[Federal Register: June 25, 2001 (Volume 66, Number 122)]
[Notices]
[Page 33825-33828]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr25jn01-124]
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Part V
Department of Agriculture
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Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service
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Solicitation of Input From Stakeholders on Agricultural Research,
Extension, and Education Grant Programs; Notice
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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service
Solicitation of Input From Stakeholders on Agricultural Research,
Extension, and Education Grant Programs Administered by the Cooperative
State Research, Education, and Extension Service
AGENCY: Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service.
ACTION: Notice of listening sessions.
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SUMMARY: Section 102(b) of the Agricultural Research, Extension, and
Education Reform Act of 1998 (AREERA) (7 U.S.C. 7612) requires the
Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service (CSREES)
in establishing priorities for agricultural research, extension, and
education activities conducted or funded by CSREES to solicit and
consider input and recommendations from persons who conduct or use
agricultural research, extension, or education. CSREES is planning to
conduct listening sessions in four different geographic locations in
the United States over the next six months to solicit stakeholder
input. As part of this stakeholder input process, CSREES also will be
soliciting input and comments on the effectiveness of existing
agricultural research, education, and extension programs administered
by CSREES in meeting current and future challenges to the United
States' food and agriculture system. This notice announces the first
two listening sessions. The remaining two listening sessions will be
announced in the Federal Register at a later date. They will be held in
the southern and western regions of the United States.
DATES AND ADDRESSES: The first listening session will be held on
Thursday, July 12, 2001, from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. at the Lancaster
Host Resort and Conference Center; 2300 Lincoln Highway East;
Lancaster, PA 17602. Attendees must make their own hotel arrangements.
A block of sleeping rooms at a conference rate is being held until June
30, 2001, listed under the name of USDA. Rooms can be reserved by
calling the hotel directly at 717-299-5500.
The second listening session will be held on Thursday, July 26,
2001, from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. at the Embassy Suites Hotel,
Minneapolis airport; 7901 34th Avenue South; Bloomington, MN 55425.
Attendees must make their own hotel arrangements. A block of sleeping
rooms at a conference rate is being held until June 27, 2001, listed
under the name of USDA. Rooms can be reserved by calling the hotel
directly at 952-854-2101.
To aid participants in scheduling their attendance, the following
schedule is anticipated for each listening session:
8:30 a.m.-9:00 a.m.--Introductory Remarks and Background.
9:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.--Scheduled 5-Minute Comment Periods.
1:00 p.m.-3:30 p.m.--Breakout Group Meetings.
3:30 p.m.-5:00 p.m.--Reports from Breakout Group Meetings and General
Discussion.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Persons wishing to present oral
comments at these meetings and/or attend the afternoon breakout
sessions are requested to pre-register by contacting Ms. Mary H.
Humphreys at (202) 720-6012, by fax at (202) 720-6199 or by e-mail to
mhumphreys@reeusda.gov. CSREES is particularly interested in receiving
comments during the 5-minute comment periods that address one or more
of the topics listed in the ``Topics to Address'' section below. When
making a reservation for a 5-minute comment period, participants should
provide a title for their presentation. More time may be available in
the morning session, depending on the number of people wishing to make
a presentation and the time needed for questions following the
presentations. Reservations will be confirmed on a first-come, first-
served basis. To facilitate the afternoon breakout sessions, it is
requested that participants pre-register for one of the five breakout
sessions listed below. Although pre-registration is not required to
attend the listening sessions, it is strongly recommended to ensure
that adequate accommodations are available. Written comments also may
be submitted for the record by mailing to: Ms. Mary Humphreys; Office
of the Administrator; Cooperative State Research, Education, and
Extension Service; U.S. Department of Agriculture; STOP 2201; 1400
Independence Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20250-2201. Please provide
three copies of the comments. Comments also may be faxed or sent via e-
mail to Ms. Humphreys.
The initial two, as well as subsequent, listening sessions will
follow the same general format and comments from all sessions will be
compiled and considered. All written comments from the July 12 and July
26 sessions must be received by November 15, 2001, to be considered.
