- Email: [email protected]
Trends in Dairy Research Support – Federal
T r e n d s in D a i r y
Research Support
-
Federal T. H. BLOSSER Program Planning Staff Science and Education Administration United States Department of Agriculture Beltsville, MD 20705
INTRODUCTION
Dairy research in the US is conducted by scientists at the state agricultural experiment stations (SAES); in laboratories financed by federal government, principally in the Science and Education Administration (SEA); in nonLand Grant colleges and universities; and in private industry. An analysis of trends in dairy research support in the states, including the use of federal funds by SAES, is in the companion paper by Flatt (4). This paper will be directed principally to analyzing trends in support of inhouse (i.e., USDA) dairy research since 1956. In the Golden Jubilee edition of the Journal of Dairy Science, Hodgson (6) describes USDA dairy production research to 1956. More recently, Hodgson (7) has prepared an extensive review of dairy production research by the USDA from 1895 to 1980. USE OF FEDERAL FUNDS IN DAIRY RESEARCH
Federal funds are used in several ways to support dairy and other types of agricultural research. The two most widely recognized are a) funds provided for USDA in-house research and b) funds provided through the Hatch Act on a formula basis for support of the SAES. The history of Hatch funds and the cooperative relationship between the federal government and SAES is described well by Flatt (4). Recently USDA funds have been provided through competitive grants for certain types of agricultural research. Most of these funds have been earmarked for plant research. However, starting in 1977 funds became available for animal (including dairy cattle) health research. These funds are administered by USDA's Science and Education Administration through Cooperative Research (CR). Some federal funds are also available for
Received November 3, 1980. 1981 J Dairy Sci 64:942-949
certain types of dairy research through other government departments and agencies including the Departments of Health and Human Services (e.g., NIH grants), Energy, Defense, and State. Agencies such as the National Science Foundation and the Environmental Protection Agency also provide some support for dairy-related research both to the state agricultural experiment stations and, less frequently, to nonLand Grant colleges and universities and to other research institutions and groups. CHANGES IN THE ORGANIZATION OF USDA DAIRY RESEARCH
Several changes have occurred in the organization of USDA research in the last three decades. Hodgson (6) describes organization of the Dairy Division of the Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) and, subsequently, the Bureau of Dairy Industry (BDI), the two USDA agencies under which all dairy research was conducted until 1952. All USDA dairy research, both production (including animal health) and processing, was conducted by BAI and, subsequendy, BDI scientists until 1952 when the latter ceased to exist by that name. In 1952, when the Agricultural Research Service (ARS) was formed, all dairy production research was placed in the Dairy Husbandry Research Branch and in 1959 the title was changed to Dairy Cattle Research Branch. Concurrent with formation of the Dairy Husbandry Research Branch, all research related to animal protection was placed in the Animal Disease and Parasite Research Division (later named the Veterinary Science Research Division). At the same time, all dairy product (i.e., processing) research was placed in the Utilization Division. This basic structure remained until 1972. At that time, ARS was reorganized and decentralized, and commodity designations for research units ceased. Research scientists continued their research efforts in adminis-
942
FEDERAL RESEARCH -- 75TH ANIVERSARY ISSUE trative units no longer specifically identified with commodities. In 1972, a National Program Staff with species-oriented (e.g., "dairy") scientists was created to lead program efforts and to develop commodity-oriented National Research Programs (NRP). The NRP's, which were published in 1976, are a 10-yr blueprint for research in a specified program area. Not all of the research oriented to dairy cattle is covered in the dairy production NRP (11). Other NRP's that direct considerable attention to dairy cattle are those on diseases (13), insects (14), and housing (12). Most of the research on milk and dairy products processing is in the animal products NRP (1). Locations where there are five or more USDA scientists conducting research classified as dairy-related in the Current Research Information System (CRIS) are:
Name and location Beltsville Agricultural Research Center, Beltsville, MD National Animal Disease Center, Ames, IA Plum Island Animal Disease Center, Plum Island, NY Economics and Statistics Service, Washington, DC
Number of scientist years ( 1978) 37.7 18.1
943
cultural experiment stations, is the Current Research Information System (CRIS) operated by USDA-SEA. This system was initiated in 1966 and contains information on funds used and scientist years (SY) engaged in agricultural research in various research programs and fields of science. Data are available by states .and by USDA research locations. Data on dairy research support in USDA prior to 1966 are available from the Budget Division of SEA and are much less detailed than CRIS information. The USDA expenditures for dairy research from 1961 to 1966, exclusive of Hatch funds returned to the state agricultural experiment stations, are in Table 1. Comparable data do not exist prior to 1961. From 1961 to 1965 the annual increase in research expenditures was 10% for dairy cattle research and 11% for dairy product research, but in 1966 dairy products research declined more than $500,000 (about 18%). Most of this decline was in dairy marketing research, but research in nutrition and consumer use also declined. The total resources (exclusive of Hatch funds) devoted to dairy cattle (including products) research by USDA between 1968 and 1978 are in Table 2. Research related to dairy cattle in SEA-AR increased slightly between
