The American Soybean Association (ASA) and other ag groups this week urged Congress to invest additional funding in the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI).

In a letter, the groups thanked lawmakers for their support of the program that funds critical scientific discoveries—but said more must be done to keep cutting edge research moving forward. The groups asked that $400 million be invested in the AFRI program for fiscal year 2017.

“Dozens of leading scientists from public and private universities renewed calls for a surge in federally funded agricultural research this past year.,” the letter states. “Support for this critical area has fallen significantly behind that of other scientific enterprises. Since 2003, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s research budget has risen less than 1 percent. Growth in U.S. agricultural output has matched this paltry pace while production from U.S. competitors like China has skyrocketed bolstered by a tripling of government investment in the agricultural sciences.”

They urged that new tools and technologies are necessary for farmers to succeed.

Global competition, unprecedented demand, resource constraints, emerging pests and pathogens, and volatile weather are posing new challenges for farmers.

“Federally supported agricultural research benefits all Americans by fueling industry innovation, preserving our competitive standing, and providing the food, feed, and fiber our nation needs. In addition, agricultural research has an exceptional 20-to-1 return on taxpayers’ investment,” the groups state. “Our nation’s economic, technological, and agricultural leadership relies on a strong agricultural research enterprise.”

Click here to read the entire letter.