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The Honorable Charles Stenholm 

 May 3, 1993 

 Page Two 



audience or community impact. Site-specific special grants generally don't have as 

 broad a constituency and there becomes a question of whether this should be state 

 funded and/or possible private funds. Again, this is where a strong formula funded 

 infi-astructure creates the ability for states to leverage private funds. (Check-oflf 

 dollars, private industry, foundations, etc.) to address very important issues or 

 problems that are very site specific in nature. My state, Indiana, has taken the stand 

 that it will not go after federal dollars for site specific problems but will compete very 

 aggressively for dollars that will bring about collaboration with other states. In this 

 case, usually one state is designated the lead and collaborates with other states which 

 have like interests. Through the National Research Initiative (NRI), national 

 priorities can be addressed and is, in fact, fociising on high-priority issues. Most 

 priorities set by the public or users are of the appUed research nature and this calls 

 for basic research and/or mission-linked reseauxh to bring us to the position of 

 application. 



Question 2b. Do you feel there is currently too much basic research being done or 

 too much applied research being done? Describe how each is essentiaL 



Let me give you an example of how a very important break-through will give the com 

 growers across this country the abihty to not only be good stewards of the 

 environment but to also be able to avoid a disastrous harvest situation. Several years 

 ago, I was at the Purdue campus on a tour of the lab work being done. The highhght 

 of the day was the demonstration of the tobacco plant and the ability to manipulate 

 this plant genetically. With this break-through came the question of how long would 

 it be before we could expect the com plant to produce nitrogen similar to a legimie or 

 for the plant to repel insects? I have tried to harvest com after the southern corn-bore 

 have devastated the crop. Not only is there economic loss with com lying tangled on 

 the ground, but some of my farm fiiends have lost arms, legs and, in some cases, their 

 lives while trjring to harvest in fi-ustration with equipment that can't handle such a 

 crop. I was in Louisiana a couple years aft«r my Purdue experience and saw genetic 

 work being done on the rice plant. I reported this to Purdue when I got home and 

 found that they were also working with rice but with mission-Unked goal of producing 

 a com plant to not only repel, but possibly to selectively kill, destructive pests while 

 not harming other insects. This was exciting. Even though I was ready for the seed 

 com when I first saw the tobacco work years ago, I knew that it would take years to 

 bring an application to the farm. This genetic manipulation has moved through the 

 tobacco, tomato, rice, and now to com. The break-through in rice has other 

 applications elsewhere; but for me, the mission-linked com project is very important, 

 and I am now awaiting the appUed research side to adapt hybrids and bring to the 

 farm a long-awaited product. As a layman, I can't really answer the question as to 

 how much basic or appUed research is essential. While I know what my expectations 

 are of apphed research, I can't begin to estimate how much basic research has to be 

 done before it's ready for apphcation. 



Question 3. How has agricultural research benefitted you personally? 



Since I didn't follow anyone in to agricultiore, and I did not graduate fi-om an 

 agricultural school, I have been in a continuous mode of education. I depend on the 



