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NC_OLD1034: Impact Analyses and Decision Strategies for Agricultural Research (NC1003)

Annual/Termination Reports (SAES-422): [04/15/2007] [05/06/2008] [02/02/2010] [07/12/2010] [04/26/2011]

Date of Annual Report: 04/15/2007

Report Information:
  • Annual Meeting Dates: 03/30/07 to 03/31/07
  • Period the Report Covers: 10/2005 to 09/2006

    • Participants:

    URL: Copy of participant list
    Brief Summary of Minutes of Annual Meeting:
    This years NC-1034 research symposium Agricultural Research, Intellectual Property and Incentives for Innovation was held in conjunction with the Jenny Lanjouw Memorial Conference at the University of California, Berkeley on March 30-31, 2007. Along with presentations by project participants, the NC-1034 symposium featured a presentation by Dr. Don Siegel on assessing the performance of university technology transfer in the U.S. and the U.K. Dr. Siegel is Professor of Entrepreneurship and Associate Dean of the A. Gary Anderson Graduate School of Management at the University of California at Riverside, a co-editor of the Journal of Technology Transfer, an international journal devoted to the managerial and policy implications of technology transfer. He also serves as President of the Technology Transfer Society, a non-profit organization devoted to the interdisciplinary scholarly analysis of technology transfer from universities and federal laboratories to firms. Dr. Siegel also spoke to symposium participants about Journal of Technology Transfer and the Technology Transfer Society. The Jenny Lanjouw Memorial Conference included presentations by Jenny's academic collaborators and friends, as well as those from the worlds of law, business and government and international institutions whose interests relate to the topics addressed in Jenny's own work. Topics included value of patents, determinants of patent litigation, estimation of inequality in developing countries, and the relation between intellectual property protection and the welfare of citizens in the poorest countries. Please see full conference program in the Publications link of the NC-1034 home page.

    The NC-1034 Business Meeting was held on March 30. The meeting was attended by formal NC-1034 participants as well as paper presenters from the research symposium. Administrative Advisor Marshall Martin (Purdue) discussed, for the benefit of non-participants, the process to become an NC-1034 member. He noted that depending on the experiment station, participation may serve as a vehicle for Hatch funding. He noted that the project has been recently renewed and will come up for mid-term review in about 2 years. The project will be subject to independently North Central Advisory Committee review. Martin discussed the difference between NC projects and NCCC and NCERA projects. NC projects involve integrated, often interdisciplinary, and multistate activities; have expected outcomes, including original research results; convey knowledge; and are peer reviewed. A key element here is that research is actually carried out collaboratively by participants across states and that the purpose of meeting is more than information sharing. If major activities are primarily information exchange then NCCCs (NC Coordinating Committees) would be the more appropriate form of organization. Alternatively, NCERAs integrate education (academic and/or extension) and research on a particular topic. George Frisvold (Arizona) that (a) much of NC-1034 activities involves collaborative research across two or more states and (b) he could do more to highlight such collaboration in annual reports (please see Accomplishments section of the annual report).

    Martin discussed three proposals before Congress regarding agricultural research funding. The Administrations USDA 2007 Farm Bill Proposals: Title VIIResearch. www.usda.gov/documents/07finalfbp.pdf calls for re-organizing USDA research agencies and establishing new competitive grant funding mechanisms for national priority areas. It also would establish an annual $50 million Agricultural Bioenergy and Bio-Based Products Research Initiative. A USDA panel led by William Danforth, Chancellor Emeritus of Washington University proposed establishing a National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) within USDA. A draft of the proposal is available at: http://www.ars.usda.gov/SP2UserFiles/Place/00000000/NATIONAL.doc . Martin also discussed the National Association of State Universities and Land Grant Colleges (NASULGC) proposal, Creating Research, Extension, and Teaching Excellence for the 21st Century (CREATE-21) www.create-21.org/. CREATE-21 would also establish a NIFA, but also provide capacity funding along with increased competitive grant funding.

    There was then general discussion of levels and mechanisms of funding for agricultural research being proposed for the new farm bill. There was also discussion about the best ways to report impacts of research. Participants also discussed possible themes and venues for the 2008 NC-1034 research symposium. Topics included biofuels and energy, evaluation of natural resource management research, and research on nutrition.

