WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. Department of Agriculture is committing $180 million to sequence and analyze federally held crop genetic resources over two years, seeking to strengthen domestic seed development, reduce dependence on foreign agricultural resources, and improve the nation’s ability to respond to emerging crop threats.
The investment will establish USDA’s Seed Sovereignty Initiative, directing funding to the Agricultural Research Service’s National Plant Germplasm System, a federal collection containing more than 600,000 plant genetic accessions representing over 16,000 species.
Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said the initiative is intended to address vulnerabilities in the agricultural supply chain by expanding federal research into the genetic characteristics of crops and other plant resources.
The program will prioritize sequencing collections of major crops, identifying gaps in existing genetic information and locating traits that could support the development of new plant varieties.
USDA plans to use advanced analytical technologies, including artificial intelligence systems described by the department as superintelligence, to evaluate genetic data and identify characteristics useful to agricultural researchers.
The research is intended to accelerate responses to emerging pests and diseases while supporting crop development for American farmers.
The department said foreign competitors have been acquiring and sequencing plant genetic resources internationally, while significant portions of U.S. collections have yet to undergo comprehensive genetic analysis.
“America’s agricultural resources are a strategic national asset,” Deputy Agriculture Secretary Stephen Vaden said. “We need to survey our domestic resources, understand where we are vulnerable, and ensure the United States never has to rely on foreign competitors for critical agricultural resources.”
The initiative represents an expansion of the National Plant Germplasm System’s role beyond preserving genetic material to systematically analyzing its potential agricultural applications.
Scott Hutchins, USDA’s under secretary for research, education and economics and chief scientist, said modern sequencing technologies would allow researchers to make greater use of genetic resources already maintained by the federal government.
The department is also expanding an existing memorandum of understanding with the U.S. Department of Justice to strengthen competition oversight in agricultural input markets, particularly the seed industry.
That partnership will focus on market transparency, competition, and purchasing options for farmers.
The combined measures place federal crop genetics research and seed-market competition within USDA’s broader agricultural security strategy, linking scientific development with efforts to strengthen domestic agricultural production.
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