[Agriculture Fact Book 98]

11.    Research, Education, and Economics

Agricultural Research Service

The Agricultural Research Service (ARS) is the principal in-house research agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

ARS research has contributed to improved crop yields and more environmentally sensitive farming techniques. But the impact of ARS research extends far beyond the farm gate. Agricultural research is as much about human health as it is about growing corn.

For example, ARS recently developed a fat substitute called Oatrim. Not only does this technology benefit farmers by providing a new use for oats, it also enables processors to produce tastier low-fat foods. Consumers may reap the biggest benefits: Oatrim-rich diets lower the bad (LDL) type of cholesterol without decreasing the good (HDL) type, and they improve glucose tolerance.

ARS research is also as much about development of industrial products such as printing ink from soybeans and other crops as it is about development of high-yielding wheat varieties. And like Oatrim, printing inks made from 100-percent soybean oil instead of petroleum solve more than one problem. Unlike petroleum, soybeans are a renewable resource, and this technology diversifies markets for soybean farmers and choices for ink manufacturers and printers.

ARS research provides solutions to a wide range of problems related to agriculture—problems that require long-term commitment of resources or that are unlikely to have solutions with a quick commercial payoff that would tempt private industry to do the research. These problems range from fighting the ongoing battle to protect crops and livestock from costly pests and diseases, to improving quality and safety of agricultural commodities and products for humans, to making the best use of natural resources. All the while, the research results must help ensure profitability for producers and processors while keeping costs down for consumers.

ARS: A Year in Research: Selected Highlights
  • Development of Biodegradable Lubricants
    Petroleum-based products that are currently in use are not biodegradable, and they often contaminate the environment or become a disposal problem. With a new process developed by ARS scientists in Peoria, Illinois, vegetable oils can now yield biodegradable lubricants that are environmentally friendly.
  • Development of Improved Varieties of Cotton Germplasm
    ARS scientists at Stoneville, Mississippi, completed several years of field tests showing that okra- leaf cotton plants are better suited for a lower level of pesticide application than had been previously used. Once transferred into commercial varieties, the okra-leaf trait is expected to contribute significantly to decreased pesticide use.
  • Reducing Imported Fire Ant Population
    ARS scientists at the South American Biological Control Laboratory in Argentina have been collaborating with ARS researchers in Gainesville, Florida, in testing natural control agents that have demonstrated promise in reducing the imported fire ant populations.
  • Linking Age-Associated Changes in Behavior to Oxidative Stress
    ARS scientists at the Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University indicate that one of the major sites of action of oxidative stress is the membrane of neurological cells. Research showed that increased consumption of fruits and vegetables might prevent or reverse such neurological stress.
  • Improving Nutrient Management by Using Remote Sensing and Precision Applications
    ARS researchers in Morris, Minnesota, are conducting on-farm testing of a computer model that considers interactions between soil type and growing season climate conditions in adjusting midsummer application of fertilizers. Precision application of nutrients will lead to reduced nutrient applications and lower off-site concentrations of nutrients in water.
  • Using Biological Control Agents To Reduce the Invasive Weed Leafy Spurge
    ARS scientists in Sidney, Montana, and Montpelier, France, in cooperation with USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, have identified, tested, and released several beneficial spurge feeding insects into North America. Ranchers and farmers, along with Federal, State, and local land managers, are now using these insects to control leafy spurge over vast areas of range and pasture land.
  • Reducing Human Lyme Disease Risk
    Scientists at Livestock Insects Research Laboratory at Kerrville, Texas, developed and patented the self-treatment device that controls ticks on both antlered and antlerless white-tailed deer. This technology is currently being used in Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, and Maryland to reduce the risk of humans being infected by ticks carrying Lyme disease.

For more information about ARS, see its home page: http://www.ars.usda.gov

National Agricultural Library

Established in 1862 under legislation signed by President Abraham Lincoln, the National Agricultural Library (NAL) is one of four national libraries of the United States (with the Library of Congress, the National Library of Medicine, and the National Library of Education).

