Harold van Es, Professor in the Section of Soil & Crop Sciences, and Hannah Swegarden, PhD candidate in the Graduate Field of Horticulture, traveled to Washington DC March 14-15 to participate in the 2016 Congressional Visits Day hosted by the Agronomy, Crop, and Soil Science Societies of America. Harold van Es is president of SSSA (Soil Science Society of America). Swegarden is one of 18 students nationwide who received the 2016 Future Leaders in Science Award from  ASA, CSSA and SSSA.

More than 60 participants, including 22 graduate students, four undergraduate scholars, and 14 Certified Crop Advisors, rallied together in a grassroots effort to support USDA-AFRI funding. Advocates asked for full support of the authorized USDA-AFRI program funding at $700 million. Over 100 meetings were held with members of the House and Senate to highlight the work of agricultural research across the nation.