    A motion was introduced and passed to hold the 2008 NC-1034 research symposium in spring in Washington, DC (possibly at the USDA-Economic Research Service) on the topic of evaluating research on biofuels and renewable energy development. David Zilberman (UC-Berkeley), GianCarlo Moschini (Iowa State University) and John King (USDA-ERS) volunteered to form the symposium planning committee.

    Finally, motions were introduced and passed to elect George Frisvold (Arizona) president and Jeremy Foltz (Wisconsin) secretary of NC-


    URL: Copy of minutes

    Accomplishments:
    This fiscal year the project produced more than 60 peer-reviewed journal articles book chapters, and books (see attached publications list). Of these publications, 20 were co-authored by two or more NC-1003 participants from different institutions, working collaboratively.

    Revised papers from the 2005 conference were published this year in the edited volume Just, R.E., J.M. Alston, and D. Zilberman (eds). The Economics of Regulation of Agricultural Biotechnologies. Springer-Verlag publishers, 2006. Regular edited volumes published by NC-1034 participants, focusing on particular themes is a key way to stimulate member collaboration, obtain peer responses and suggestions, and focus research on specific problem areas.

    Other examples of collaboration among NC-1034 members include:

    (1) a special issue of AgBioForum on Innovation and Dynamic Efficiency in Agricultural Biotechnology guest edited James F. Oehmke, Carl Pray, and Anwar Naseem.

    (2) a pre-conference workshop on Biosciences and Biotechnology Policy convened by Julian Alston and Phil Pardey in conjuction with the International Association of Agricultural Economists 2006 meetings.

    (3) a special report to the Gates Foundation on biofortification co-authored by C. Juma, R. Paarlberg, C. Pray and L. Unnevehr.

    (4)Choices article "Winners and Losers: Formula versus Competitive Funding of Agricultural Research," by W.E. Huffman, G. Norton, G. Traxler, G. Frisvold, and J. Foltz.

    NC-1034 participants have also included multi-disciplinary collaborations with scientists if fields of agronomy, animal science, biochemistry, biotechnology, crop science, entomology, forestry, law, plant biology, plant breeding, plant pathology, plant science, psychology, range science, and weed science.

    Impact Statements:
    1. A project goal is to increase knowledge and awareness of economic impacts of agricultural research and new technologies and to inform public decisions at the institutional and national level for organizing, managing and funding public agricultural research. In the past fiscal year, activities have included: (1) briefings for the Idaho state legislature and Idaho governors staff on the returns to agricultural research. (2) Wendy Wintersteen Dean, College of Agriculture Director, Iowa Agriculture and Home Economics Experiment Station Iowa State University used research findings of W. Huffman and R. Evenson on funding of agricultural research in testtimony before the Senate Agricultural Commitee
    2. Project participants will continue active involvement in projects and publications of the Natural Resource Councils Board on Agriculture and Natural Resources (BANR. Greg Traxler (Auburn University) is serving as an executive committee membe for the National Academy of Sciences Board on Agriculture project Global Challenges and Directions for Agricultural Biotechnology.
    3. Organizations furthering international agricultural research and technology transfer such as the Consultative Group for International Agricultural Research, the World Bank, USDA, and the U.S. Agency for International Development will use research findings and research evaluation methods developed by project participants. Carl Pray is a lead author on Global Report of the International Assessment of Agricultural Science and Technology for Development which is sponsored by the World Bank and 16 nations. Methods to evaluate economic impacts of agricultural research developed by committee participants continue to be widely cited by agencies such as IFPRI, the World Bank, and the USDA, Economic Research Service
    Last Modified: 16-Oct-2007

    Date of Annual Report: 05/06/2008

    Report Information:
  • Annual Meeting Dates: 03/07/08 to 03/08/08
  • Period the Report Covers: 10/2006 to 09/2007

    • Participants:
    Brief Summary of Minutes of Annual Meeting:
    Brief Summary of Minutes of Annual Meeting This years NC-1034 research symposium Energy and Agriculture: Emerging Policy and R&D Issues was hosted by the Economic Research Service of USDA in in Washington, DC, March 7-8, 2008. The symposium program was as follows:

