New Group to Focus on Animal Ag Research Funding

The animal science department heads from 12 Land Grant Universities have formed the National Association for Advancement of Animal Science. The administrators have come together to address the dwindling research funding for U.S. animal agriculture – which at a level of about 1.4-billion dollars annually is well behind the three-billion invested by Brazil and the 45-billion China invests. Dr. Russell Cross of Texas A&M – a former USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service Administrator – described the new lobbying organization at the International Livestock Congress in Denver – and noted other worrisome trends. He included the need for global agriculture to nearly double its level of food production over the next 40 years. Cross also mentioned that the state provides less than 20-percent of the funding for animal science research at most Land Grant universities. As for USDA competitive grants –

 

Cross said that only 22-million dollars out of 262-million annually goes to food animal research. He told attendees that he worries about food security, food safety, overregulation not supported by science and an empty pipeline of animal science students and cutting edge research. But to this point – there hasn’t been a group dedicated to lobbying Congress for funding for food animal research. This association will fill that void.

 

Source: NAFB News Service

Recommended Posts

Loading...