The NAL mission is to ensure and enhance access to agricultural information for a better quality of life. The library serves national and international customers, including researchers, educators, policymakers, information providers, agricultural producers, students, and the general public.

NAL is the largest agricultural library in the world--with over 3.3 million items in its collection and 48 miles of bookshelves. Tens of thousands of new items are added to the collection each year. Materials date back several hundred years and include books, journals, reports, theses, photographs, films, videotapes, maps, artwork, artifacts, software, laser discs, CD-ROMs, and more. The library also receives about 22,000 periodicals annually. The collection is international in scope and includes items in nearly 40 foreign languages.

Located in Beltsville, Maryland, NAL is part of USDA’s Agricultural Research Service. In addition to being a national library, NAL is the departmental library for USDA, serving thousands of USDA employees around the world. NAL is a key resource of USDA scientific and research activities.

About 200 people work at NAL including librarians, computer specialists, information specialists, administrators, and clerical personnel. A number of volunteers ranging from college students to retired persons work on various programs at the library too. NAL also has an active visiting scholar program, which allows professors, scientists and librarians from universities worldwide to work full-time at NAL on projects of mutual interest.

AGRICOLA (AGRICultural OnLine Access) is NAL's bibliographic database providing quick access to the NAL collection. AGRICOLA contains more than 3.3 million citations to agricultural literature and is available on the World Wide Web through the NAL home page at http://www.nal.usda.gov

NAL works closely with the nationwide network of State land-grant university libraries on programs to improve access to and maintenance of the Nation's agricultural knowledge. This is being done more and more through application of new electronic information technology (the Internet and World Wide Web, CD-ROMs, laser discs, etc.). NAL has gained international recognition as a leader in this area.

NAL maintains specialized information centers in areas of particular concern to the agricultural community. These centers provide a wide range of customized information services such as responding to specific reference requests, developing informational materials, coordinating outreach activities, and establishing information exchange and dissemination networks. Subjects covered by NAL information centers include alternative farming systems, animal welfare, food and nutrition, plant genome, technology transfer for rural information (including rural health), and water quality.

For walk-in visitors, the library is open from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., eastern time, Monday through Friday, except on Federal holidays. Many of NAL's services are available at anytime through the NAL home page.

NAL can be contacted at:
The National Agricultural Library
Agricultural Research Service, USDA
10301 Baltimore Avenue
Beltsville, MD 20705-2351
(301) 504-5755
E-mail: agref@nal.usda.gov

NAL: Selected Highlights
  • Expanding Access to Information Resources
    Through its Electronic Media Center, NAL provides ARS scientists with desktop computer access to over 30 databases pertaining to the agricultural and related sciences, enabling users to operate more efficiently by searching their own databases without leaving their offices.
  • Ensuring Long Term Access to Agricultural Information
    NAL, in collaboration with other Government agencies and land-grant universities, convened a conference to address the electronic preservation of USDA digital publications and developed a preliminary preservation plan. NAL's accomplishments in preserving USDA paper and digital publications will ensure that these materials will not be lost to future generations.
  • Expanding the Agriculture Network Information Center (AgNIC) Gateway to Electronic Information Relating to Agriculture.
    AgNIC is a distributed information network on the Internet that was created by NAL and land- grant universities to provide access to online reference services. Additional services and databases are continually added to AgNIC, increasing its usefulness to the agricultural community.
  • Making USDA History Collection Available for Research
    Since the transfer of the USDA history collection to NAL in 1997, the library has organized and rehoused the entire collection. The collection is now being frequently used for research and reference purposes by USDA employees and the general public.
  • NAL Database Available on the Web AGRICOLA, NAL’s bibliographic database of over 3.3 million records on the literature of agriculture, is now available on the World Wide Web through the NAL homepage at http://www.nal.usda.gov This allows access via the Web to the NAL collection at any time, anywhere, and to anyone.

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