    NC-1034 Conference on Energy and Agriculture: Emerging Policy and R&D Issues Friday, March 7, 2008 ERS, U.S. Department of Agriculture 1800 M St. NW, Washington, D.C. Amber Waves Room (3rd floor, South Tower)

    8:00  8:30 AM Registration

    8:30 AM George Frisvold, University of Arizona and NC-1034 Chair Margriet Caswell, USDA-ERS, Resource and Rural Economics Division Welcome Remarks

    8:45  10:15 AM Energy and Agriculture: Current Status and Emerging Challenges Chair: GianCarlo Moschini

    David Zilberman, University of California-Berkeley Biofuels: A Challenge to Economics Research

    Bruce Babcock, CARD, Iowa State University Situation, Outlook and Some Key Research Questions Pertaining to Biofuels

    Bruce A. McCarl, Texas A&M University Biofuels, Climate Change and Agricultural Research: Opportunities and Challenges

    10:15  10:45 AM Coffee Break

    10:45  12:15 PM Welfare Economics of Energy Policies Chair: George Frisvold

    Harry de Gorter & David R. Just, Cornell University The Welfare Economics of U.S. Ethanol Policy

    Harvey Lapan & GianCarlo Moschini, Iowa State University Market Failures and the Welfare Analysis of Biofuel Policies: Subsidies vs. Mandates

    Antonio M. Bento, Cornell University A Framework for Evaluating BioFuels Policies

    12:15  1:30 PM Lunch Break

    1:30  3:00 PM Bioenergy and Agricultural Research Chair: David Zilberman Tom Campbell, British Petroleum Perspectives on Biofuel Strategies and the Energy Biosciences Institute

    Julian M. Alston UC-Davis & Amani Elobeid, Iowa State University Research Benefits in a Third-Best Setting and U.S. Biofuels Research

    Brian Wright, Josephine Mutugu & Gregory Graff, UC- Berkeley Intellectual Property Issues of Public- Private Research Collaborations in Emerging Biofuel Technologies

    3:00  3:30 PM Coffee Break

    3:30  4:30 PM Energy from Biomass Chair: John King Paul Gallagher and Hosein Shapouri, Iowa State University & USDA Biomass Crop and Ethanol Supply from Agricultural Lands in the United States Joseph E. Carolan, Satish V. Joshi and Bruce E. Dale, Michigan State University Technical and Financial Feasibility Analysis of Distributed Bioprocessing Using Regional Biomass Pre-Processing Centers

    4:30  5:15 PM Roundtable Discussion Chair: George Frisvold

    Saturday, March 8, 2008 JURYS Washington Hotel 1500 New Hampshire Avenue, N.W, Washington DC Burlington Ballroom

    8:30  10:00 NC-1034 Members Contributed Papers Session I Chair: David Zilberman

    Chenggang Wang, Yin Xia, & Steven Buccola, University of Missouri & Oregon State University Industry Investments and Public Research Policy in Life Sciences

    Wally Huffman, Iowa State University Consumer Acceptance of GM Food Crops

    GianCarlo Moschini, Luisa Menapace & Daniel Pick, Iowa State University & USDA Geographical Indications and the Competitive Provision of Quality in Agricultural Markets

    10:00  10:30 AM Coffee Break

    10:30  11:30 NC-1034 Members Contributed Papers Session II Chair: GianCarlo Moschini Alejandro Plastina and Lilyan Fulginiti, University of Nebraska Rates of Return to Public Agricultural Research in 48 U.S. States

    Jeremy Foltz and Bradford Barham, University of Wisconsin-Madison The Productivity Effects of Extension Appointments in Land Grant Colleges