Information gathered from the Listening Sessions will be available for
review on the CSREES web page (http://www.reeusda.gov). Participants
who require a sign language interpreter or other special accommodations
should contact Ms. Humphreys as directed above.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background and Purpose
Section 102(b) of AREERA requires that CSREES, in establishing
priorities for agricultural research, extension, and education
activities conducted or funded by CSREES, solicit and consider input
and recommendations from persons who conduct or use agricultural
research, extension, or education. As part of these listening sessions,
CSREES simultaneously will be soliciting input and comments on the
effectiveness of the existing agricultural research, education and
extension programs administered by CSREES in meeting current and future
challenges in the food and agricultural sciences.
Section 1402 of the National Agricultural Research, Extension, and
Teaching Policy Act of 1977 (NARETPA), 7 U.S.C. 3101, specifies that
the purposes of agricultural research, extension, and education are to
(1) enhance competitiveness of the United States agriculture and food
industry in an increasingly competitive world environment; (2) increase
the long-term productivity of the United States agriculture and food
industry while maintaining and enhancing the natural resource base on
which rural America and the United States agricultural economy depend;
(3) develop new uses and new products for agricultural commodities,
such as alternative fuels, and develop new crops; (4) support
agricultural research and extension to promote economic opportunity in
rural communities and to meet the increasing demand for information and
technology transfer throughout the United States agriculture industry;
(5) improve risk management in the United States agriculture industry;
(6) improve the safe production and processing of, and adding value to,
United States food and fiber resources using methods that maintain the
balance between yield and environmental soundness; (7) support higher
education in agriculture to give the next generation of Americans the
knowledge, technology, and applications necessary to enhance the
competitiveness of United States agriculture; and (8) maintain an
adequate, nutritious, and safe supply of food to meet human nutritional
needs and requirements.
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Section 1404 of NARETPA, 7 U.S.C. 3103, defines ``Food and
Agricultural Sciences'' as meaning basic, applied, and developmental
research, extension, and teaching activities in food and fiber,
agricultural, renewable natural resources, forestry, and physical and
social sciences, including activities relating to the following: (1)
Animal Health, production, and well-being, (2) Plant health and
production, (3) Animal and plant germ plasm collection and
preservation, (4) Aquaculture, (5) Food safety, (6) Soil and water
conservation and improvement, (7) Forestry, horticulture, and range
management, (8) Nutritional sciences and promotion, (9) Farm
enhancement, including financial management, input efficiency, and
profitability, (10) Home economics, (11) Rural human ecology, (12)
Youth development and agricultural education, including 4-H clubs, (13)
Expansion of domestic and international markets for agricultural
commodities and products, including agricultural trade barrier
identification and analysis, (14) Information management and technology
transfer related to agriculture, (15) Biotechnology related to
agriculture, and (16) The processing, distributing, marketing, and
utilization of food and agricultural products.
CSREES currently supports agricultural research, extension and
education activities through a broad array of programs which includes
both formula funded and competitively awarded grant programs. The
formula funded programs include the agricultural research programs
authorized under the Hatch Act (7 U.S.C. 361a et seq.) for the State
Agricultural Experiment Stations; section 1445 of NARETPA (7 U.S.C.
3222) for the 1890 Land-Grant Institutions including Tuskegee
University; McIntire-Stennis Cooperative Forestry Act (16 U.S.C. 582a
et seq.); and section 1433 of NARETPA (7 U.S.C. 3195) for the Animal
Health and Disease Research program. The agricultural extension
programs are funded under section 3 of the Smith-Lever Act (7 U.S.C.
343) for the cooperative extension services at the 1862 Land-Grant
Institutions; section 3(d) of the Smith-Lever Act (7 U.S.C. 343(d)) for
targeted, national programs; and section 1444 of NARETPA (7 U.S.C.
3221) for the 1890 Land-Grant Institutions including Tuskegee
University. West Virginia State College also receives funding for
agricultural research and extension programs. Section 534(a) of the
Equity in Educational Land-Grant Status Act of 1994 (7 U.S.C. 301 note)
authorizes funding for the 1994 Institutions to strengthen their
teaching programs in food and agricultural sciences.
The CSREES competitive grant programs include the National Research
Initiative authorized under section 2(b) of the Competitive, Special,
and Facilities Research Grant Act (7 U.S.C. 450i); Initiative for
Future Agriculture and Food Systems authorized under section 401 of
AREERA (7 U.S.C. 7621); Integrated Research, Education, and Extension
Competitive Grants Program authorized under section 406 of AREERA (7
U.S.C. 7626); Food and Agricultural Sciences National Needs Graduate
Fellowship Grants Program authorized under section 1417(b)(6) of
NARETPA (7 U.S.C. 3152(b)(6)); Higher Education Challenge Grants
Program authorized under section 1417(b)(1) of NARETPA (7 U.S.C.
3152(b)(1)); Secondary Agriculture Education Challenge Grants Program
authorized under section 1417(j) of NARETPA (7 U.S.C. 3152(j)); and
Hispanic-Serving Institutions Education Grants Program authorized under
section 1455 of NAREPTA (7 U.S.C. 3241). In addition, sections 535 and
536 of the Equity in Educational Land-Grant Status Act of 1994 (7
U.S.C. 301 note) authorize competitive capacity building and research
grant programs for the 1994 Institutions. Further information about
CSREES grant programs is available through the CSREES web page at
http://www.reeusda.gov as the above list of CSREES grant programs is
not exhaustive.
A majority of the agricultural research, extension, and education
activities funded by CSREES are conducted through the 1862 Land-Grant
Institutions which were established under the First Morrill Act (7
U.S.C. 301 et seq.); the 1890 Land-Grant Institutions under the Second
Morrill Act (7 U.S.C. 321 et seq.); and the 1994 Institutions under the
Equity in Educational Land-Grant Status Act of 1994 (7 U.S.C. 301
note).
Topics to Address
To ensure that Federally-supported agricultural research, extension
and education activities remain effective in addressing priorities in
United States food and agriculture, CSREES specifically is requesting
input and recommendations on the following topic areas from persons who
conduct or use agricultural research, extension and education. However,
comments are not limited to these topics.
(1) The use of agricultural research, extension, and education
programs to generate the science and educational programs necessary to
address challenges facing United States food and fiber production.
(2) The development of human capacity (e.g., scientists, educators,
and extension agents and specialists) in the food and agricultural
sciences.
(3) The changes which should and could be made, if any, in the
current funding mechanisms (i.e., formula funded and competitive
grants) to more efficiently and effectively engage the agricultural
research, extension, and education system in meeting the modern
challenges to United States food and fiber production.
(4) The most effective methods for ensuring that agricultural
research, education, and extension programs address the highest
priority needs of the United States food and fiber system.
(5) The best means by which agricultural research, education, and
extension programs can quickly respond to rapidly emerging challenges
to the United States food and fiber system.
(6) The coordination of agricultural research, education, and
extension activities with the activities of other Federal agencies to
use scientific advances in other fields (e.g., health, information
technology, geospatial, and sociological research) as well as
disseminate information through educational and outreach programs.
(7) The application of agricultural research, education, and
extension programs to economic development and revitalization needs of
rural America.
Written comments should be submitted as directed in the For Further
Information Contact section of this notice.
Breakout Session Workgroup Meetings
CSREES will conduct Breakout Session Workgroup Meetings at each
listening session in the afternoon in the following specific subject
areas: (1) Developing 21st Century Plant, Animal, and Forest Production
System, (2) Revitalizing Rural America, (3) Managing and Conserving
Natural Resources, (4) Linking Agriculture, Nutrition, and Health, (5)
Improving Opportunities for Family and Youth Development, and (6)
Developing Human Capacity in Agricultural Research, Extension and
Education for the 21st Century. Listening session participants are
encouraged to pre-register for one of these sessions as noted under the
For Further Information Contact section of this notice. The Breakout
Session Workgroups will provide an opportunity for participants to
address the above topics in relation to specific issues related to the
food and agricultural sciences. Each Breakout
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Session Workgroup will provide a summary of their discussions to the
overall group.
Done at Washington, DC, this 20th day of June 2001.
Colien Hefferan,
Administrator, Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension
Service.
[FR Doc. 01-15983 Filed 6-21-01; 1:08 pm]
BILLING CODE 3410-22-P
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