30 



pose the National Science Foundation's funds were distributed on 

 a formula basis. The problem is you just don't have the determina- 

 tion of whether or not this is good science in a rigorous process. 



Mr. Allard. Dr. Offutt, you talked a little bit about this area on 

 formula funding and competitive research. What is your thinking? 

 Should we go strictly competitive based on the ability to do re- 

 search and do away with formula and earmarking, or is it appro- 

 priate to have a mix? 



Ms. Offutt. Well, the board believes it's appropriate to have a 

 mix, which is the answer which is most difficult to implement, un- 

 fortunately. 



Mr. Allard. Yes. 



Ms. Offutt. But one of the things that the board wants to con- 

 sider is what the role of formula funding should be. It exists be- 

 cause there are geographical site-specific problems in agriculture 

 that still, even though we know a lot more about basic science than 

 we used to, need to be addressed in situ. There are mechanisms for 

 quality control. I think we can talk about whether or not the/re 

 adequate. But the premise is that agriculture is not like other en- 

 deavors, like ball bearing manufacturing, because you've got to do 

 what the longitude and latitude allow you. 



The appropriate mix is a more difficult question. The introduc- 

 tion of the competitive grants program and the impetus for increas- 

 ing that was the board's feeling that that was an area that didn't 

 get enough emphasis. Really the proof is in the pudding. We need 

 to have very good systems of evaluation to see that a mix is provid- 

 ing what we need. It's not inconceivable that as science changed, 

 you might want to change the mix. It's also not inconceivable that 

 the formulas that we use to grant funding, which are now 130 

 years old, might not need to be reconsidered. I think it's safe to ask 

 the question. 



Mr. Allard. So the basic premise on the formula funding is that 

 we have different geographic areas that have different needs as far 

 as agriculture, and we don't want one geographic or one area of ag- 

 riculture neglected because of perhaps some geographic and cli- 

 matic conditions and whatnot. 



Ms. Offutt. Yes, it's the site specificity, but it's also the recogni- 

 tion that a lot of agricultural research has to be carried on over a 

 long period of time. I was on the faculty at the University of Illinois 

 where the Morrow plots have been continuously studied, the com 

 and soybean plots, for over 100 years. You get a lot of information 

 if you have the security of that long-term funding. 



Mr. Allard. My time is beginning to run out. I'd like to have 

 each of you at the table submit in writing to this subcommittee 

 some specific recommendations on what we can be doing in the 

 1995 farm bill to rectify some of the problems that you've talked 

 about here today, if you would, please. 



Thank you, Mr. Chairman. 



Mr. Stenholm. Ms. Lambert. 



Ms. Lambert. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and thank you to the 

 witnesses for their testimony today. 



Coming fi-om a State where we have one of the earlier land-grant 

 colleges, the University of Arkansas, and some tremendous studies 

 going on as far as our workings in the new rice germ plasma center 



