NCGA
Expresses Support for National Institute of Food and Agriculture
Research (10-06-04)
The National
Corn Growers Association (NCGA) today sent a letter to Agriculture
Secretary Ann Veneman supporting the creation of a National Institute
of Food and Agriculture Research (NIFA).
“NCGA
policy supports an increased federal investment in food and agriculture
research. Our research and public policy committees will be thoroughly
analyzing the proposal, its policy implications and other options
over the next few months,” said NCGA President Leon Corzine.
The 2002 farm
bill directed the secretary of agriculture to establish a task force
to review the Agricultural Research Service and evaluate the merits
of establishing a national research institute focused on food and
agriculture. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Research,
Economics and Education Task Force, which recommended the establishment
of NIFA, boasts membership by eight respected agricultural research
leaders, including Task Force Chair Dr. William Danforth.
The report,
released in late July, recommends Congress create NIFA within the
USDA and that the institute report to the secretary, be separate
from other existing agriculture research programs and agencies,
support the highest caliber of fundamental agriculture research,
award only competitive, peer-reviewed grants, supplement and not
replace existing agencies, only be a grant-making agency, have a
budget of $1 billion within five years and limit management costs
to five percent of its total budget.
“We are excited that the task force’s efforts have brought
more attention to the need for additional investment in food and
agriculture research and discussions regarding how to best make
those investments,” said Corzine. “We believe there
is a bright future in agriculture and realize that it will be achieved
in part through agriculture research.
Recently, NCGA
Vice President of Marketing Tom Slunecka met with Danforth to discuss
the new task force report recommending the creation of NIFA. Slunecka
said “the concept Dr. Danforth explained is exciting and forward-looking.
Such an initiative could bring agricultural research on par with
the research in human health and physical sciences.”
NIFA goals include
increasing the international competitiveness of American agriculture,
developing foods that improve health and combat obesity, creating
new and more useful products from plants and animals, strengthening
rural economies, decreasing dependence on foreign sources of petroleum,
enhancing agricultural sustainability and improving the environment,
and strengthening national security by improving agricultural production.
The letter applauds Danforth’s hard work in addition to the
other task force members and thanks them for their obvious strong
support for agriculture research. NCGA urged the secretary to make
this concept a reality by working with the Office of Management
and Budget to incorporate it into the administration’s FY
2006 budget proposal.
To read the
letter in its entirety, click
here: