Vice President of UC Agriculture and Natural Resources Dan Dooley, speaking at the Farm Foundation Forum in Washington, D.C., last month, proposed a new direction for funding research and teaching in agriculture, according to an article in Lancaster Farming.

He pointed to the 1944 GI Bill, the National Defense Education Act of 1956, and the Higher Education Act and Pell Grants of 1965 as examples of earlier notable federal initiatives.

For the 21st century, Dooley suggested a “Food Security and Sustainability Act," which could lead to funding for research projects and university-supported programs for agriculture.

Other panelists on the Farm Foundation Forum, which took place at the National Press Club, were former U.S. Rep. Charles Stenholm of Texas, Nicole Ballenger of the University of Wyoming and George Norton of Virginia Tech.

The Lancaster Farming article said the panelists agreed on a number of points:

• The well-being of the nation depends on a strong, pro-active agricultural system served by vibrant college and university agriculture programs
• "Business as usual” is over
• New sources of funding for agricultural training and research must be cultivated
• Rewards and opportunities are necessary to entice bright minds to do research and tackle the problems facing modern farming in the U.S.
• Extension services are the “face” of the university, and therefore their funding and their roles must be guarded

According to reporter Janice Booth, Dooley spoke about the state of agriculture programs at the University of California.

“Since 1990, there has been a 40 percent decline in (California’s) investment in education,” he said.

The segregation of agriculture services at the federal and university levels further impedes growth. At UC, colleges of agriculture are not integrated with the larger institution, and thus miss some of the opportunities to collaborate with other colleges in research and academic initiatives, Dooley said.