Laying The Groundwork For Agricultural Research Funding
By: Doug Busselman, Executive Vice President
In spite of the concentration now being focused on the debt ceiling limit issue and getting a handle on government expenditures, other – more normal – legislative pursuits are continuing within Congress. Lawmakers from agricultural states (mostly Midwestern and Southern) and involved as members of the House Agriculture or Senate Agriculture committees are pulling their ideas and materials together for the regularly scheduled deliberations over a new farm bill. One section of the Farm Bill deals with the subject area of agricultural research and is a major driver in directing/moving agricultural research.
Although agricultural research is considered by those connected with agriculture as a critical component in making the future of American agriculture all it needs to be, there isn’t as wide-spread of support as those involved would like to see be available. Without the financial backing that is made available through the research funding elements of the Farm Bill, actual agricultural research and development isn’t pursued with the necessary emphasis to advance productivity with the same rate of improvement as has been the case in the past.
Against this backdrop we’re seeing a variety of thought-pieces being put together to promote the necessity of putting extra bucks into the research section of the next Farm Bill, pretty much on the policy drawing board right now. A friend who is inclined to believe very strongly in the importance of agricultural research shared a couple of the policy documents that are circulating to stir up the support sought for more than a status quo approach to putting money into the plans.
Having followed some of the policy notions coming from the American Enterprise Institute, I was somewhat surprised to read their paper, “For Want of a Nail”. In other agricultural policy ideas that they have put out, it seemed that they weren’t inclined to be as pro-funding as they come across in this policy paper.
My friend also included in his link-sharing this background document from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Economic Research Service, highlighting the needs for putting more financial fuel into the engine of agricultural research.
As a product of a traditional, main-stream, agricultural upbringing, the importance of agricultural research and the benefits that come from such pursuits is a given in my mind.
Part of the frustration over the approaches (or lack thereof) in Nevada’s agricultural research endeavors stems from knowing the importance, but not believing that our Land Grant University has any interests/ability to deliver, in the area of applied agricultural research. Because the policy papers take as a given that there is an infrastructure for agricultural research, that simply needs dollars, the situation that Nevada faces is not covered (at least from this writer’s point of view).
If you don’t have the researchers who are in place to carry out the applied research, it doesn’t matter whether there is sufficient funding to promote delving into questions of how to boost agricultural productivity and growth.
When Nevada’s Land Grant University and connected agricultural research operations made the determination that basic research was a more favorable direction to go in pursuit of funding (and the applied research manpower was deleted from the system) the fate of what we now have was established. Rebuilding that research capacity is extremely challenging in light of financial constraints that struggle simply to keep in place -- a place to do the research.
As the more agriculturally-inclined areas of the country scramble to build their case for increased funding, the Silver State’s ag. advocates have their hands full just getting those in charge to believe applied research needs to have the where-with-all for an opportunity to be carried out.
In spite of the concentration now being focused on the debt ceiling limit issue and getting a handle on government expenditures, other – more normal – legislative pursuits are continuing within Congress. Lawmakers from agricultural states (mostly Midwestern and Southern) and involved as members of the House Agriculture or Senate Agriculture committees are pulling their ideas and materials together for the regularly scheduled deliberations over a new farm bill. One section of the Farm Bill deals with the subject area of agricultural research and is a major driver in directing/moving agricultural research.
Although agricultural research is considered by those connected with agriculture as a critical component in making the future of American agriculture all it needs to be, there isn’t as wide-spread of support as those involved would like to see be available. Without the financial backing that is made available through the research funding elements of the Farm Bill, actual agricultural research and development isn’t pursued with the necessary emphasis to advance productivity with the same rate of improvement as has been the case in the past.
Against this backdrop we’re seeing a variety of thought-pieces being put together to promote the necessity of putting extra bucks into the research section of the next Farm Bill, pretty much on the policy drawing board right now. A friend who is inclined to believe very strongly in the importance of agricultural research shared a couple of the policy documents that are circulating to stir up the support sought for more than a status quo approach to putting money into the plans.
Having followed some of the policy notions coming from the American Enterprise Institute, I was somewhat surprised to read their paper, “For Want of a Nail”. In other agricultural policy ideas that they have put out, it seemed that they weren’t inclined to be as pro-funding as they come across in this policy paper.
My friend also included in his link-sharing this background document from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Economic Research Service, highlighting the needs for putting more financial fuel into the engine of agricultural research.
As a product of a traditional, main-stream, agricultural upbringing, the importance of agricultural research and the benefits that come from such pursuits is a given in my mind.
Part of the frustration over the approaches (or lack thereof) in Nevada’s agricultural research endeavors stems from knowing the importance, but not believing that our Land Grant University has any interests/ability to deliver, in the area of applied agricultural research. Because the policy papers take as a given that there is an infrastructure for agricultural research, that simply needs dollars, the situation that Nevada faces is not covered (at least from this writer’s point of view).
If you don’t have the researchers who are in place to carry out the applied research, it doesn’t matter whether there is sufficient funding to promote delving into questions of how to boost agricultural productivity and growth.
When Nevada’s Land Grant University and connected agricultural research operations made the determination that basic research was a more favorable direction to go in pursuit of funding (and the applied research manpower was deleted from the system) the fate of what we now have was established. Rebuilding that research capacity is extremely challenging in light of financial constraints that struggle simply to keep in place -- a place to do the research.
As the more agriculturally-inclined areas of the country scramble to build their case for increased funding, the Silver State’s ag. advocates have their hands full just getting those in charge to believe applied research needs to have the where-with-all for an opportunity to be carried out.
Posted by Doug Busselman at 7/27/2011 10:42 AM 
Categories: Agriculture
Tags: Land Grant University System Agricultural Research Nevada Ag Policy University of Nevada
Categories: Agriculture
Tags: Land Grant University System Agricultural Research Nevada Ag Policy University of Nevada
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