Change is in the weather, as it is changing seasons from summer to fall or in some areas like Missouri I heard from my friends and family yesterday; seemed liked winter as they were being blanketed with snow. Change is in fuel and food prices; with each week the price to keep a full tank in my car seems to get more straining on the budget. Change is constant. We as cattle producers must stay informed and abreast the important “changes” that are going on all around us.

 Change for agriculture is well underway in Washington, D.C. Tom Vilsack, secretary of agriculture, officially kicked-off the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) which replaces the Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension System (CSREES) on Oct. 8.  Science, technology and cutting edge research approaches took center stage of a vision to transform the way funds are directed focusing on five key areas:  global food security and hunger, climate change, sustainable energy, childhood obesity and food safety.

Roger N. Beachy, a plant scientist with the Danforth Plant Science Center in St. Louis, Mo., was identified by President Obama to lead NIFA.  Interestingly, the success of the lengthy agenda for NIFA depends on securing substantial funds for ag research from Congress.

According to the Oct. 9 edition of Congress Daily, the Fiscal Year 2010 agriculture appropriations bill approved by the House and Senate last week included $2.76 billion for research, or $174 million above FY09. Of the total, $1.25 billion went to the agricultural research service and $1.34 billion to NIFA, including an increase of nearly $61 million for competitive agricultural research grants. 

So you are asking why do I care? I was asking the same question until I learned that this “change” means that beef producers remain to be seen on Capitol Hill! The only way we can remain to be hopeful for the future livelihood of our industry is if we continue being proactive in using our voice in setting the research agenda and developing ag literacy among policy makers and researchers that are making these laws.

Next time I’m paying my grocery bill (which let me tell you on a college budget is painful haha), or walking to class in the morning, noticing how the leaves are changing to beautiful shades of red and orange, I’m going to be more proactive in noticing the “changes” that are occurring throughout all the key players in our industry. How will you handle these “changes?”

Here are some of the sources I found helpful in learning about the NIFA change:

http://www.usda.gov/wps/portal/!ut/p/_s.7_0_A/7_0_1RD?printable=true&contentidonly=true&contentid=2009/10/0501.xml

http://triangle.bizjournals.com/triangle/othercities/stlouis/stories/2009/09/21/daily53.html

http://www.nationaljournal.com/congressdaily/cda_20091009_8231.php