79 



Testimony before the Subcommittee on Department Operations 

 and Nutrition of the House Agriculture Committee 



Presented by Dr. James A. Kloek, Chairman 

 National Agricultural Research and Extension Users Advisory Board 



March 25, 1993 



INTRODUCTION 



Mr. Chairman and members of the Subcommittee thank you very 

 much for inviting me to testify regarding the state of our 

 national agricultural research facilities. I am pleased to be 

 here today as a representative of the National Agricultural 

 Research and Extension Users Advisory Board (UAB) and as an 

 advocate for change in science and education. 



The issue of facilities allocation and upkeep is an 

 extremely important topic in science and education. However, it 

 is a topic often bypassed because of the uncomfortable questions 

 it raises. Mr. Chairman, the UAB is here today to say it is time 

 to face those tough questions. In this time of budget reduction, 

 we must ask and answer: How do we reform the system of federally- 

 funded agricultural research facilities in order to: 



(1) meet scientific priorities; 



(2) close outdated and run-down centers; and 



(3) establish an effective planning process for future 

 needs? 



Mr. Chairman, I will give you a thumbnail sketch of the UAB 

 and its concern with research facilities. The UAB was 

 established by the Congress in 1977 to provide "user" 

 recommendations to policymakers regarding agricultural research, 

 extension, and higher education. UAB members are private 

 citizens from a variety of walks of life. Our job is to provide 

 feedback to the USDA and the Congress — to tell them what works 

 and what doesn't from a customer's point of view. Our 

 activities include publication of an annual report for the 

 Congress and the Secretary of Agriculture in which we review the 

 budget and make recommendations about how best to spend taxpayer 

 dollars. 



The issue of research facilities has concerned the UAB for 

 more than a decade. UAB members have traveled throughout the 

 Nation to evaluate science and education programs and, in turn, 

 have visited many Agricultural Research Service and university 



