19 



meeting coming up in August to update the strategic plan to 1994. 

 This outUnes the research priorities that the faciUties program 

 should be tied to. 



We also use in this people from other agencies as well. It is not 

 just the universities and so forth. It is also other Federal agencies. 

 So we try to get input from all sources to identify the top priorities. 

 And that should be the key for any competitive program. 



Mr. VOLKMER. In other words, you have a large group that was 

 actually setting out the future for agricultural research? 



Mr. Carlson. That is correct. 



Mr. VoLKMER. And these are the types of research that we 

 should be doing. And along with that program you feel — and I 

 agree with you — that facilities construction should follow that so 

 that it fits into it. 



Mr. Carlson. Absolutely. That is the road map, you might say, 

 that could be followed for people to submit proposals that would fit 

 the high priorities of and the high priority needs of agriculture. In 

 other words, you call for proposals and it would outline in that call 

 for proposals — "These are the high priorities. Please submit your 

 proposals for facilities that would fit one of these priorities." In 

 that way you would eliminate the extraneous tj^e of structures 

 that we have quite a few of today. 



Mr. Volkmer. From your testimony, I believe you have a mini- 

 mum of 48 ongoing earmarked facihty projects. 



Mr. Carlson. Actually, we have 72. There are just 48 that were 

 added in the last 3 years. There are 72 ongoing projects. 



Mr. Volkmer. Some of them are completed and some of them are 

 not? 



Mr. Carlson. No, there are 72 active projects. There has been 

 126 altogether. 



Mr. Volkmer. So there are 72 active projects? 



Mr. Carlson. That is correct. 



Mr. Volkmer. If you could — and I hope your staff can do this 

 within the next day or two, at least by next week — ^please tell me 

 which of those 72 fit within that 1992 proposal for where we should 

 be in research in the future. 



Mr. Carlson. We will get it to your office. 



Mr. Volkmer. Do you understand what I mean? 



Mr. Carlson, Yes, sir; I do. 



Mr. Volkmer. Tell us also which ones do not. I am sure that 

 some do and some do not. I would like to know which ones. 



Mr. Carlson. Certainly. 



Mr. Volkmer. Then, as I imderstand your testimony, when a 

 project or projects are earmarked by the Congress, you review them 

 and see if they are appropriate, et cetera, right? 



Mr. Carlson. That is correct. 



Mr. Volkmer. And then you make a report back to the Congress 

 on those? 



Mr. Carlson. That is correct. 



Mr. Volkmer. What is usually included in the report that you 

 make? 



Mr. Carlson. First, we identify the type of project it is and how 

 it fits. Then we establish a committee composed of experts in the 

 science field or in the field related to that facility. They are sent 



