By Kelly Servick, March 23, 2018
(Originally posted on Science Magazine)
Farm science advocates had some success this year in boosting federal funding for the discipline…Read more)
A new effort to boost federal investment in agricultural research—FedByScience—was launched today in Washington, DC, bringing together 16 public and private universities. The initiative, timed with the release of the 2018 House Farm Bill, focuses on demonstrating to the public and policymakers the many ways that USDA-funded universities and researchers are creating a safer, healthier and more productive food system.
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The agriculture sector is critical to the overall U.S. economy, accounting for nearly $1 trillion of our gross domestic product (GDP) and one in 10 jobs. Ag R&D has an estimated return on investment of 20 to 1. But the federal government’s support for the scientific innovation needed by this sector has run dry, and our farmers have lost too much ground to overseas competitors.
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It’s a bad year to ask Congress for a 38 percent raise, but that’s exactly what the Obama administration is doing on behalf of a new program that better fosters competition among the nation’s agricultural research universities.
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