Better living through farming

Report urges US agriculture research focus on improving health and environment.

| 2 min read

Register for free to listen to this article
Listen with Speechify
0:00
2:00
Share

The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) research portfolio, worth more than $2 billion, ought to emphasize genomics and transgenic technology to enhance the well-being of the environment and the health of people, according to a National Research Council report issued December 10. The 239-page assessment, "Frontiers in Agricultural Research: Food, Health, Environment and Communities," was ordered by Congress in 1998, to determine where USDA's Research, Education, & Economics (REE) program should focus its efforts.

The report "is pushing the edge of where USDA agriculture research needs to head," said Lonnie King, dean of the College of Veterinary Medicine at Michigan State University, and a member of the NRC Committee on Opportunities in Agriculture that produced the report.

The chapter devoted to "research frontiers" speaks in general terms of the need for USDA's research to develop, "Techniques for modifying plant and animal genomes, building models and systems analyses that integrate basic ...

Interested in reading more?

Become a Member of

The Scientist Logo
Receive full access to more than 35 years of archives, as well as TS Digest, digital editions of The Scientist, feature stories, and much more!
Already a member? Login Here

Meet the Author

  • Harvey Black

    This person does not yet have a bio.
Share
3D illustration of a gold lipid nanoparticle with pink nucleic acid inside of it. Purple and teal spikes stick out from the lipid bilayer representing polyethylene glycol.
February 2025, Issue 1

A Nanoparticle Delivery System for Gene Therapy

A reimagined lipid vehicle for nucleic acids could overcome the limitations of current vectors.

View this Issue
Enhancing Therapeutic Antibody Discovery with Cross-Platform Workflows

Enhancing Therapeutic Antibody Discovery with Cross-Platform Workflows

sartorius logo
Considerations for Cell-Based Assays in Immuno-Oncology Research

Considerations for Cell-Based Assays in Immuno-Oncology Research

Lonza
An illustration of animal and tree silhouettes.

From Water Bears to Grizzly Bears: Unusual Animal Models

Taconic Biosciences
Sex Differences in Neurological Research

Sex Differences in Neurological Research

bit.bio logo

Products

Photo of a researcher overseeing large scale production processes in a laboratory.

Scaling Lentiviral Vector Manufacturing for Optimal Productivity

Thermo Fisher Logo
Collage-style urban graphic of wastewater surveillance and treatment

Putting Pathogens to the Test with Wastewater Surveillance

An illustration of an mRNA molecule in front of a multicolored background.

Generating High-Quality mRNA for In Vivo Delivery with lipid nanoparticles

Thermo Fisher Logo
Tecan Logo

Tecan introduces Veya: bringing digital, scalable automation to labs worldwide