WASHINGTON, D.C. (September 17, 1999) - Everyone related to agriculture should devote a portion of their time and resources to ensuring that the needs of agriculture for public and private research and development and student education are met, said National Cattlemen’s Beef Association chief executive officer Chuck Schroeder.
Speaking before the National Policy Association’s Food and Agriculture Committee, Schroeder outlined solutions to the changing structure of the U.S. agricultural research system.
He recommended that those in the system who have the most intimate knowledge of research need to engage in the public policy discussion of this multi-dimensional equation. “In the process, we must remember that the basis function of publicly funded institutions is not to simply conduct research, but to produce deliverables from research that provide a public good,” he said.
“If we are to continue to have a strong public research element in this country, research programs must become more targeted and more focused than ever before. Research dollars must become more accountable,” he said. “For example, the Beef Industry Food Safety Council was established in October 1997 as a forum where representatives from all relevant sectors could provide their unique and widely varying perspectives on a common, potentially devastating problem-E coli O157:H7. By establishing a common strategic agenda, with a particular focus on a research agenda, collective efforts have resulted in genuine, cost effective progress.”
Schroeder added that a fundamental role of universities in the “science enterprise” is not only to contribute to the research output, but also to produce the human capital so critical to the future of agriculture in all its dimensions.
“Education becomes more difficult because a minority of students today do not have any real experience in agricultural production systems,” Schroeder said. “And, all too often, teaching has been set aside as a chore that must be done in order to have the opportunity to do research in academia. Meeting this need is critical to the survival of the food and agriculture complex and the world to which we aspire today and tomorrow.”
Schroeder said that to successfully manage the change in our agriculture systems, the scientific community, including institutions and professional societies, need to find ways to involve, inform and educate the public on the developments in science so consumers can make informed decisions.
“This democratic society provides historic opportunity for citizen input on very complex issues, and the concurrent opportunity for ignorance to research for disaster,” he said. “If the public understands more about the current state of science, they will support continued public investment in research.”
He said that society needs to ensure the products of science, technology, improved methods and practices are broadly available to everyone in the food and agriculture system.
-- NCBA --