The 2014 Farm Bill – a critical piece of legislation that authorizes a multitude of U.S. food and agricultural programs –  is up for renewal in 2018. Funding for agricultural research constitutes only a small fraction of the total Farm Bill budget. However, Farm Bill authorizations are the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s primary source of revenue for conducting agricultural science, extension, and education programming through both its own agencies and Land Grant institutions. Despite high rates of return on investment, U.S. public spending on agricultural research and development (R&D) has remained flat while funding for other federal science agencies has soared.  Stagnant agricultural R&D investments in the United States increasingly fall behind the investments of our global partners and competitors. Chinese public spending on agricultural research has surpassed that of the U.S. since 2008. Join us for a discussion on research funding and priorities in the next Farm Bill, and the implications of U.S. agricultural R&D for both the domestic agriculture sector and for global food security. How should we understand the nexus between U.S. agricultural innovation, global food production, and economic stability? How can we better facilitate the transfer of agricultural research and technologies to developing countries? How could the next Farm Bill allow and spur the U.S. scientific community to develop research and technologies with international applications? How does the Farm Bill relate to the U.S. Global Food Security Strategy?