USDA views science and technology not as a cost but rather as a public investment that will enhance the nation's wealth-creating capacity and security. Agricultural research has historically provided significant returns on investment, estimated at 30 to 40 percent in recent studies. If cuts in the science and technology infrastructure are too deep it will take a long time to recover--especially in light of the strong link between research and education, which is a high priority of the President and his administration. A summary of the critical science and technology programs at USDA that are at risk:

Agricultural Research Service (ARS)

• The President's FY 1996 budget includes new and expanded initiatives that are investments in food production that directly benefit farmers and consumers. These priority initiatives were not included in the recently passed House Bill. Specifically, the President's budget proposed an increase of $7.5 million for pre-harvest and post-harvest food safety research to reduce pathogens from "farm-to-table." This research is critical to the timely development of a science-based inspection system to provide consumers with wholesome and safe meat and poultry products. These funds were excluded from the House bill.
• The President's budget provided $5 million to expand Integrated Pest Management (IPM) technologies to control pests by practices that are cost-effective, benign to the environment, minimize development of pest resistance, and are sustainable in the long term.
• The President's budget provided $8 million for research to improve the health and well-being of all Americans. This money would fund a Nutrition Monitoring and Food Consumption Survey; and Nutrition Intervention and Evaluation. The House Bill omitted these funds.

Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service (CSREES)

• The President's budget included funding for the National Research Initiative (NRI) competitive research grants, from $103 million to $130 million. The House omits these funds. The President's budget also requested increases for several CSREES pest control related programs that reduce the risk from the use of pesticides. The House provides only partial support to these important pest control programs. Finally, the House discontinues the $9 million Capacity Building Grants program which has been the centerpiece of the Department's initiative to strengthen the historically Black land-grant institutions.

Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS)

• The House directs FAS to "significantly downsize" the agency's programs of international cooperation and development. USDA's funding of various international scientific research projects has greatly benefitted the competitiveness of U.S. agricultural and forestry research products abroad. Specific examples of FAS projects include the search for biocontrol organisms to reduce boll weevil in cotton production and the Asian gypsy moth in hardwood forests. FAS supports ARS scientists in Texas in their work with counterparts in Mexico to conduct field releases of laboratory-reared tiny parasitic wasp from Mexico, which specifically attacks boll weevil. The boll weevil cost the U.S. cotton industry more than $300 million a year. The gypsy moth continues to wreak havoc in the hardwood forests of the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions of the U.S. USDA agencies are using natural enemies of the Asian gypsy moth as biological control agents in the U.S. Funding for these programs needs to continue so research into effective biological controls can be developed.

Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS)

• The President's budget provides funding for the Animal Production Food Safety (APFS) program. This $6.2 million program is needed to enable the development and implementation of preventive strategies to reduce the risk of chemical, physical and microbial hazards entering the plant. In addition, the President's budget provides for investments in the pathogen reduction program which will enable FSIS to conduct intervention methods in plants, and the baseline levels of contamination on raw products.

EPA Science and Technology Programs