9.6 7.4
There is also some USDA dairy research effort at the Dairy Experiment Station, Lewisburg, TN; at the Eastern Regional Research Center, Wyndmoor, PA; and at Utah State University, Logan, UT. A US Dairy-Forage Research Center (USDFRC) is currently under construction on the campus of the University of Wisconsin, and when the staffing of this center is completed, six additional dairy scientists and an equal number of forage scientists will be located there. In addition, several federally employed dairy scientists will be stationed at SAES conducting dairy-forage research under the USDFRC program. T R E N D S IN D A I R Y R E S E A R C H SUPPORT IN U S D A
The best source of information on the recent history of public support of agricultural research, both in USDA and in the state agri-
TABLE 1. Annual expenditures for USDA dairy research, 1961 to 1966.1,2
Year
Dairy cattle 3 ($ × 1000)
Dairy products a ($ X 1000) ($)
1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966
4,984 5,440 5,540 5,822 6,965 6,903
2,096 2,167 2,696 2,820 3,o26 2,487
1Does not include Hatch funds distributed to the state agricultural experiment stations. 2Unpublished information from the files of the Budget Division, Science and Education Administration, USDA. 3 Includes disease and parasite and marketing research. 4Includes utilization, marketing, nutrition, and consumer use research. Journal of Dairy Science Vol. 64, No. 6, 1981
944
BLOSSER
TABLE 2. Total resources devoted to dairy research by SEA-AR and ESS, USDA, 1 9 6 8 - 1 9 7 8 . l'z USDA Economics and Statistics Service
USDA SEA-AR Year
SY
$ × 1000
SY
$ X 1000
1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978
149.0 150.2 152.9 164.1 158.5 165.4 137.9 129.7 122.7 122.2 89.5
9,423 9,219 10,154 11,509 12,298 12,188 11,768 12,746 13,214 15,223 13,970
14.5 15.9 11.7 12.0 14.1 14.5 12.0 13.0 12.5 13.8 14.1
560 509 325 410 526 577 690 791 678 784 888
1 Does not include Hatch funds distributed to the state agricultural experiment stations. 2 Data from Current Research Information System (CRIS) assembled by Unglesbee (10).
TABLE 3. Scientist years (SY) devoted to dairy research problem areas (RPA's) by SEA-AR 1 , USDA, 1970, 1975, 1978. 2 1970 SY
1975 SY
1978 SY
11.1 26.4 8.7 6.3 0
9.6 29.8 7.2 4.2 0
6.0 33.0 6.3 2.1 .1
Reproduction performance Improved biological efficiency Environmental stress Production management systems Mechanization and structures
6.5 14.6 2.4 .8 1.0
5.7 17.4 1.3 .8 .8
6.1 21.2 .2 1.1 1.4
409 410 412
Improved consumer acceptance New and improved food products Quality maintenance
.4 45.4 1.0
1.8 15.3 .6
0
501 503
Improvement of grades and standards Efficiency in marketing agricultural products
0 1.9
.6 1.4
.8 1.0
601
Foreign market development
4.0
0
0
701 702 704 708
Insure food free of toxin contamination Protect food and feed from microorganisms Home and commercial food service Human nutrition
9.6 9.4 .2 .9
4.7 1.2 0 5.5
2.3 0 0 5.7
901
Alleviation of pollution and waste disposal
5.3
21.8
.5
RPA
Title
210 211 212 213 214
Control of Control of Control of Protection Protection
310 311 312 313 317
insects diseases parasites from hazards from pollution
1 Previously called the Agricultural Research Service (ARS). 2 Data from Current Research Information System (CRIS) assembled by Unglesbee (10). Journal of Dairy Science Vol. 64, No. 6, 1981
.6 1.2
FEDERAL RESEARCH -- 75TH ANIVERSARY ISSUE 1968 and 1973. Between 1973 and 1978, however, a substantial drop of 75.9 SY's (46%) in dairy research occurred. The number of dairy research SY's supported by the Economics and Statistics Service changed little between 1968 and 1978. Dollars expended per SY for dairy research in SEA-AR increased from $63,000 in 1968 to $156,000 in 1978, a percentage increase of 248%. This increase was largely, if not totally, offset by inflationary increases in costs of research. Scientist years in USDA devoted to dairy research by research problem areas (RPA's) in the years 1970, 1975, and 1978 are in Table 3. During this period dairy protection research effort decreased by 5 SY's (9%) and dairy production research effort increased by about 5 SY's (19%). By far the greatest change in SEAAR dairy research effort during this period was in research related to dairy products. Research in this area decreased from about 46 SY's in 1970 to about 2 SY's in 1978. Scientist years devoted to federal dairy research in 1970, 1975, and 1978 according to the field of science to which the research was related are in Table 4. In 1970, biochemistry, entomology, microbiology, nutrition, chemistry, and engineering were fields of science with
945
