The next Farm Foundation event is less than a week away and will feature U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack as the keynote speaker.
The one-day workshop on April 28th, entitled Agricultural Research and Productivity for the Future, will look at the impact of research on the growth in agricultural productivity, the challenges facing the food system over the next decade, public- and private-sector funding options, and strategies for moving forward:
Targeted to policy makers, agribusiness leaders, academics and government agency representatives, the workshop is a collaboration of Farm Foundation and the National Agriculture Research Extension, Education and Economics Advisory Board.
Historically U.S. agriculture’s competitiveness in global markets has been driven by a combination of public- and private-sector investments in research, education and technology transfer. Recent research indicates the growth in U.S. agricultural productivity is slowing, in part because of reduced investments in agricultural research. Funding for agricultural productivity enhancing research has slowed, and in some cases declined, in the United States. At the same time, other nations have increased their public investments in agricultural research.
At the April 28 workshop, participants will examine the relationship between public- and private-sector research and agricultural productivity growth, both in the United States and worldwide. Participants will identify specific challenges for agricultural research and develop the implications for research funding strategies in the United States.
If you’re going to make it to the workshop, you need to hurry up and register by tomorrow (April 23rd) through the Farm Foundation Web site. Check it out!