Ag News: Land-Grant Universities Funding

**The Association of Public and Land-grant Universities released a comprehensive study that found there’s a collective total of nearly $11.5 billion in needed repairs and renovations at the buildings and facilities at schools receiving USDA research funding.

The study notes 69% of the buildings at these 97 land-grant universities are more than 25 years old and require urgent upgrades.

Without action, the declining state of these facilities threatens to hinder critical research on food safety and security, natural resources, climate change, and other key matters.

**The Farm Workforce Modernization Act was reintroduced last week.

The bill aims to provide a compromise solution that makes meaningful reforms to the H-2A agricultural guestworker program and creates a first-of-its-kind, merit-based visa program specifically designed for the nation’s ag sector.

The bill, which passed the House of Representatives last year, is sponsored by Representatives Dan Newhouse, a Washington Republican, and California Democrat Zoe Lofgren.

**With a final decision having been made to phase out agricultural burning in California’s San Joaquin Valley by 2025, farmers seek alternatives for disposing of vineyard and orchard prunings.

The state Air Resources Board recently voted to end the practice.

Farmers can grind discarded wood and incorporate it into the soil, but that’s not now possible in all cases.

Farmers want help in developing alternatives for wood disposal.