193 



CARET 



Council for Agricultural Research, 



Extension and Teaching 



One Dupont Circle, Suite 710 



Washington, DC 20036-1191 



Tel: 202-778-0824 



Fax: 202-296-6456 



May 3, 1993 



The Honorable Charles Stenholm 

 Chairman 



Subcommittee on Department Operations 

 and Nutrition 

 Committee on Agriculture 

 U.S. House of Representatives 

 1301 Longworth House Office Building 

 Washington, DC 20515 



Dear Mr. Chairman: 



I very much appreciated the opportunity to appear before you and your committee on March 

 25, as part of your consideration of the science and education priorities of the U.S. 

 Department of Agriculture. I am pleased to respond to additional questions submitted to me 

 after the hearing; my responses follow below. 



Question la. Do you feel that current base funding is adequate? 



In real dollars, base funding has not kept up with rate of inflation which has caused 

 states to either find ways to pick up the slack or cut staff and program. In Indiana 

 alone, withia the last six years, 200 extension/research positions on campus and in the 

 field staff have been cut. In some counties of Indiana there is such a strong feeUng 

 for extension that county government has picked up the total cost of the agent that 

 was due to be eUminated because of federal and state budgets. A total of 22 Indiana 

 counties out of 92 are now picking up this tab. I feel that a strong base funding in 

 research and extension allows each state to have a structure that can respond quickly 

 to crisis and site specific issues or problems. 



Question lb. How might inadequate base funding influence a university's ability 

 to compete for competitive grants? 



If the research/extension staffing is stretched so thin fi-om inadequate base funding, 

 the infrastructure is loaded down handling present programs. Being able to compete 

 for competitive grants puts those states which can't find other f undin g at a 

 disadvantage fi-om a higher overhead cost perspective. 



Question 2a. How do we more effectively^arget basic and applied research? 



I feel that problems or issues of national or regional nature can be targeted by special 

 grants. Although there is much disciission about special grants, I feel that special 

 grants that ar| rego,|^ig^ature^can^a^ess^rob^em|„cg,igsu with a broad 



National Association of State Universities and Land-Grant Colleges • Board on Agriculture 



