Agricultural research should be a national priority, according to a recently released report, Pursuing a Unifying Message: Elevating Food, Agricultural and Natural Resources Research as a National Priority. The report was produced and issued by the Charles Valentine Riley Memorial Foundation and Iowa State University, in partnership with Mississippi State University, Soil and Water Conservation Society, Texas Tech University and Colorado State University.
“Something is wrong when agriculture is left out of invitations to set the course for future national science programs that benefit society. Something is wrong when agriculture does not have a seat at the table in discussing federal investments to spur innovation,” Dan Glickman, former USDA secretary, wrote in the foreward.
The report’s authors argue that the U.S. is in danger of losing its position of “international prominence in the scientific research upon which our food, agriculture and natural resources systems depend.” They indicate global demands and food security rely upon additional investment in agricultural research, and a more coherently organized research agenda.