more than 10-SY's involved in dairy research. By 1978 substantial reductions had occurred in biochemistry, microbiology, chemistry, and engineering. The SY decreases in these fields of science reflect the substantial decreases in federal dairy processing research efforts between 1970 and 1978. Fields of science with increases of more than 1 SY between 1970 and 1978 were environmental biology, genetics, immunology, nutrition, and virology. Microbiology remains as a significant area of emphasis in dairy research even though SY effort decreased. Scientist years devoted to research on improvement of biological efficiency (RPA 311) and to reproductive performance (RPA 310) in 1970, 1975, and 1978 are in Table 5. The federal research effort on reproduction in dairy cattle of about 6 SY's has changed little since 1970. A substantial increase in SY's (nearly 50%) in research on biological efficiency occurred between 1970 and 1978. Most of this increase was in research on nutrition and on genetics. Trends in research support of new and improved milk and dairy products and disposal of wastes are shown in Table 6. This table reemphasizes the marked decline in USDA supported dairy products research between
TABLE 4. Scientist years by field of science devoted to dairy research by SEA-AR1, USDA, 1970, 1975, 1978. 2
Field of science
1970 SY
1975 SY
1978 SY
Biochemistry Biology, environmental Biology, molecular Entomology Genetics Immunology Microbiology Nutrition Parasitology Pathology Pharmacology Physiology Virology Chemistry Engineering Statistics Economics
25.4 2.9 .6 12.9 6.4 4.1 19.4 10.7 8.3 4.2 0 8.1 5.9 27.1 16.3 .2 .5
17.2 5.4 1.1 11.4 6.8 2.5 17.5 9.6 5.7 .9 0 8.7 6.1 21.8 14.4 .1 .6
4.6 5.7 1.2 8.6 7.8 5.3 12.8 12.3 6.0 .7 0 7.3 9.1 1.9 5.9 .1 .6
1Previously called the Agricultural Research Service (ARS). 2Data from Current Research Information System (CRIS) assembled by Unglesbee (10). Journal of Dairy Science Vol. 64, No. 6, 1981
4~ o-, o
TABLE 5. The USDA scientist years (SY) devoted to research on reproductive performance (RPA 310) and i m p r o v e m e n t of biological efficiency (RPA 311) of dairy cattle, 1970, 1975, 1978.1 Reproductive performance (RPA 310) SY
t~ Field of science o, .~ Z o ~" ~
1970
Biology, environmental Genetics Nutrition Physiology Other Total
0 .1 0 5.4 1.0 6.5
Biological efficiency (RPA 311) SY
1975
1978
1970
1975
1978
1.4 0 0 3.8 .5 5.7
1.5 0 0 4.1 .5 6.1
1.2 5.4 6.0 .6 1.4 14.6
2.2 6.7 6.8 .6 1.1 17.4
1.9 7.3 9.8 .6 1.6 21.2
1 Data from Current Research Information System (CRIS) assembled by Unglesbee (10).
©
TABLE 6. The USDA scientist years (SY) devoted to research on new and improved milk and dairy products (RPA 410) and on disposal of wastes (RPA 901), 1970, 1975, 1978.1
Field of science
1970
Biochemistry Microbiology Chemistry Engineering Other Total
13.1 .9 24.2 7.3 0 45.5
New and improved milk and dairy products (RPA 410) SY 1975 8.6 .1 6.5 0 .1 15.3
1978
1970
0 0 0 0
.3 0 0 4.8 .2 5.3
.6 .6
1 Data from Current Research Information System (CRIS) assembled b y Unglesbee (10).
Disposal of wastes (RPA 901) SY 1975 3.1 .3 10.9 7.2 .3 21.8
1978 0 0 0 .5 0 .5
FEDERAL RESEARCH -- 75TH ANIVERSARY ISSUE
947
1970 and 1978. A substantial increase in waste disposal research (mostly whey disposal research) occurred between 1970 and 1975, but it decreased to nearly zero by 1978. U N I Q U E RESEARCH P R O G R A M S A N D R E S E A R C H F A C I L I T I E S IN U S D A
The US agricultural research system has demonstrated the value of a combination of a strong federal in-house research program combined with a decentralized research effort such as that by the state agricultural experiment stations. Land Grant universities provide training for future scientists in their undergraduate and graduate programs and are in an excellent position to conduct research adapted to local and regional needs and to provide a reservoir of knowledge in basic research because of advanced degree offerings and an academic, interdisciplinary atmosphere. The USDA research system provides a greater opportunity for concentration of expertise in one location conducting research on national agricultural problems and for providing facilities and research programs that are unique and for which considerable duplication is unwise. A program for which one national effort is necessary is the National Cooperative Dairy Herd Improvement Program. This is an excellent example of a cooperative effort involving dairy farmers in each state, county, and state cooperative extension services, regional computing centers, and the Animal Improvement Programs Laboratory (AIPL) of SEA-AR at the Beltsville Agricultural Research Center (BARC). Research to determine how to improve sire and cow evaluation is conducted by AIPL, and indexes are computed and distributed nationally. As a result of this cooperative effort between the states and USDA, the US is recognized as a world leader in production of superior dairy germ plasm. An example of a unique research facility is the Energy Metabolism Laboratory at BARC (Figure 1). This laboratory, constructed in 1958, is a valuable facility where basic research is with dairy cows on problems of national interest. This laboratory was costly to construct, is costly to operate, and need not be duplicated by individual states; yet knowledge provided through its use enables both federal and state scientists to improve their under-
Figure 1. Dairy cow in respiration chamber, Energy Metabolism Laboratory, Beltsville Agricultural Research Center, Beltsville, MD.
standing of dairy cow nutrition and physiology. The availability of this laboratory and the presence of several scientists in one discipline at one location working on comparable problems permits scientists to cooperate in nutritional and physiological studies (Figure 2) and permits establishment of an area of excellence. Because of the significance of problems related to reproduction in farm animals, a Reproduction Laboratory was established at BARC in 1972 to examine many facets of reproductive physiology. Recently SEA-AR administrators formed a milk secretion and Mastitis Laboratory at BARC to study many aspects of milk secretion and udder health (Figure 3).
