Weed research expenditures at the State agricultural experiment stations—Con. Mr. WHITTEN. I believe that covers it. There is one other thing here I would like to mention. In our annual reports for several years we have tried to point out that we are dealing not just with the relatively few people who are dependent for a livelihood on agriculture directly. We are dealing with the very basic necessities of all Americans who get the best for the less than any people in the history of the world. We have done that. because we in Congress see a greater dependency on the people who do not come directly in touch with agriculture and on the American press writing for its readers who know relatively little about agriculture. For that reason we try to point out the interest of the consumer in agriculture. On the subcommittee this year we have a fine Member of Congress, Mr. Joseph P. Addabbo, from New York City, who succeeded another outstanding American, Fred Santangelo. For that reason I call your attention to the special study by the New York State College of Agriculture called "Agricultural Research Benefits Consumers," which we had last year. Have you issued any further publications since that time which would be appropriate at this point in the record? Dr. BYERLY. This is one type of exhibit we brought along, sir. The opening paragraph is relevant to what you have to say. One of the stories that we find difficult to tell is the fact that agricultural research benefits everybody. SAVINGS IN FOOD COSTS At the present time, the consumer spends about 19 percent of his disposable income for food, that is, food as it comes to the table. Ten years ago that was 3 or 4 percent higher. I have calculated the difference between 1952 and 1962, and it comes out to a neat $15 billion difference between the proportion 10 years ago in 1952, and the proportion we spent for it in 1962. As far as I can see a major portion of this saving in food cost to the public is attributable to the application of information, and technology in agriculture, which has provided all of us as consumers with food in acceptable form at a very economical price. There is another one which you may wish to pursue, and I have a document showing that about $14 of every $100 spent for food goes for so-called convenience foods which includes such things as concentrated orange juice, for example. Mr. WHITTEN. I asked someone the other day if he thought in s few years we might not have to have a project to teach ladies how to peel potatoes, because we are rapidly getting away from doing these things in the home. Dr. BYERLY. You may wish to pursue this with the Economic Research Service, which has a nice study that shows it would cost $15 to buy these in nonconvenient form, to bring them into the kitchen and prepare them. We are making progress. Mr. WHITTEN. Please select from these the appropriate sections and parts for the record at this point. (The information requested is as follows:) PROGRESS WITH SCIENCE-AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH OF THE MICHIGAN AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION Research is an investment. It benefits everyone-urban as well as farm people Funds for research are an investment that pays in cheaper, better quality foods and fibers and a more satisfying way of life. The Michigan Agricultural Experiment Station includes research in the Colleges of Agriculture, Veterinary Medicine, Home Economics, Natural Science, ad Social Science. The research program of the experiment station involves the following general areas: (1) Marketing, (2) utilization and processing including food science, agricultural economics and rural life, (4) agricultural engineering, (5) conservation and resource development, (6) animal production, including poultry, (7) crop production, (8) horticultural crop production, (9) forestry and forest products. (10) soils and plant nutrition, (11) plant and animal pests, (12) fisheries and wildlife, (13) home economics, (14) biochemistry, and (15) veterinary medicine. The purpose of the agricultural experiment station is to do research in agricul ture and related fields and make the results available to all people who can use them. Research is the search for new knowledge. In addition to the researc done on the campus and the university farm, a great deal of it is done at the severa substations and on individual farms scattered over the State. The experiment station extends to all corners of the State. Every citizen of the State has an important stake in the agricultural researe: program carried on by the Michigan Agricultural Experiment Station. What happens in Michigan agriculture goes far beyond the farmer and the kitchen table. Over half of Michigan is in forests and woodlots. In addition to the value of timber products from these lands is the value of the forests as recrestion sites for Michigan's expanding population. Lakes and streams are an important part of these forest recreation sites. What happens in the agriculture of the forests and of the lakes and streams will determine the kind of outdoor home Michigan provides this and succeeding generations. Recreation and relaxation are increasingly important in the fast pace of modern living. For the farmers, research has helped maintain and improve their competitive position with farmers in other States who are selling products in our stores. It is imperative that we have a strong and progressive program of agricultural research in order to keep Michigan farmers in a favorable competitive position and to keep agriculture in harmony with the rest of the economy. There is every reason to believe that in the years ahead, scientific and technological advances will be unparalleled in American agriculture. The need for agricultural research is greater than ever before in its history. This means there is an increasing demand for agricultural scientists. There is need for more peop trained in the basic sciences capable of doing fundamental research to increas the pool of scientific facts. The scientific frontiers in the biological sciences are unlimited. There is much that is new and exciting ahead in agricultural research. Research will continue to be the basis for any sound, long-range program for agriculture which will benefit all of the people. Our agriculture must move forward and it can if we keep our research effort strong. The Michigan Agricultural Experiment Station can continue to be successful in (a) helping solve problems facing the farmers and homemakers, (b) making contributions to the general welfare of all our citizens, (c) releasing a vast labor force to industry resulting from improved efficiency in agricultural production, and (d) contributing to the development and stimulation of many industries. Agricultural research has given Americans the well deserved title of "the best fed people in the world." New food product development is one of the major concerns of MSU's food scientists. One of these foods, a new cheese called Dagano, is pleasing the taste buds of many Michiganites. It is a Swiss-like cheese with a nutty flavor. Instant cheese is another newly developed product of MSU. Pure powdered cheddar and blue cheeses can be made into sauces simply by adding water and stirring. Or, they may be used in their powdered form as a flavoring. Putting tastier meats on the table is a two-pronged effort by