NASDA Sets 2025 Priorities: Farm Bill, Research Funding, and Labor Needs Top the List
The National Association of State Departments of Agriculture (NASDA) has laid out its top priorities for 2025, with passing a new farm bill leading the list.
Ted McKinney, NASDA’s CEO, said research funding is also a major concern—particularly for research at universities.
“We’re not worried about applied research,” McKinney explained. “Companies in seed, livestock, and equipment are doing well. But we need more investment in basic science—like the kind that led to hybrid seed corn decades ago. There’s huge potential now with gene editing.”
McKinney also pointed to uncertainty around federal-state partnerships, especially when it comes to food safety programs. “We’re not panicking,” he said, “but we are in a fog. We don’t know what funding will look like, and that puts essential services at risk.”
Labor is another top issue, especially for year-round operations like dairies, swine, and poultry farms. NASDA is pushing for a guest worker program that allows for full-time, year-round employment—not just seasonal help.
“We just can’t get the labor we need,” McKinney said. “This is one of our top priorities moving forward.”