Figure 2. Dairy scientists at the Beltsville Agricultural Research Center study digestive and respiratory physiology with a tracheal cannulated cow (5). Journal of Dairy Science Vol. 64, No. 6, 1981
948
BLOSSER
Figure 3. Scientists at Beltsville study internal mammary gland anatomy.
In 1974, at the request of Congress, a national dairy-forage study was conducted. The USDA was instructed to provide Congress "with a report based on a complete study of the extent of forage and dairy cattle management research now being performed with recommendations as to the needs for additional research in this area and the most efficient way in which the additional research can be performed." A combined state-federal task force examined the national needs for dairy and forage research. One of the recommendations of this national task force was to "establish a North Central Regional Dairy-Forage Research Center" because of the need for "intensive research from a specialized team of scientists." The concerned USDA administrators concurred with this recommendation, and it was endorsed unanimously by the directors of the state agricultural experiment stations in the north central and northeastern regions. Congress ultimately approved construction of facilities of a US Dairy-Forage Research Center on and near the campus of the University of Wisconsin at Madison. Construction will be complete in 1981. Dairy and forage scientists and agrcultural engineers will work together at the US Dairy-Forage Research Center (USDFRC). There are also plans for clusters of USDFRC scientists at a few state agricultural experiment stations to provide areas of excellence and to bring an interdisciplinary approach to solving national dairy-forage research problems. PROSPECTS FOR THE F U T U R E
The companion paper by Flatt (4) provides an excellent analysis of fiscal and political Journal of Dairy Science Vol. 64, No. 6, 1981
problems, both state and federal, facing those who are convinced of the need for continued and additional support of dairy research. The prevailing mood of the American public is toward fiscal conservatism, yet it is likely that acute global food problems will exist by the time of the centennial celebration of the American Dairy Science Association in 2006 (2). Unfortunately, our base of fundamental knowledge is not great. At the recent Conference on Animal Agriculture (8), A. R. Bertrand, Director of the Science and Education Administration of USDA, stated: "Unless we begin now a long-term commitment to restock our storehouse of fundamental knowledge, it will have been picked bare long before the year 2000. I do not believe that the general public, whose human needs are in the forefront in setting our priorities, has the slightest idea of how precarious our position is." To achieve, in the eyes of the public, the appreciation of the importance of agricultural research in general and dairy research in particular, those who best understand the importance of dairy research to future food production must be evangelistic. The dairy industry must carry the burden of supporting research in the political arena, and ultimately "society must provide researchers with signals of funding and moral support to assure that sufficient human and financial resources are spent on appropriate research" (8). Dairy research is a good buy (3) and the dairy cow is an extremely efficient forage-tofood converter (9), which gives research administrators ample evidence to provide strong support for dairy research in the years ahead.
REFERENCES
1 Alsmeyer, R. 1980. Personal communication on technologies for food and feed uses - animal products. SEA-AR NRP 20530. Beltsville, MD. 2 Barney, G. O. 1980. The global 2000 report to the President - entering the twenty-first century. Vol 1. Rep. Counc. Environ. Qual. and Dep. State. 3 Evenson, R. E., P. E. Waggoner, and V. W. Ruttan. 1979. Economic benefits from research: An example from agriculture. Science 205:1101. 4 Flatt, W. P. 1981. Trends in dairy research support from the state viewpoint. J. Dairy Sci. 64:950. 5 Flatt, W. P., D. R. Waldo, J. R. Sykes, and L. A. Moore. 1958. A proposed method of indirect colorimetry for energy metabolism studies with
FEDERAL RESEARCH -- 75TH ANIVERSARY ISSUE
6 7
8
9
large animals under field conditions. Proc. I. Symp. Energy Metab. EAAP Publ. No. 8:101. Hodgson, R. E. 1956. Dairy production research in the United States Department of Agriculture. J. Dairy Sci. 39:674. Hodgson, R. E. 1981. A historical review of dairy production research by the U.S. Dep. Agr. 18951980. (In Press). Pond, W. G., R. A. Merkel, L. D. McGilliard, and V. J. Rhodes. 1980. Animal agriculture - research to meet human needs in the 21st century - executive summary. Conf. Anim. Agric. Westview Press, Inc., Boulder, CO. Reid, J. T. 1975. Comparative efficiency of animals in the conversion of feedstuffs to human foods. Pages 16-24 in Proc. 1975 Cornell Nutr.
949
Conf. Feed Manuf. 10 Unglesbee, D. 1980. Personal communication. Data from the USDA Current Research Information System. 11 US Department of Agriculture. 1976. Dairy Production. Agric. Res. Serv., Nat. Res. Progr. 20350. 12 US Department of Agriculture. 1976. Structures, equipment and systems for livestock production. Agric. Res. Serv., Nat. Res. Progr. 20400. 13 US Department of Agriculture. 1976. Control of cattle diseases - infectious, non-infectious and parasitic. Agric. Res. Serv., Nat. Res. Prog. 20420. 14 US Department of Agriculture. 1980. Control of insects affecting livestock. Agric. Res. Serv., Nat. Res. Progr. 20480.
