Authored by an integrated committee of plant and animal scientists, this review of newer molecular genetic techniques and traditional research methods is presented as a compilation of high-reward opportunities for agricultural research. Directed to the Agricultural Research Service and the agricultural research community at large, the volume discusses biosciences research in genetic engineering, animal science, plant science, and plant diseases and insect pests. An optimal climate for productive research is discussed.
In April 1982 the Agricultural Research Service (ARS) of the U.S. Department of Agriculture began a major ongoing review by sponsoring an internal symposium aimed at defining comprehensive, long-range planning goals in bioregulation. The study of the ARS research programs concerned ith bioregulation was to be conducted by the appointed Committee on Biosciences Research in Agriculture. In the committee's view of basic agricultural research as it is conducted within Agricultural Research Service (ARS) laboratories and within organizations throughout the country, three important features determine program planning direction. These are (1) the quickening pace of discovery, (2) the development of new molecular and cellular techniques that enhance current research practices, and (3) the necessity of interdisciplinary collaborations to determine and understand the basic processes of nature, particularly as they relate to efficient plant and animal productivity and health. In realizing how these and other factors will influence the agricultural sciences in the United States for several decades, the ARS has seized the opportunity to reevaluate the structure and substance of its research programs. In the following summary of recommendations the National Research Council's Committee on Biosciences Research in Agriculture suggests ways to focus currently strong basic ARS research programs and identifies areas demanding new or expanded emphasis that will help the agency accomplish its goals.
This history of the scientific and commercial lines of plant development in the United States traces the transformation of the seed from a public good produced and reproduced by farmers into a commodity controlled by businesses and corporations divorced from the uses of their product.
Air Emissions from Animal Feeding Operations: Current Knowledge, Future Needs discusses the need for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to implement a new method for estimating the amount of ammonia, nitrous oxide, methane, and other pollutants emitted from livestock and poultry farms, and for determining how these emissions are dispersed in the atmosphere. The committee calls for the EPA and the U.S. Department of Agriculture to establish a joint council to coordinate and oversee short - and long-term research to estimate emissions from animal feeding operations accurately and to develop mitigation strategies. Their recommendation was for the joint council to focus its efforts first on those pollutants that pose the greatest risk to the environment and public health.
Centuries of scientific advances in agriculture have increased the quantity, quality, and variety of our food supply. Food in the United States is abundant and affordable, incomes are at record levels, nutrition and health knowledge is at an all-time high. Yet many Americans are not eating a proper diet. The result is an obesity epidemic that contributes to rising healthcare costs from increased rates of heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and several cancers. Whether we see food as medicine or as the cause of disease, medical and agricultural research have the potential to come together in innovative ways to help consumers and producers understand and face the challenges of following a healthful diet. More than 100 leaders in agriculture, health research, education policy, and industry convened at the National Academies in June 2003 to share their opinions on what would be a more efficient and effective system for conducting food and health research. Some of their thoughts follow. Participants concluded that no one organization or agency can solve food-related health issues alone-the nation needs better mechanisms for bringing together its agriculture and health-care infrastructures to address food-related health problems. Addressing the obesity issue, in particular, will require a multidisciplinary strategy that includes research on foods, consumer knowledge and behavior, and the economics of food- and health-related activities, including food pricing, health-care costs, and agricultural support programs.
The tenth edition of this essential reference presents new knowledge about the nutritional needs of swine that consider such factors as growth rate, carcass leanness, gender, health, environment, and repartitioning agents. New sections are presented on requirements for amino acids and other nutrients. In addition, an original modeling approach to arriving at energy and amino acid needs for given animals is incorporated in this revision. The book comes with a CD-ROM that allows users to create tables of nutrient requirements for swine of a specific body weight and level of productivity. Nutrient Requirements of Swine covers: Biological concepts that underlie nutrient needs for growth and function. New data on amino acid and energy requirements and the factors that shape them. New findings on lysine and the bioavailability of amino acids. New research results on minerals and vitamins. Nutrient composition of an expanded list of feedstuffs. The role of water in swine physiology, including factors that affect the quality of drinking water. Expanded tables of feed ingredients and their nutrient composition provide bioavailability estimates, fatty acid composition of fats typically used in swine diets, and important information on estimating the amino acid content of crude protein.
