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Benefits for ag outlined in House Appropriations bill

The US House Appropriations Committee recently passed a funding bill securing multiple benefits for agriculture.

Congresswoman Cheri Bustos, a Democrat from Illinois, tells Brownfield she is most proud of the critical funds secured for water infrastructure and rural broadband.

“We have almost $1.5 billion for water projects and $1 billion for broadband which includes $990 million for the USDA’s Reconnect Program.”

Bustos says those were the top two concerns in a survey of her constituents. The bill also touches on mental health support for farmers and bolstering the use of biofuels to reduce emissions.

“On top of that, we set aside about $3.5 billion for agricultural research and it is worth noting that is $90 million more than this past year’s level.”

Bustos, who serves on both the House Agriculture and Appropriations committees, expects the full House will approve the bill by the end of the month.