Journal of Dairy Science Vol. 64, No. 6, 1981
Research Support
-
Federal T. H. BLOSSER Program Planning Staff Science and Education Administration United States Department of Agriculture Beltsville, MD 20705
INTRODUCTION
Dairy research in the US is conducted by scientists at the state agricultural experiment stations (SAES); in laboratories financed by federal government, principally in the Science and Education Administration (SEA); in nonLand Grant colleges and universities; and in private industry. An analysis of trends in dairy research support in the states, including the use of federal funds by SAES, is in the companion paper by Flatt (4). This paper will be directed principally to analyzing trends in support of inhouse (i.e., USDA) dairy research since 1956. In the Golden Jubilee edition of the Journal of Dairy Science, Hodgson (6) describes USDA dairy production research to 1956. More recently, Hodgson (7) has prepared an extensive review of dairy production research by the USDA from 1895 to 1980. USE OF FEDERAL FUNDS IN DAIRY RESEARCH
Federal funds are used in several ways to support dairy and other types of agricultural research. The two most widely recognized are a) funds provided for USDA in-house research and b) funds provided through the Hatch Act on a formula basis for support of the SAES. The history of Hatch funds and the cooperative relationship between the federal government and SAES is described well by Flatt (4). Recently USDA funds have been provided through competitive grants for certain types of agricultural research. Most of these funds have been earmarked for plant research. However, starting in 1977 funds became available for animal (including dairy cattle) health research. These funds are administered by USDA's Science and Education Administration through Cooperative Research (CR). Some federal funds are also available for
Received November 3, 1980. 1981 J Dairy Sci 64:942-949
certain types of dairy research through other government departments and agencies including the Departments of Health and Human Services (e.g., NIH grants), Energy, Defense, and State. Agencies such as the National Science Foundation and the Environmental Protection Agency also provide some support for dairy-related research both to the state agricultural experiment stations and, less frequently, to nonLand Grant colleges and universities and to other research institutions and groups. CHANGES IN THE ORGANIZATION OF USDA DAIRY RESEARCH
Several changes have occurred in the organization of USDA research in the last three decades. Hodgson (6) describes organization of the Dairy Division of the Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) and, subsequently, the Bureau of Dairy Industry (BDI), the two USDA agencies under which all dairy research was conducted until 1952. All USDA dairy research, both production (including animal health) and processing, was conducted by BAI and, subsequendy, BDI scientists until 1952 when the latter ceased to exist by that name. In 1952, when the Agricultural Research Service (ARS) was formed, all dairy production research was placed in the Dairy Husbandry Research Branch and in 1959 the title was changed to Dairy Cattle Research Branch. Concurrent with formation of the Dairy Husbandry Research Branch, all research related to animal protection was placed in the Animal Disease and Parasite Research Division (later named the Veterinary Science Research Division). At the same time, all dairy product (i.e., processing) research was placed in the Utilization Division. This basic structure remained until 1972. At that time, ARS was reorganized and decentralized, and commodity designations for research units ceased. Research scientists continued their research efforts in adminis-
942
FEDERAL RESEARCH -- 75TH ANIVERSARY ISSUE trative units no longer specifically identified with commodities. In 1972, a National Program Staff with species-oriented (e.g., "dairy") scientists was created to lead program efforts and to develop commodity-oriented National Research Programs (NRP). The NRP's, which were published in 1976, are a 10-yr blueprint for research in a specified program area. Not all of the research oriented to dairy cattle is covered in the dairy production NRP (11). Other NRP's that direct considerable attention to dairy cattle are those on diseases (13), insects (14), and housing (12). Most of the research on milk and dairy products processing is in the animal products NRP (1). Locations where there are five or more USDA scientists conducting research classified as dairy-related in the Current Research Information System (CRIS) are:
Name and location Beltsville Agricultural Research Center, Beltsville, MD National Animal Disease Center, Ames, IA Plum Island Animal Disease Center, Plum Island, NY Economics and Statistics Service, Washington, DC
Number of scientist years ( 1978) 37.7 18.1
943
cultural experiment stations, is the Current Research Information System (CRIS) operated by USDA-SEA. This system was initiated in 1966 and contains information on funds used and scientist years (SY) engaged in agricultural research in various research programs and fields of science. Data are available by states .and by USDA research locations. Data on dairy research support in USDA prior to 1966 are available from the Budget Division of SEA and are much less detailed than CRIS information. The USDA expenditures for dairy research from 1961 to 1966, exclusive of Hatch funds returned to the state agricultural experiment stations, are in Table 1. Comparable data do not exist prior to 1961. From 1961 to 1965 the annual increase in research expenditures was 10% for dairy cattle research and 11% for dairy product research, but in 1966 dairy products research declined more than $500,000 (about 18%). Most of this decline was in dairy marketing research, but research in nutrition and consumer use also declined. The total resources (exclusive of Hatch funds) devoted to dairy cattle (including products) research by USDA between 1968 and 1978 are in Table 2. Research related to dairy cattle in SEA-AR increased slightly between
