119 



EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 



time, the major — fedendly supported scientiflc effort 

 It is significant that early federal support was not 

 directed primarily toward infrastructure investments 

 that yielded only quick benefits. Rather, support was 

 broad, and a large proportion was directed toward 

 research and education. 



The decision to provide federal support for a strong 

 U.S. agricultural system was made by the Congress 

 127 years ago through the Morrill Act of 1862. Now 

 is the time to make a renewed investment in U.S. 

 agriculture, one that will ensure its worldwide leader- 

 ship role in the coming decades. 



As a leader, the United States calls upon its agricul- 



tural and food system to compete in a free-market 

 world. But U.S. farmers cannot compete with the 

 price of labor in many countries, where it is far lower 

 than that in the United States. And, for the same 

 reason, they cannot compete with the cost of fertile 

 land in other countries. The single resource that U.S. 

 farmers can draw upon to capture the leading edge is 

 science and technology. The U.S. government must 

 help to provide an environment where U.S. producers 

 and processors can compete. The most effective way 

 to ensure a strong U.S. agricultural system is to capi- 

 talize on science and technology by investing strongly 

 in agricultural, food, and environmental research. 



(The complete report is held in the connnittee files.) 



