Ag Future

Ag Future

David Sparks Ph.D.
David Sparks Ph.D.
Investing in the future of farming. Over the past few decades, agricultural research and development has spurred tremendous leaps in farm and ranch productivity, efficiency and safety, as well as the decrease of costly inputs, like fertilizer and water for irrigation. According to USDA’s Economic Research Service, since 1948 these innovations have led to U.S. agriculture productivity growth of 170% while inputs have remained mostly unchanged and the use of labor has declined by 24%.

Once the global leader in agricultural R&D, the United States’ investment has been decreasing in comparison to private investment since 2010. The long-term effects of this shift have negative implications for the future of farming.

Investment in Agriculture R&D

U.S. public sector investment in agriculture R&D has historically positioned the U.S. to be a top contributor and the largest producer of cutting-edge agricultural technology in the world. Unlike other sectors of the U.S. economy, public investment, rather than private investment, in agriculture R&D, has been the main driver for the long-term development of industry-altering technology. However, since 2010, the share of U.S. public sector spending on food and agriculture R&D has decreased to less than 30% of total expenditures.

This shift in funding is the result of both a decrease in public funding and a dramatic surge in private funding in the biotechnology industry. The current funding trend in agriculture R&D may negatively impact the future of farming by focusing too heavily on short-term, consumer-driven developments.

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