9.6 7.4
There is also some USDA dairy research effort at the Dairy Experiment Station, Lewisburg, TN; at the Eastern Regional Research Center, Wyndmoor, PA; and at Utah State University, Logan, UT. A US Dairy-Forage Research Center (USDFRC) is currently under construction on the campus of the University of Wisconsin, and when the staffing of this center is completed, six additional dairy scientists and an equal number of forage scientists will be located there. In addition, several federally employed dairy scientists will be stationed at SAES conducting dairy-forage research under the USDFRC program. T R E N D S IN D A I R Y R E S E A R C H SUPPORT IN U S D A
The best source of information on the recent history of public support of agricultural research, both in USDA and in the state agri-
TABLE 1. Annual expenditures for USDA dairy research, 1961 to 1966.1,2
Year
Dairy cattle 3 ($ × 1000)
Dairy products a ($ X 1000) ($)
1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966
4,984 5,440 5,540 5,822 6,965 6,903
2,096 2,167 2,696 2,820 3,o26 2,487
1Does not include Hatch funds distributed to the state agricultural experiment stations. 2Unpublished information from the files of the Budget Division, Science and Education Administration, USDA. 3 Includes disease and parasite and marketing research. 4Includes utilization, marketing, nutrition, and consumer use research. Journal of Dairy Science Vol. 64, No. 6, 1981
944
BLOSSER
TABLE 2. Total resources devoted to dairy research by SEA-AR and ESS, USDA, 1 9 6 8 - 1 9 7 8 . l'z USDA Economics and Statistics Service
USDA SEA-AR Year
SY
$ × 1000
SY
$ X 1000
1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978
149.0 150.2 152.9 164.1 158.5 165.4 137.9 129.7 122.7 122.2 89.5
9,423 9,219 10,154 11,509 12,298 12,188 11,768 12,746 13,214 15,223 13,970
14.5 15.9 11.7 12.0 14.1 14.5 12.0 13.0 12.5 13.8 14.1
560 509 325 410 526 577 690 791 678 784 888
1 Does not include Hatch funds distributed to the state agricultural experiment stations. 2 Data from Current Research Information System (CRIS) assembled by Unglesbee (10).
TABLE 3. Scientist years (SY) devoted to dairy research problem areas (RPA's) by SEA-AR 1 , USDA, 1970, 1975, 1978. 2 1970 SY
1975 SY
1978 SY
11.1 26.4 8.7 6.3 0
9.6 29.8 7.2 4.2 0
6.0 33.0 6.3 2.1 .1
Reproduction performance Improved biological efficiency Environmental stress Production management systems Mechanization and structures
6.5 14.6 2.4 .8 1.0
5.7 17.4 1.3 .8 .8
6.1 21.2 .2 1.1 1.4
409 410 412
Improved consumer acceptance New and improved food products Quality maintenance
.4 45.4 1.0
1.8 15.3 .6
0
501 503
Improvement of grades and standards Efficiency in marketing agricultural products
0 1.9
.6 1.4
.8 1.0
601
Foreign market development
4.0
0
0
701 702 704 708
Insure food free of toxin contamination Protect food and feed from microorganisms Home and commercial food service Human nutrition
9.6 9.4 .2 .9
4.7 1.2 0 5.5
2.3 0 0 5.7
901
Alleviation of pollution and waste disposal
5.3
21.8
.5
RPA
Title
210 211 212 213 214
Control of Control of Control of Protection Protection
310 311 312 313 317
insects diseases parasites from hazards from pollution
1 Previously called the Agricultural Research Service (ARS). 2 Data from Current Research Information System (CRIS) assembled by Unglesbee (10). Journal of Dairy Science Vol. 64, No. 6, 1981
.6 1.2
FEDERAL RESEARCH -- 75TH ANIVERSARY ISSUE 1968 and 1973. Between 1973 and 1978, however, a substantial drop of 75.9 SY's (46%) in dairy research occurred. The number of dairy research SY's supported by the Economics and Statistics Service changed little between 1968 and 1978. Dollars expended per SY for dairy research in SEA-AR increased from $63,000 in 1968 to $156,000 in 1978, a percentage increase of 248%. This increase was largely, if not totally, offset by inflationary increases in costs of research. Scientist years in USDA devoted to dairy research by research problem areas (RPA's) in the years 1970, 1975, and 1978 are in Table 3. During this period dairy protection research effort decreased by 5 SY's (9%) and dairy production research effort increased by about 5 SY's (19%). By far the greatest change in SEAAR dairy research effort during this period was in research related to dairy products. Research in this area decreased from about 46 SY's in 1970 to about 2 SY's in 1978. Scientist years devoted to federal dairy research in 1970, 1975, and 1978 according to the field of science to which the research was related are in Table 4. In 1970, biochemistry, entomology, microbiology, nutrition, chemistry, and engineering were fields of science with
945
