Building An Agricultural Research Program In Nevada – Part II
By: Doug Busselman, Executive Vice President
In putting together a working agricultural research program for Nevada, which meets the needs of Nevada farmers and ranchers by solving current problems and also offers opportunities for developing new and profitable ventures…we have identified an important first step of doing an analysis of what needs farmers and ranchers have. It would also be useful to consider important research partners from the broader context of agriculture (those who serve agricultural producers with products and services, purchased by farmers and ranchers) and in recruiting those who might be capable and interested in partnerships – determine what their needs are.
Research and development that is driven by what the private sector needs can build effective long-term partnerships which could come in handy when the agricultural researchers need support for staying in existence. As we’ve recently witnessed, such partnerships were available to assist even when a majority of the institution’s focus wasn’t on serving the needs of Nevada farmers and ranchers.
A glaring need for Nevada agriculture is in the plant area. Current programming doesn’t exist and the best we’ve been able to obtain in the work of preserving the College of Agriculture, Biotechnology and Natural Resources (CABNR) is a promise that when they get around to it – plant science will be added to the newly formed unit known as “Food, Agriculture and Nutrition”. A huge part of building an effective agricultural research program in Nevada will depend on making the effort to construct a plant science program (educationally as well as research oriented). Since it’s a vacant area now there’s no need to tear anything down or remodel. It provides a clean slate opportunity to build from scratch a program that is driven by meeting producers’ and partner needs.
Including the educational aspect in the construction is also important, since teaching is part of the mission our Land Grant University is supposed to be involved with. Making certain that the teaching component for the plant science is applied science oriented will provide the related necessity of having researchers who are applied science oriented. In somewhat an elitist mode the current emphasis has been away from applied science and geared to basic approaches. Although we can respect the necessity for a balanced approach which matches basic and applied sciences – what we’ve been getting hasn’t been anything about balanced and hasn’t been anything about relevancy (at least in the plant science area) to Nevada agriculture.
Interestingly enough, our pre-occupation with plant science being a critical part of what we don’t have -- but need to obtain – also fits in with the thinking of the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, a significant funding source for agricultural research dollars. As part of their national program of work, “Plant Health and Production and Plant Products” ranks at the top of their list.
The inclusion of plant science into Nevada’s Land Grant University can be and should be a comprehensive consideration that meets the various aspects of identified needs, spelled out in Nevada Farm Bureau’s public policy:
In putting together a working agricultural research program for Nevada, which meets the needs of Nevada farmers and ranchers by solving current problems and also offers opportunities for developing new and profitable ventures…we have identified an important first step of doing an analysis of what needs farmers and ranchers have. It would also be useful to consider important research partners from the broader context of agriculture (those who serve agricultural producers with products and services, purchased by farmers and ranchers) and in recruiting those who might be capable and interested in partnerships – determine what their needs are.
Research and development that is driven by what the private sector needs can build effective long-term partnerships which could come in handy when the agricultural researchers need support for staying in existence. As we’ve recently witnessed, such partnerships were available to assist even when a majority of the institution’s focus wasn’t on serving the needs of Nevada farmers and ranchers.
A glaring need for Nevada agriculture is in the plant area. Current programming doesn’t exist and the best we’ve been able to obtain in the work of preserving the College of Agriculture, Biotechnology and Natural Resources (CABNR) is a promise that when they get around to it – plant science will be added to the newly formed unit known as “Food, Agriculture and Nutrition”. A huge part of building an effective agricultural research program in Nevada will depend on making the effort to construct a plant science program (educationally as well as research oriented). Since it’s a vacant area now there’s no need to tear anything down or remodel. It provides a clean slate opportunity to build from scratch a program that is driven by meeting producers’ and partner needs.
Including the educational aspect in the construction is also important, since teaching is part of the mission our Land Grant University is supposed to be involved with. Making certain that the teaching component for the plant science is applied science oriented will provide the related necessity of having researchers who are applied science oriented. In somewhat an elitist mode the current emphasis has been away from applied science and geared to basic approaches. Although we can respect the necessity for a balanced approach which matches basic and applied sciences – what we’ve been getting hasn’t been anything about balanced and hasn’t been anything about relevancy (at least in the plant science area) to Nevada agriculture.
Interestingly enough, our pre-occupation with plant science being a critical part of what we don’t have -- but need to obtain – also fits in with the thinking of the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, a significant funding source for agricultural research dollars. As part of their national program of work, “Plant Health and Production and Plant Products” ranks at the top of their list.
The inclusion of plant science into Nevada’s Land Grant University can be and should be a comprehensive consideration that meets the various aspects of identified needs, spelled out in Nevada Farm Bureau’s public policy:
- Agronomy/Forage Production
- Alternative Crops and Traditional Enterprises
- Control of Pests (gopher and ground squirrels mentioned specificially)
- Noxious Weed Control
- Water Usage/Management and Irrigation Technology
Posted by Doug Busselman at 5/5/2010 8:29 AM 
Categories: Agriculture
Tags: University of Nevada Nevada College of Agriculture closing Agriculture
Categories: Agriculture
Tags: University of Nevada Nevada College of Agriculture closing Agriculture
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