By Maryn McKenna, July 20, 2016
(Published on National Geographic)
When a deadly disease that was killing millions of piglets suddenly arrived in the United States in 2013, no one was sure at first what was happening…Read more.
The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine has named 13 renowned thinkers to the executive committee of Science Breakthroughs 2030, an initiative that will identify the most compelling scientific opportunities in food and agriculture in the next decade and beyond.
Read MoreStatement from Thomas Grumbly, President, Supporters of Agricultural Research (SoAR) Foundation The Supporters of Agricultural Research (SoAR) Foundation congratulates US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Sonny Perdue and his entire agency on focusing this year on agricultural research and innovation. After the warmest January on the planet, the Midwest is expecting a deep freeze. The deep south is waterlogged from record floods, and California is wrapping up one of its driest Februaries ever. It’s the perfect time to start talking about agricultural research and desperately needed federal funding.
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Federal funding for agricultural research—not just avian flu grants, but everything including breeding drought-resistant corn varieties to devising new ways to process livestock waste—has remained mostly flat for decades. Between 2000 and 2008, the U.S. agricultural R&D budget barely increased by two percent annually. China, on the other hand, doubled its agricultural R&D budget in the same time period.
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