more than 10-SY's involved in dairy research. By 1978 substantial reductions had occurred in biochemistry, microbiology, chemistry, and engineering. The SY decreases in these fields of science reflect the substantial decreases in federal dairy processing research efforts between 1970 and 1978. Fields of science with increases of more than 1 SY between 1970 and 1978 were environmental biology, genetics, immunology, nutrition, and virology. Microbiology remains as a significant area of emphasis in dairy research even though SY effort decreased. Scientist years devoted to research on improvement of biological efficiency (RPA 311) and to reproductive performance (RPA 310) in 1970, 1975, and 1978 are in Table 5. The federal research effort on reproduction in dairy cattle of about 6 SY's has changed little since 1970. A substantial increase in SY's (nearly 50%) in research on biological efficiency occurred between 1970 and 1978. Most of this increase was in research on nutrition and on genetics. Trends in research support of new and improved milk and dairy products and disposal of wastes are shown in Table 6. This table reemphasizes the marked decline in USDA supported dairy products research between
TABLE 4. Scientist years by field of science devoted to dairy research by SEA-AR1, USDA, 1970, 1975, 1978. 2
Field of science
1970 SY
1975 SY
1978 SY
Biochemistry Biology, environmental Biology, molecular Entomology Genetics Immunology Microbiology Nutrition Parasitology Pathology Pharmacology Physiology Virology Chemistry Engineering Statistics Economics
25.4 2.9 .6 12.9 6.4 4.1 19.4 10.7 8.3 4.2 0 8.1 5.9 27.1 16.3 .2 .5
17.2 5.4 1.1 11.4 6.8 2.5 17.5 9.6 5.7 .9 0 8.7 6.1 21.8 14.4 .1 .6
4.6 5.7 1.2 8.6 7.8 5.3 12.8 12.3 6.0 .7 0 7.3 9.1 1.9 5.9 .1 .6
1Previously called the Agricultural Research Service (ARS). 2Data from Current Research Information System (CRIS) assembled by Unglesbee (10). Journal of Dairy Science Vol. 64, No. 6, 1981
4~ o-, o
TABLE 5. The USDA scientist years (SY) devoted to research on reproductive performance (RPA 310) and i m p r o v e m e n t of biological efficiency (RPA 311) of dairy cattle, 1970, 1975, 1978.1 Reproductive performance (RPA 310) SY
t~ Field of science o, .~ Z o ~" ~
1970
Biology, environmental Genetics Nutrition Physiology Other Total
0 .1 0 5.4 1.0 6.5
Biological efficiency (RPA 311) SY
1975
1978
1970
1975
1978
1.4 0 0 3.8 .5 5.7
1.5 0 0 4.1 .5 6.1
1.2 5.4 6.0 .6 1.4 14.6
2.2 6.7 6.8 .6 1.1 17.4
1.9 7.3 9.8 .6 1.6 21.2
1 Data from Current Research Information System (CRIS) assembled by Unglesbee (10).
©
TABLE 6. The USDA scientist years (SY) devoted to research on new and improved milk and dairy products (RPA 410) and on disposal of wastes (RPA 901), 1970, 1975, 1978.1
Field of science
1970
Biochemistry Microbiology Chemistry Engineering Other Total
13.1 .9 24.2 7.3 0 45.5
New and improved milk and dairy products (RPA 410) SY 1975 8.6 .1 6.5 0 .1 15.3
1978
1970
0 0 0 0
.3 0 0 4.8 .2 5.3
.6 .6
1 Data from Current Research Information System (CRIS) assembled b y Unglesbee (10).
Disposal of wastes (RPA 901) SY 1975 3.1 .3 10.9 7.2 .3 21.8
1978 0 0 0 .5 0 .5
FEDERAL RESEARCH -- 75TH ANIVERSARY ISSUE
947
1970 and 1978. A substantial increase in waste disposal research (mostly whey disposal research) occurred between 1970 and 1975, but it decreased to nearly zero by 1978. U N I Q U E RESEARCH P R O G R A M S A N D R E S E A R C H F A C I L I T I E S IN U S D A
The US agricultural research system has demonstrated the value of a combination of a strong federal in-house research program combined with a decentralized research effort such as that by the state agricultural experiment stations. Land Grant universities provide training for future scientists in their undergraduate and graduate programs and are in an excellent position to conduct research adapted to local and regional needs and to provide a reservoir of knowledge in basic research because of advanced degree offerings and an academic, interdisciplinary atmosphere. The USDA research system provides a greater opportunity for concentration of expertise in one location conducting research on national agricultural problems and for providing facilities and research programs that are unique and for which considerable duplication is unwise. A program for which one national effort is necessary is the National Cooperative Dairy Herd Improvement Program. This is an excellent example of a cooperative effort involving dairy farmers in each state, county, and state cooperative extension services, regional computing centers, and the Animal Improvement Programs Laboratory (AIPL) of SEA-AR at the Beltsville Agricultural Research Center (BARC). Research to determine how to improve sire and cow evaluation is conducted by AIPL, and indexes are computed and distributed nationally. As a result of this cooperative effort between the states and USDA, the US is recognized as a world leader in production of superior dairy germ plasm. An example of a unique research facility is the Energy Metabolism Laboratory at BARC (Figure 1). This laboratory, constructed in 1958, is a valuable facility where basic research is with dairy cows on problems of national interest. This laboratory was costly to construct, is costly to operate, and need not be duplicated by individual states; yet knowledge provided through its use enables both federal and state scientists to improve their under-
Figure 1. Dairy cow in respiration chamber, Energy Metabolism Laboratory, Beltsville Agricultural Research Center, Beltsville, MD.
standing of dairy cow nutrition and physiology. The availability of this laboratory and the presence of several scientists in one discipline at one location working on comparable problems permits scientists to cooperate in nutritional and physiological studies (Figure 2) and permits establishment of an area of excellence. Because of the significance of problems related to reproduction in farm animals, a Reproduction Laboratory was established at BARC in 1972 to examine many facets of reproductive physiology. Recently SEA-AR administrators formed a milk secretion and Mastitis Laboratory at BARC to study many aspects of milk secretion and udder health (Figure 3).
