpali within your district. Uh they have a great gram there.
▶ 3:17:36The university is very well engaged with agriculture as is UC Davis, Freso State and some of the other minor colleges uh UC Merrced as well. So we know that funding is what we need. Uh we need to be able to do the research, engage with farmers, show them what's going on, uh and and new avenues, new ways of doing things. Um it's really the only way we're going to get the technology down to the grower level.
▶ 3:18:05We all we also know that University of California Extension is great for moving that information through their egg
▶ 3:18:13Thank you. Um I always like to remind people that California is the largest agriculture state in the country. Just you know just just saying.
▶ 3:18:22Um Mr. Cameron, you noted in your testimony that dual pesticide registration process with the state and the EPA can slow down the adoption of biologicals. From your perspective, how can federal and state agencies better coordinate to ensure that these tools are both safe and more readily available to growers?
▶ 3:18:43As you stated, there's a delay when we when we move from federal to state registration for products. I believe that parallel registration working with the uh maybe get anou between uh California part of pesticide regulation and the federal EPA office so that when products do come and if they're going to have a fit in California that we start the registration process at the same time so that we get registration uh concurrent.
▶ 3:19:12Um, as you know, we we increased the mill tax for pesticides last year with the idea that we are going to get products moving through the system at a more rapid pace. Um, California farmers, especially crop growers, are innovative. They want new tools. They want new technology, and they're always willing to adopt.
▶ 3:19:36Thank you, Mr. Cameron. Finally, Mr. Cameron, as this committee continues to work on a farm bill, I'd like to revisit a point you raised in your testimony regarding integrated pests management or IPM, which is already being used by many growers. What more can Congress do to help support methods like the use of integrated pest management so growers can protect their crops, keep their operations strong, and increase crop
▶ 3:20:01You know, I think uh pest management starts with your soil. We need to have healthy soils. We need to have funding for practices that will improve soil quality. Um because I think you start out with a healthy plant, an in an insect is less likely to cause the damage. I think there's programs through NRCS for funding into California that would be that uh we could expand on. Um but you know, getting new products out quicker at the federal level would be
▶ 3:20:31Great. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I'm out of time. Thank you, Mr. Cameron. Gentleman yields back. Now, please recognize the gentleman from Illinois, Mr. Jackson, for five minutes.
▶ 3:20:41Thank you very much, chairman. I appreciate each one of you coming out today for your testimony. I'd like to first start with Mr. Abbott. You note in your testimony that the Maha Commission Commission's report quote undermines trust in the regulatory process by citing unverifiable sources, omitting key stakeholders voices, including farmers. How about that?
▶ 3:21:04We're missing farmers at the table, food producers and scientists and making sweeping claims not grounded in the science or structure of the current systems. Close quote. I agree and I'm concerned that Maha's state stated goals diverge strongly from that what was reported in this document. Moving forward, what would you like to see from the commission um to believe that they are actually engaging in honest scientific process?
▶ 3:21:35Well, thank you for your question, Congressman. I just would really like to see it based in science. I mean, it it's that's how we've gotten to where we're at today. That's how we've gotten the tools that the farmers use today and where we're going to go in the future. So, we need sound science reviews. And then uh I can't speak for the Maha Commission and what they've been doing, but what I can say is uh we all want safe, healthy food for not only our children, but our own families and everybody, right?
▶ 3:22:05So, it's all about food security and food safety.
▶ 3:22:08Well, thank you so much. We need a few more farmers and producers at the table and a few less lawyers. Correct.
▶ 3:22:14Absolutely. Thank you so much. Um Mr. Cameron, in your testimony, you mentioned EPA being under staff. Uh I share this concern and I are worry that EPA will not be able to approve the novel products or get through their backlog of registrations review as we see increasing resistance to existing pesticides and a shift in consumer sentiment towards a reduction in pesticides. How critical is it that you get access to new products?
▶ 3:22:44I think it's actually really critical for farmers to have new products in their hands, either biologicals or more specific uh targeted uh crop protection products. Um we know that the public would like to see more of these. They there's a hesitancy in traditional pesticides being used on crops. you know, we know they're safe, but uh we would really appreciate seeing new products get through the process much quicker.
▶ 3:23:13We're dealing even ones that are coming out now have been in that process for 5 to 10 years. So, we're dealing with older technology already. We know that technology is moving fast with AI. New products are coming uh quicker, but they're getting backlogged at EPA and they're not getting into the farmer's hands. We we'd love to see that
▶ 3:23:36Thank you. I agree with you as well. We need to make sure that more scientists, not fewer, that we can keep and preserve this great benefit we have on being a nation that can feed the world. And that innovation starts with education and research. Unfortunately, we have taken a retreat on cutting back on that scientific progress. And also, let's be clear, you don't always get the thing that you were investigating. Sometimes there's an ancillary, there's something serendipitous, another, uh, surprise just from doing the research. Um, from Mr.
▶ 3:24:06Witherby, uh, thank you so much for your time and attention being here. Uh, you've seen an increase in resistance to pesticides over the years with limited new chemical development. How do technologies such as arginines improve our ability to fight pest and limit chemicals in the environment?
