The House Agriculture Committee held a hearing last week on the role of climate research in supporting agricultural resiliency.

In an opening statement, House Agriculture Committee Chairman David Scott, D-Ga., said, “Our research institutions, including our Historically Black Colleges and Universities and other minority-serving institutions, play an important role in developing student leaders, advocates, and supporting rigorous scientific analysis on issues related to community and agricultural resiliency, adaptation to climate change, and environmental and climate justice.”

Rep. Glenn Thompson, R-Ga., the ranking member, said he wanted “to reiterate what I stated at the climate hearing back in March. I will reject complicating our programs and making climate the focus of every title of the upcoming farm bill reauthorization”

“For years, programs included in the research title, like the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative, have been funding projects that address major issues impacting the agriculture industry and benefiting the environment without being specifically limited to climate change research,” Thompson said.