Agriculture Research, Extension, and Education
The Federal Agricultural Improvement and Reform (FAIR) Act (the 1996 Farm Bill) began the process of fundamental change in agriculture. The seven-year phase out of commodity programs which the legislation initiated, emphasizes the need for greater global competitiveness in agriculture. This increases the demand for sound, progressive agricultural research.
In the past, public investments in agriculture research have paid large dividends to society, and the global, high-tech, environmentally-sensitive era we have now entered requires support of public research. The nation’s land grant universities must remain a strategic resource for agriculture and the general public. They must be used wisely and fully to support the needs of an ever expanding domestic and worldwide population.