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great importance if the USDA is to continue to address the needs of an environmentally sound, 

 economically significant American agriculture in order to insure our continued supply of high 

 quality, safe, affordable food for the American consumer. 



The Office of Higher Education Programs administers competitive grants programs such as 

 Institutional Challenge Grants, Institutional Capacity Building Grants for 1890 Land-Grant 

 Institutions and National Needs Graduate Fellowships Grants. In addition we are collaborating 

 with this office to develop a Minority Scholars Program to help attract qualified minority scholars 

 to agriculture and the agricultural sciences. 



RECOMMENDATION: 



Secretary Espy has called for a new USDA which is science-based and user-friendly, a 

 department that utilizes the newest and best science and technology to solve human problems. 

 We concur. 



Therefore our recommendation regarding the priorities of the new and visionary USDA is a call 

 for ascendence of higher education in the form of increased support for its office of Higher 

 Education Programs. Inherent in this suggestion is the expectation that the Assistant Secretary 

 for Science and Education will play an increasingly important role in agricultural, environmental 

 and rural development policy. 



