|
 |
|
PRESIDENT OBAMA'S PROPOSED BUDGET TRIMS BACK FEDERAL FUNDING FOR AG RESEARCH
Jun. 30, 2009
Source: Center for Agricultural Science and Technology
Although proposed federal funding for science overall is up for 2010, those increases are predominantly directed to the National Institutes of Health, the Department of Energy, and the Department of Defense. In both the 2009-2010 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (Stimulus Package) and in the proposed 2010 budget, agriculture takes a back seat. [Information in above table courtesy of the Office of Management and Budget via Chemical and Engineering News]
But in reality, government budget allocations for 2010 suggest we're not "putting our money where our mouths are," and this portends serious consequences for every citizen. Agricultural scientists are tasked not only with solving today's challenges, but also with coming up with solutions to possible challenges of the future. Their knowledge and expertise can't be called for in a crisis when no investment has been made in preparation.
Allen Levine, Dean of the College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences at the University of Minnesota, notes:
"In the blizzard of new research funding created by the federal stimulus bill, an important science was omitted: Agriculture. While $10 billion was included for the National Institutes of Health, $3 billion for the National Science Foundation, and $2 billion for the Energy Department, not a penny was dedicated for competitive research in the U.S. Department of Agriculture. That's unfortunate. Agricultural science will help us find the answers to some of our greatest problems: Food safety, scarcity, and cost; water quality and availability; the need for healthy soil and plants to grow food; and sustainable energy. While some of the new federal funding will find its way to agriculture-related issues...designating federal dollars to agriculture would have sent an important message." [Excerpted from "The Art and Science of Agriculture," The Washington Times, April 8, 2009]
Perhaps Kelly Kohler -- a 10th grader from Redwood Falls, Minnesota -- sums it up best in her winning 2009 National Ag Day essay: "These days, agriculture is so deeply rooted in society that it is taken for granted and often ignored. ... Agriculture is everywhere, even though society seems to have forgotten; it surrounds the countryside, cities, and everyone in them. The agricultural industry is one of the most important industries in the world today. A world without agriculture is a world without life." [Text excerpt courtesy of the Agriculture Council of America; Photo courtesy of the U.S. Conservation and Natural Resources Service ]
Communicating accurate, timely, science-based information without motive or agenda has been the mission of the Council for Agricultural Science and Technology (CAST) since its beginning in 1973. CAST's first publication, Agricultural Policy and the Public -- written by Norman Borlaug -- focused on the same ongoing critical need for objective, scientific information we face today. The unique challenges of the 21st century demand that legislators, regulators, policymakers, the media, the private sector, and the public "have the facts" as they make decisions that will impact individuals, communities, the nation, and the world.
|
|
|
|
|
