Dr. SHAW. You will recall that in terms of the work done at the State agricultural experiment stations we have a Federal item of payments to States which distributes money to the State experiment stations. This table is on the basis of Federal funds and non-Federal funds. If you will look at the total figures, you will see that the Federal and non-Federal funds are just about the same, $56.29 million Federal and $56.93 million non-Federal or State money. PERCENTAGE DISTRIBUTION OF RESEARCH FUNDS The next table that I have was taken from the two just previous to show the percentage breakdown of the funds. (The table referred to is as follows:) 3. Of the $113.22 million in agricultural research, 50 percent was supported with Federal funds in fiscal 1952 (USDA and Federal-grants to States). NOTE. In addition $3.92 million were made available to the Department from outside sources principally for military needs and for foreign agricultural programs of only incidental interest to American agriculture. Dr. SHAW. In terms of the USDA's $43.43 million, utilization research gets 25 percent, marketing gets 13 percent, and production gets 62 percent. The second part of the table shows the proportion of the total work that is done in the USDA. You will notice that in utilization research, 70 percent is done by USDA; in marketing 59 percent; farm and household economics, 40 percent; engineering and structures, 29 percent; animal production, 21 percent; plant production, 35 percent; and in soils research, 33 percent. RESEARCH LINE PROJECTS-NEW AND DISCONTINUED The next table is one that we have inserted in the record, Mr. Chairman, in previous years showing the new and discontinued line projects handled by the central project office. (The table referred to follows:) New and discontinued line projects handled by the central project office ! Most of these projects were suspended in order to shift emphasis to research in support of the defense effort. Dr. SHAW. For the calendar year 1952, we started 327 new projects. We discontinued 306. Mr. ANDERSEN. That is very interesting, Doctor. This subcommittee has felt in past years that the Department perhaps was more eager to commence projects than to end them. I think your report shows the correct trend. APPROPRIATIONS FOR ARA BY CONSTITUENT AGENCIES Dr. SHAW. The last table is one that has also been inserted in the record at this point, giving the over-all appropriation for the Agricultural Research Administration, bureau by bureau. (The table referred to follows:) 1 1953 amounts adjusted for comparability with the appropriation structure proposed in the 1954 budget estimates. 2 Table excludes program for eradication of foot-and-mouth and other contagious diseases of animals and poultry. The 1954 budget proposes language authorizing the Secretary of the Treasury to cancel notes issued by the Commodity Credit Corporation to the Treasury in the amount of $7,057,575 for costs incurred in fiscal year 1952 in connection with the program for eradication of foot-and-mouth disease. Dr. SHAW. You will be discussing this work with the bureaus as they come up and I do not know that there is any need for us to comment further on it at this time. Mr. ANDERSEN. Doctor, we will recess now until 9:30 tomorrow. TUESDAY, MARCH 3, 1953. Mr. ANDERSEN. The committee will come to order. I believe, Dr. Shaw, that you have a few remarks you would like to make relative to changes in administrative items. Dr. SHAW. I would like to mention 2 or 3 administrative items. CONSOLIDATION OF SOIL RESEARCH PROGRAMS During the year we have consolidated the soil management research programs of the Department into one single program. As you recall, we used to have 2 programs, 1 in the Soil Conservation Service, and 1 in the Bureau of Plant Industry, Soils, and Agricultural Engineering. We have tried to keep those well coordinated, but I think we are agreed we can have a better program if we put the two together. They were combined in the Bureau of Plant Industry. We have also consolidated our soil survey programs into one program in the Soil Conservation Service. That means, then, that a substantial part of soil conservation research that you have considered in the past will be in the Bureau of Plant Industry this year. The part remaining in the Soil Conservation Service relates to hydrology, or the engineering investigations on water flow and use. ADDITIONAL RESEARCH ADVISORY COMMITTEES One other item that I would like to call to your attention is that during the year we have established 3 new research advisory committees, 1 for forestry research; 1 for soils, water, and fertilizer research; and 1 for production economics. Those were areas that previously had not come before the advisory committees we had. We felt it advisable to establish those advisory committees so as to give rather complete coverage to our research. programs. PROGRESS REPORTS TO ADVISORY COMMITTEES In that connection I would like to call your attention to a new method of dealing with the committees that we have developed this year. We are currently preparing for each advisory committee what we call a progress report. This particular one I have just handed you is for the vegetable advisory committee. If you will look at the table of contents you will see the detail in which we present the program for the benefit of advisory committee members. We break down the production part of the program into the sections: Introduction, breeding, genetics and evaluation; Pests and their control; Production practices, materials, and equipment; and Economics of production. Then we have the utilization part of the program broken down into consumption and human nutrition; composition, quality evaluation, and preservation; development of new and improved products, processes, and equipment, and utilization and disposal of byproducts and wastes. We have a section on marketing that deals with marketing costs, margins, and efficiency; maintenance and evaluation of product quality; improvements in facilities, equipment, and market organiza 30505-53-pt. 2- -3 tion, and collection, analysis, and dissemination of market data, and we have an additional section on marketing service and educational work. We give a detailed report of the progress during the year on this work, and point out problems, as we see them, that remain to be solved. These reports are sent to the advisory committees 3 or 4 weeks prior to their meetings, and the subject matter of the total report is divided among the different members of the committee so that each member studies and is thoroughly familiar with a part of it. He reports his studies to the committee. MEMBERSHIP AND OPERATIONS OF ADVISORY COMMITTEES Mr. ANDERSEN. How many members are there on an advisory committee? Dr. SHAW. We ordinarily have 11 members on a committee. The overall Agricultural Research Policy Committee was established by law as a committee of 11, and we have tried to follow that pattern in the other committees. The advisory committees themselves have felt that this method of handling the work gave them a better opportunity to become familiar with the program, and to consider the things they felt were reaching a stage that could be finished; and others where the work could go on as it was; and others where there should be implementation. I think this will prove to be a very valuable new development. Mr. ANDERSEN. How often annually does each particular committee meet? Dr. SHAW. Our normal practice is to have one meeting a year. Dr. SHAW. Not always. We have an arrangement whereby 1 year out of 3 we meet at one of the laboratories out in the field, either at one of our laboratories or at one of the State experiment stations. We find that is very helpful. Mr. ANDERSEN. How many various committees are there? Dr. SHAW. About 25. Mr. ANDERSEN. 25? Dr. SHAW. Yes, sir. Each one considers a segment of the total program. These members, as you know, are chosen from farmers and from the industry handling vegetables. We try to select them on a basis where they can really represent all the problems confrontng that industry, and advise us in regard to the problems. AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH JOURNAL There is one other item that I wanted to call to your attention, Mr. Chairman. We have been concerned for some time, as you have been also, with the need in some way to get our research results more rapidly to the attention of the users of the results. As one step in that direction, we have initiated this little publication called Agricultural Research, which is intended to be a progress report on the current developments in agricultural research. We are making this available to the people who disseminate research information. Copies will go to vocational agricultural teachers, to county agents, to editors |