149 



Improving Functional Relationships in The USDA 



for 



The State Agricultural Experiment Stations 



INTRODUCTION: 



Mr. Chainnan, my name is James R. Fischer and I am pleased to provide this testimony on 

 behalf of the Experiment Station Committee on Organization and Policy (ESCOP). This 

 committee represents the State Agricultural Experiment Stations (SAESs) which are located 

 at each Land Grant University in the United States. 



One of the most exciting parts of USDA Science and Education is the state-federal 

 partnership in agricultural research which links the Cooperative State Research Service 

 (CSRS) with a national network of State Agricultural Experiment Stations. This linkage has 

 been and continues to be a major factor in the success of U.S. agriculture. 



The commitment of the new Administration to the use of science and technology to 

 facilitate economic growth and environmental enhancement is exemplified in the document 

 accompanying President Clinton's address to the joint session of Congress on February 17, 

 1993 (A Vision of Change for America). In this document, the programs of Science and 

 Education in the USDA were sustained and, in some cases, expanded to address new 

 agendas. 



The new Administration finds itself at a major cross-roads for U.S. agriculture. Agriculture 

 involves a much broader agenda today than before. There is growing recognition that 

 USDA and SAES clientele include every citizen of the U.S., not just farmers. New 

 problems are coupled with continuing needs for new knowledge and technology. Modem 

 science offers unparalleled opportunity to meet these challenges. New needs have generated 

 much greater expectations for the delivery of new technology. 



The major new and continuing issues include food safety and nutrition, environmentally 

 sound and economically viable systems of sustainable agricultural production, methods to 

 develop alternative uses of agricultural products and enhanced economic viability for farm 

 families and rural communities. The new Administration calls for fresh approaches in 

 addressing these problems, including appropriate reorganization of the USDA. 



Reorganization of the USDA offers an opportunity to improve the functional relationships 

 between the State Agricultural Experiment Stations and the Department. It is an 

 opportunity to build on and expand relationships that have historically served the state- 

 federal partnership very well. The reconmiendations in this paper are derived fi-om a four- 

 part analysis: (1) assessment of the USDA goals for reorganization, (2) definition of 

 attributes of the present system which meet these goals (and therefore should be continued). 



