May 5 – 9, 2025
During the week of May 5, the National and Regional Weed Science Society Presidents traveled to Washington DC for Congressional and stakeholder visits. We began the week by attending the National Coalition for Food and Agriculture Research (NCFAR) Annual Meeting and fly-in. There were about 40 NCFAR members in attendance representing a broad array of agricultural research stakeholders. We had a good discussion about the many issues facing the USDA Research, Education, and Economics (REE) mission area. Concerns were raised about splitting up the Farm Bill and how that would impact the smaller titles in the Farm Bill such as the Research Title (7). Could a “skinny” Farm Bill get enough votes to pass Congress without the Commodity Title or Nutrition Title?