Washington, DC
April 26, 2007
USDA
Under Secretaries Gale Buchanan and Bruce Knight addressed
academic, industry and federal specialty crop stakeholders at a
specialty crops research workshop hosted by USDA's Cooperative
State Research, Education and Extension Service (CSREES) and
Agricultural Research Service (ARS).
"U.S. specialty crop producers and processors face challenges
from foreign competition, environmental regulations, consumer
concerns about health and product quality, and escalating
production costs," Buchanan said. "As highlighted by the
meetings this week, advanced solutions to mechanization and
harvesting issues are critical. These are all challenges
agricultural research can help solve."
The workshop focused on identifying engineering science and
technology industry research needs and developing a research
agenda to meet those needs. Automation, robotics, precision
agriculture, sensors and other advanced technologies are needed
to help producers and the specialty crop industry become more
efficient, productive and sustainable.
In response to these challenges, the Bush administration is
recommending in the 2007 Farm Bill the establishment of a
Specialty Crop Research Initiative, supported by $100 million in
annual mandatory funding to provide science-based tools for the
specialty crop industry. The Specialty Crop Research Initiative
will address:
- conducting fundamental
research in plant breeding, genetics and genomics to improve
crop characteristics such as product appearance,
environmental responses and tolerances, nutrient management
and pest and disease management, as well as safety, quality,
yield, taste and shelf life;
- optimizing production by
developing more technologically efficient and effective
application of water, nutrients and pesticides to reduce
energy use and improve production efficiency;
- developing new innovations
and technology to enhance mechanization, thus reducing
reliance on labor; and
- improving production
efficiency, productivity and profitability over the long
term.
The farm bill proposal also calls
for increasing assistance for specialty crop growers through an
array of changes that will enhance their ability to compete in
the marketplace. These initiatives include expanding mandatory
funding for the Technical Assistance for Specialty Crops (TASC)
program and the Market Access Program. TASC assists U.S. food
and agricultural organizations by funding projects that address
sanitary, phytosanitary and technical barriers that prohibit or
threaten the export of U.S. specialty crops. The Market Access
Program assists in the creation, expansion and maintenance of
foreign markets for U.S. agricultural products.
"Clearly agriculture faces challenges in 2007 and in the years
ahead," Knight said. "But the measures put forth in this
proposal will help us meet those challenges. It establishes
parameters and policies that will enable American agriculture
and individual farmers and ranchers to grow and prosper."
CSREES advances knowledge for agriculture, the environment,
human health and well-being, and communities by supporting
research, education, and extension programs in the Land-Grant
University System and other partner organizations. For more
information, visit
http://www.csrees.usda.gov .
ARS is the principal scientific
research agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Visit
http://www.ars.usda.gov
for more information. |
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