Figure 2. Dairy scientists at the Beltsville Agricultural Research Center study digestive and respiratory physiology with a tracheal cannulated cow (5). Journal of Dairy Science Vol. 64, No. 6, 1981
948
BLOSSER
Figure 3. Scientists at Beltsville study internal mammary gland anatomy.
In 1974, at the request of Congress, a national dairy-forage study was conducted. The USDA was instructed to provide Congress "with a report based on a complete study of the extent of forage and dairy cattle management research now being performed with recommendations as to the needs for additional research in this area and the most efficient way in which the additional research can be performed." A combined state-federal task force examined the national needs for dairy and forage research. One of the recommendations of this national task force was to "establish a North Central Regional Dairy-Forage Research Center" because of the need for "intensive research from a specialized team of scientists." The concerned USDA administrators concurred with this recommendation, and it was endorsed unanimously by the directors of the state agricultural experiment stations in the north central and northeastern regions. Congress ultimately approved construction of facilities of a US Dairy-Forage Research Center on and near the campus of the University of Wisconsin at Madison. Construction will be complete in 1981. Dairy and forage scientists and agrcultural engineers will work together at the US Dairy-Forage Research Center (USDFRC). There are also plans for clusters of USDFRC scientists at a few state agricultural experiment stations to provide areas of excellence and to bring an interdisciplinary approach to solving national dairy-forage research problems. PROSPECTS FOR THE F U T U R E
The companion paper by Flatt (4) provides an excellent analysis of fiscal and political Journal of Dairy Science Vol. 64, No. 6, 1981
problems, both state and federal, facing those who are convinced of the need for continued and additional support of dairy research. The prevailing mood of the American public is toward fiscal conservatism, yet it is likely that acute global food problems will exist by the time of the centennial celebration of the American Dairy Science Association in 2006 (2). Unfortunately, our base of fundamental knowledge is not great. At the recent Conference on Animal Agriculture (8), A. R. Bertrand, Director of the Science and Education Administration of USDA, stated: "Unless we begin now a long-term commitment to restock our storehouse of fundamental knowledge, it will have been picked bare long before the year 2000. I do not believe that the general public, whose human needs are in the forefront in setting our priorities, has the slightest idea of how precarious our position is." To achieve, in the eyes of the public, the appreciation of the importance of agricultural research in general and dairy research in particular, those who best understand the importance of dairy research to future food production must be evangelistic. The dairy industry must carry the burden of supporting research in the political arena, and ultimately "society must provide researchers with signals of funding and moral support to assure that sufficient human and financial resources are spent on appropriate research" (8). Dairy research is a good buy (3) and the dairy cow is an extremely efficient forage-tofood converter (9), which gives research administrators ample evidence to provide strong support for dairy research in the years ahead.
REFERENCES
1 Alsmeyer, R. 1980. Personal communication on technologies for food and feed uses - animal products. SEA-AR NRP 20530. Beltsville, MD. 2 Barney, G. O. 1980. The global 2000 report to the President - entering the twenty-first century. Vol 1. Rep. Counc. Environ. Qual. and Dep. State. 3 Evenson, R. E., P. E. Waggoner, and V. W. Ruttan. 1979. Economic benefits from research: An example from agriculture. Science 205:1101. 4 Flatt, W. P. 1981. Trends in dairy research support from the state viewpoint. J. Dairy Sci. 64:950. 5 Flatt, W. P., D. R. Waldo, J. R. Sykes, and L. A. Moore. 1958. A proposed method of indirect colorimetry for energy metabolism studies with
FEDERAL RESEARCH -- 75TH ANIVERSARY ISSUE
6 7
8
9
large animals under field conditions. Proc. I. Symp. Energy Metab. EAAP Publ. No. 8:101. Hodgson, R. E. 1956. Dairy production research in the United States Department of Agriculture. J. Dairy Sci. 39:674. Hodgson, R. E. 1981. A historical review of dairy production research by the U.S. Dep. Agr. 18951980. (In Press). Pond, W. G., R. A. Merkel, L. D. McGilliard, and V. J. Rhodes. 1980. Animal agriculture - research to meet human needs in the 21st century - executive summary. Conf. Anim. Agric. Westview Press, Inc., Boulder, CO. Reid, J. T. 1975. Comparative efficiency of animals in the conversion of feedstuffs to human foods. Pages 16-24 in Proc. 1975 Cornell Nutr.
949
Conf. Feed Manuf. 10 Unglesbee, D. 1980. Personal communication. Data from the USDA Current Research Information System. 11 US Department of Agriculture. 1976. Dairy Production. Agric. Res. Serv., Nat. Res. Progr. 20350. 12 US Department of Agriculture. 1976. Structures, equipment and systems for livestock production. Agric. Res. Serv., Nat. Res. Progr. 20400. 13 US Department of Agriculture. 1976. Control of cattle diseases - infectious, non-infectious and parasitic. Agric. Res. Serv., Nat. Res. Prog. 20420. 14 US Department of Agriculture. 1980. Control of insects affecting livestock. Agric. Res. Serv., Nat. Res. Progr. 20480.
Journal of Dairy Science Vol. 64, No. 6, 1981