researchers. Animal husbandry scientists are studying genetics to determine if leanness and tenderness can be bred into beefsteaks, while food scientists are searching for existing chemicals in meats that make them taste good. Once these chemicals are found and identified, further work can be done toward making artificial meat flavors and preserving the natural flavors in stored and processed meats. Staple food items are no problem. The MSU potato patch floweth over. Farm crops researchers have literally started a population explosion in the production of seed potatoes from a new potato variety, Russet Arenac. Advanced propagating methods are being used to put the new variety on the market in record time. All six Haven varieties of peaches were developed by Stanley Johnston at the South Haven Experiment Station. The varieties-Halehaven, Redhaven, Kalhaven, Sunhaven, Richhaven, and Fairhaven-are superior to other varieties that ripen at the same time. And they consistently bring higher prices to Michigan growers. Last year, 2 million bushels of Haven peaches outsold their competitors by 61 cents a bushel-a total of about $1,250,000, thanks to research. LIVESTOCK BREEDING AND MANAGEMENT "Planned parenthood," "swine AI," "dairy slide rule"-these are today's topics among animal scientists. And this isn't just gibberish; it's all a part of MSU's 21st century livestock research. The Endocrine Research Laboratory is heading up at least several areas of study which may very well revolutionize animal raising. One of these involves "planned parenthood" in beef cattle. Scientists are feeding hormonelike compounds to get large numbers of cattle ready for breeding at the same time. So far, the compounds are only available for research purposes, but they could become part of a normal farm practice. "Approximately 60 percent of the cattle will conceive if they're bred under these controlled conditions," reports John E. Nellor who heads up the research project. "Those not conceiving at the controlled breeding time will return in heat approximately 20 days later and can again be handled as a group. Nearly all of those not conceiving the first time will conceive at the second breeding." Nellor and his team of researchers plan to use controlled breeding techniques in the development of artificial breeding in swine. Artificial insemination (AI) is by no means new to the swine industry, but practical methods for using it in this country have not yet been developed. Nellor says controlled breeding and improved methods of extending boar semen could put AI on a practical basis. The "dairy slide rule" combines a favorite tool among engineers with the knowhow of dairy scientists. It estimates the milk production records of each cow from monthly DHIA or owner-sampler reports and compares the entire herd on an equal basis. With this tool, the whole job of adjusting for both age and length of production can be done in a matter of minutes. Cattle can be culled easily without old-fashioned, time-consuming pencil figuring. GROWING BETTER CROPS Growing better crops-whether fruits, vegetables, forages, or corn-plays an important role in MSU's research efforts. MST Science in this general area begins at ground level-with soil science. scientists may someday be able to predict the reactions of fertilizers on different soils and whether or not these soils are producing at full capacity. But first ther have to identify one of the chief reservoirs of plant nutrients in the soil, the clay particles. A process called X-ray diffraction is being effectively used to make these identifications. Michigan's 5,000 fruitgrowers now have a speedy way to get fertilizer recommendations. A new machine with the fancy name "spectograph" can make a complete analysis of a leaf sample every 2 minutes and is built for continuous operation. Scientists read the results and pass them along to farmers who can then boost fruit growth and production. MSU scientists have spent 7 years trying to develop pea plant varieties which are resistant to root rot. Today. after several years of crossing, selecting, testing, searching, and recrossing, the researchers say their goal is in sight. But a few more years will be needed to perfect a variety resistant to Michigan's No. 1 pea plant disease. When it comes to grasses and legumes, the MSU research farm could be called a melting pot for forages. Hundreds of specimens have been assembled from areas of the world which have growing conditions similar to Michigan. By crossbreeding these different species, scientists are getting bigger and better crops tailored for harvest at different times throughout the growing season. In other research, scientists estimate that 200-bushel corn yields may be as common 10 years from now as 100-bushel yields are today. New selection methods for plant breeding and the crossing of northern with southern varieties are the main reasons for this enthusiasm. Yields have already been boosted by more than 25 percent on test plots where these methods are being used. FARM MACHINERY INVENTIONS Sounds like 1984, but Michigan State University agricultural engineers have built a tractor that operates without a man, a plow that vibrates as it tills the soil, and a combine that is capable of 100 percent grain threshing and separating efficiency. The "thinking tractor" is just a model now, but a full scale, self-propelled completely automatic machine could be built to perform farm chores that take up about 60 percent of a farmer's time. Whether or not the tractor is manufactured commercially depends on how much farmers are willing to invest to eliminate these chores. Progress is being made on the vibrating plow which is designed to vibrate up and down as it moves through the soil, improving the seedbed, and eliminating such field operations as disking and harrowing. The experimental combine looks like a giant ice cream cone with an eggbeater in it, but it may revolutionize grain harvesting if and when it goes on the market It reduces grain losses and requires less power to operate. Michigan State University agricultural engineers warn that it may be quite some time before these machines become common farm implements. But this 21st-century research will continue to help farmers keep pace with the world's fastest moving technology. CHANGING THE NATURE OF THINGS Old Mother Nature is getting her face lifted. MSU scientists just don't seem satisfied with her present makeup, so they're making a few alterations. For example, research with gibberellin helped them to grow plants to fantastic proportions (2 to 5 times faster and larger than normal). But they weren't satisfied with having only giants in the plant world; they wanted dwarfs, too. And they got them. A chemical with the jawbreaking name (2-chloroethyl trimethylammonium chloride (CCC, if you prefer) makes plants bushier and shorter. It also produces large, attractive blooms on flowers. The chemical is not only a boon to florists, but it's also being investigated as a possibility for shorter stemmed cereal crops and shorter lawns that require less mowing. As if this weren't enough, scientists have also discovered why a new chemics) compound puts fresher, greener vegetables on the market. Another jawbreaker No-benzyladenine, doubles the storage life of broccoli, asparagus, and celery. It has the same effect on some cut flowers (carnations and chrysanthemums). 1 |