Opening Statement o£ the Honorable Cal Dooley 

 Subcommittee on Department Operations and Nutrition 



March 25, 1993 



Mr. Chairman, I would like to take this opportunity to thank 

 you for holding this important hearing to review the research 

 agenda of the Department of Agriculture. 



The Department of Agriculture's research activities have 

 played a large role in the advancement of American agriculture 

 over the past century, making our industry the most efficient in 

 the world. However, it is clear that in order for the United 

 States to compete in the global economy in the 21st century, we 

 need to increase research into emerging technologies and create 

 an agriculture industry for the future. 



I think that this plan for the future needs to include a 

 number of parts. First, we need to develop alternative methods 

 for controlling the pests and diseases that attack our crops. As 

 a farmer myself, I am aware of the increasingly difficult 

 environmental standards that farmers are asked to maintain, the 

 cost of fighting disease and pests on crops, and the need for 

 viable alternatives to combatting these problems. I believe that 

 USDA can play a vital role in concert with major universities, 

 including the University of California, in developing these 

 alternatives . 



Second, we need to develop alternative uses for agricultural 



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