Commission Approves 2025-26 Research Budget

By: Erica Olson

Posted: May 1, 2025

At its recent research review meeting, the Commission considered over 45 research project requests for funding. At the conclusion of the two-day meeting, the board approved $1.3 million for research projects for the 2025-26 year. Research funding continues to be a top priority for the Commission and accounts for 35% of the budget. Primary research areas include varietal development, end-use quality, soil health, economics and a range of agronomic issues including: disease and pest resistance, fertilizer applications and optimizing agronomic practices for yield and quality.

Investment in breeding programs and end-use quality make up a significant portion of Commission funded research and have been staple programs for check-off funding for decades. These projects are long-term and results aren’t immediate, but the investment in genomic selection, germplasm development and researching quality attributes and end-use quality characteristics provide significant benefits to producers in terms of higher yields and disease resistance, while ensuring our state’s producers have a quality product to sell to customers around the world.

Investment in agronomic research, specifically regionally or sight specific, has increased in recent years as producers take interest in applicable research that they can see direct results. Some newer topics in recent years include managing acidic soils, management of Hessian fly, integrating legumes into wheat, analyzing nitrogen applications and alternatives, and investigating precision weed control utilizing AI. Managing current and upcoming disease and other pests concern remains a cornerstone of research priorities as well. Research in economics and transportation helps ensure reliable information is available to producers on issues affecting them logistically or financially and also provides pertinent information to customers.