▶ 3:24:24And I must say as the nation as we speak today in 2025 and we're experiencing a heat dome and we've seen flash floods and we've seen these new weather patterns where some parts of the nation are experiencing drought, others are experiencing torrent rainfall and now we're under this heat that this just doesn't start with the pesticides. There are heatresistant grains that have to be produced because our climate is altering. Will you please speak to that?
▶ 3:24:52Yeah, I I still think it's the science that's going to lead us there. And part of it is part of these solutions. Uh, you know, as the climate changes, as the pests change, how um how they migrate, how they move, we're going to need these tools available. Um it's not going to be one silver bullet that ever solves it. It's going to be the science that leads us there. It's going to be multiple products. It's going to be putting it into the hands of the users to best find out how to do that.
▶ 3:25:17Um, part of that research is really important that, you know, we're talking about these land grant universities having land where they can test these new products in the environments that uh that they're going to be used. Um, part of that investment's got to be on crops. Um, part of early development, you can't you have to do crop destruct. Um, no grower, no farmer is really going to want to test something new if they have to destroy the crop and not take profit from it. So, we need the land grant universities to be able to do some of that testing. They're also trusted by the growers and the farmers. It's very
▶ 3:25:48Well, I thank each and you Dr. Ward. I look forward to working with you in the future. I yield back my time. Thank you, Chairman Thompson.
▶ 3:25:54Gentleman yields back. Um before we adjourn today, I invite the ranking member to share any closing comments that she might have.
▶ 3:26:03Thank you so much, Mr. Chairman. Throughout this hearing, we've heard about innovations that are primed to come to the market and help farmers use the tools that are available to them to grow crops more efficiently. For farmers to continue their progress and for industry to thrive, we do need a fully staffed environmental protection agency. For companies to have regulatory certainty and remain viable, they need to have their products reviewed in a timely manner.
▶ 3:26:30Reducing the number of scientists at the EPA doesn't change the regulatory system. It just leads to worse customer service and longer wait times. There's certainly room for reform in our regulatory system. But those reforms should make the system work better, not worse. For the past 100 years, we have seen immense progress in food safety and food production efficiency. These two things can and should go hand in hand. But the Maja Commission is headed the opposite direction.
▶ 3:27:00They're advocating for change that makes our food supply less safe and makes it harder for farmers to do their jobs. I hope that we can keep the information we heard today in mind and that the testimony of the witnesses will give us the courage to hold the administration accountable when they begin to degrade our food safety system or undercut our farmers. None of this is about ideology. It's about doing the right thing for our farmers.
▶ 3:27:26It's about ensuring government and private sector partnerships that work together based on sound science. I think the future remains bright for America's farmers and biotechnology innovation so long as we can keep the crackpots and the conspiracy theorists from hijacking our nation's public health and food policy. Thank you and I yield back.
▶ 3:27:50I thank the general lady. Um well I want to start my closing comments by just thanking the witnesses. Uh all of you four of you bring tremendous experience and and just a foundation in um and science uh when it comes to looking at the products um say chemical products that that our farmers need and these are products that impact um not not just crops.
▶ 3:28:19I know we were pretty well um focused on crop protection, but I heard mentions to the to the new screw worm, a new world screw worm and and probably some other um impacts on livestock as well. Uh so this this is a this really is a hearing that applies to not just crops but also livestock.
▶ 3:28:40And I want to thank our staff, both sides of the aisle, for doing such a great job of uh helping prepare us for uh what I thought was a very fruitful uh hearing here as we enter into uh our bipartisan work on what I've been affectionately calling Farm Bill 2.0. Um you know, American agriculture is can be defined clearly as science, technology, and innovation. Uh we have a record of that.
▶ 3:29:09it is Uh there are fewer applications of this definition than what I view of the uh the crop and the livestock protection products that are out there.
▶ 3:29:21And just an example, and I give credit to Senator to u uh Secretary Kennedy uh who is responsible for the FDA within the past week uh their approval of a uh of a medication basically uh for in the poultry industry to address the northern foul might uh which has an impact on the health of of the birds and also decreases uh egg production.
▶ 3:29:49And we all remember the u the uh the egg crisis here uh that we experienced earlier. And so that that is a an FDA approval that came out within the past well probably five days ago um under the leadership of the FDA which is under the jurisdiction of uh Secretary Kennedy and much appreciation for that.
▶ 3:30:11probably the most recent um example of achieving using science, technology and innovation to provide agriculture solutions. The um the development of uh all critical agriculture products for food security is quite frankly is is well grounded in science.
▶ 3:30:31uh we we must assure the scientific review of these products that have to be completed with with efficacy and efficiency uh to asssure effective uh effectiveness in farmer tools to deal with environmental challenges whether they be pests, diseases or or weather.
▶ 3:30:54Um, American agriculture is really is the envy of the world because we have embraced science, technology, and and innovation. And we cannot allow bureaucracy to delay or block that commitment to to progress. So, under the rules of the committee, the record of today's hearing will remain open for 10 calendar days to receive additional material and supplementary written responses from the witnesses to any question posed by a member.
▶ 3:31:22This hearing of the agric of the committee on agriculture is adjourned.