Unifying Message Efforts 2013-2018

Charles Valentine Riley “. . . None but the well-informed are successful… for success in agriculture today implies knowledge — scientific knowledge.” —Charles Valentine Riley (1872)

How healthy is the US Agricultural innovation system? US is the world leader in food and ag research and innovation. Innovative policy mechanisms encourage public-private partnerships in research. Share of competitively funded research has increased. Extension responsive to innovations needs and bringing R&D solutions to the farm level. As measured in share of science publications, citations, and patents, US leads all other countries. OECD Food and Agricultural Reviews, 2016. Innovation, Agricultural Productivity and Sustainability in the United States

Alan I. Leshner, Ph.D. “Agricultural R&D provides a dramatic example of how neglect can undermine a scientific domain.” Science, 23 August 2013.

Long-term trends in agriculture R&D funding (OECD, 2016) Private sector R&D has grown faster and now significantly larger than public sector. Public sector funding in constant dollars is less in 2016 than 2002 and 1980 – a combination of cuts in state and federal funding. US share of global ag R&D fell from 21% to 13% from 1960-2009. US now lags behind EU and China in public funding of ag R&D. Research intensity (R&D funds/gross value of output) is low 2.32% compared to pharmaceutical and communications industries, which exceed 15%.

Why so little support for a key element of US economy?? Fragmented, narrow interests Many priorities covering many species and systems No advocacy for the “big picture” Slide #5 — Why So Little Support? fragmented, narrow interests …. In some ways, it is understandable, given that agriculture is a complex biological system of interactions between local weather, soils and pests … 2. Many priorities…many challenges. 3. No advocacy for the “big picture” — the portfolio of federal funding sources and partnerships that make possible research advances that benefit society  

Can food, agriculture and natural resources unite? Can these research-focused communities rally around common ground found in global challenges? Can these groups advocate for the big picture and federal research support to address it? Or do narrow views and interests rule the day?

National Press Club December 5, 2014 Since the fall of 2013, the Charles Valentine Riley Memorial Foundation has been working to gather input on the idea — and the value of — pursuing a unifying message in support of increasing federal investment in food, agricultural and natural resources research. Unifying: that many speak together with a common voice.   At the close of 2014, we announced an initial report at the National Press Club, setting the stage for conversations to come.

2 Years, 6 Roundtables, 262 Participants, 121 Organizations Represented

Eight Reports, 2014-2018 In 2015 and 2016, a Riley Memorial Foundation task force brought together nearly 250 stakeholders at 6 roundtable discussions hosted by AAAS, to talk about a unifying message. To date, the Riley Foundation has issued 5 reports summarizing those meetings, with 2 still in production.

4 Special Reports (White Papers)

The Way Forward— Unifying Message needed to raise funding for research National preeminence in danger Time for a new approach Show unity by going to Congress and the Executive Branch with a top-line message in support significantly increased public funding for food, agricultural and natural resources research.

What’s Next Riley Memorial Foundation: a catalyst for bringing stakeholders together Continue to partner with AAAS, APLU, SoAR, N-CFAR, NASDA and other organizations sharing common interests and goals Short term: Opportunities for mutually agreed strategy for incremental federal ag research gains? Long term: Imagining a blueprint for future food and ag R&D system . . . If you started with nothing on the table Op-eds: Communicate need for working together

Board of Directors Executive Committee Catherine Woteki (President), Iowa State University and Virginia Tech Daniel R. Bush (Secretary), Colorado State University Ellen Bergfeld (Treasurer) CEO, American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America, Soil Science Society of America, and Alliance of Crop, Soil and Environmental Societies Robert E. Easter (Member-At-Large), President Emeritus, University of Illinois Ferd Hoefner (Member-At-Large), National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition Richard L. Ridgway (President Emeritus, Ex Officio Member), Agricultural Research Service, USDA (retired) Other Members Gregory A. Bohach, Mississippi State University Leon Bruner, Grocery Manufacturers Association Neil Dierks, National Pork Producers Council Farida Mohamedshah, Institute of Food Technologists Beverly Paul, Gordley Associates Lowell W. Randel, The Randel Group, LLC, and Federation of Animal Science Societies Steve Verett, Plains Cotton Growers, Inc. Todd A. Winters, University of Tennessee at Martin