    11:30  12:30 NC-1034 Business Meeting Chair: George Frisvold

    The NC-1034 Business Meeting was held on March 8. The meeting was attended by formal NC-1034 participants as well as paper presenters from the research symposium. Administrative Advisor Marshall Martin (Purdue) was unable to be present for the meeting but requested the following information be conveyed to the group. Next year, NC1034 must go through a mid-term review. Hence, he stressed the need to completely fulfill NIMSS reporting requirements. The SAES-422 should be completed by the end of September. As the Administrative Advisor, Martin will be asked to write this fall his evaluation of the multi-state project. Also the North Central Agricultural Economics Department Heads will be asked to review NC1034. It is critical to have good information in NIMSS since this is all that the Department Heads will have available to conduct their evaluation. The North Central Agricultural Experiment Station Directors will make a decision in March 2009 as to whether NC1034 should continue as it is currently functioning or whether any modifications need to be made. If a multi-state has been active, publications are noted, and the information in NIMSS (Minutes and SAES-422) is complete, normally the North Central Directors will give a positive vote to continue. A motion was introduced and passed to hold the 2009 NC-1034 research symposium in spring in Tucson, Arizona on the topic of the current global food crisis and accompanying implications for agricultural research systems. Vincent Smith (Montana State), George Norton (Virginia Tech), Jeremy Foltz (Wisconsin), Greg Graff (Colorado State University), and George Frisvold (Arizona) volunteered to form the symposium planning committee. Some participants suggested that papers from the 2009 symposium should be organized to be published in an edited volume. It was also suggested that cooperation and collaboration with organizations such as the Farm Foundation be sought and that research policy makers be invited to the 2009 symposium.

    Finally, motions were introduced and passed to elect George Frisvold (Arizona) president and Jeremy Foltz (Wisconsin) secretary of NC-


    URL: Copy of minutes

    Accomplishments:
    Short-term Outcomes:

    The edited volume Richard E. Just, University of Maryland; Julian M. Alston, University of California, Davis; David Zilberman, University of California, Berkeley Regulating Agricultural Biotechnology: Economics and Policy, New York, NY: Springer Science and Business Media, 2006 received the 2007 American Agricultural Economics Association (AAEA) Quality of Communication Award. The Award recognizes publications that demonstrate superior communication of concepts or knowledge in agricultural economics. This volume was derived from papers presented at an earlier NC-1034 research symposium.

    The article Matin Qaim and Arjunan Subramanian, University of Hohenheim; Gopal Naik, Indian Institute of Management; David Zilberman, University of California, Berkeley Adoption of Bt Cotton and Impact Variability: Insights from India, Review of Agricultural Economics, Volume 28(1): 48-58, 2006 received the 2007 AAEA Award for the Outstanding Article published by the Associations Review of Agricultural Economics. NC-1034 participants gave testimony to the House Agriculture Sub-committee on Conservation, Credit, and Research with respect to the merits of formula versus competitive grants and the merits of restructuring plans for the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

    Outputs:

    Outputs for 2007 included more than 50 publications, eight of which involved direct collaborations between NC-1034 participants from two or more different institutions.

    NC-1034 participants continue to collaborate in developing databases that track agricultural productivity growth over time both across states in the United States and across countries. This data is being used in conjuction with data on agricultural R&D investments to estimate the links between levels and forms of agricultural R&D investment and productivity growth.

    Activities:

    Collaborative activities included:

    1. Collaboration across universities to examine economics of biofortification.

    2. Organization and participation in the 11th Science International Consortium on Agricultural Biotechnology Research (ICABR) International Conference on Agricultural Biotechnologies: New Frontiers and Products  Economics, Policies and Science, Ravello, Italy, July 2629, 2007

    Milestones:

    Publication of special AgBioForum issue on Biofortified Food Crops: Progress and Prospects in Developing Countries

    Plans are underway for a symposium in 2009 to report and discuss major discoveries followed by the publication and distribution of a book.

    Impact Statements:
    Last Modified: 29-Jun-2008

    Date of Annual Report: 02/02/2010

    Report Information:
  • Annual Meeting Dates: 03/19/09 to 03/20/09
  • Period the Report Covers: 10/2007 to 10/2008

    • Participants:
    Brief Summary of Minutes of Annual Meeting:
    This years NC-1034 research symposium, The World Food Crisis: The Future Role of Agricultural R & D Programs, Biotechnology, and Crop-Related Energy Policy was held at USDAs Economic Research Service in Washington, DC, March 19-20, 2009. Along with presentations by project participants, the NC-1034 symposium featured guest presentations and discussion by: " Joseph Glauber, USDA, Chief Economist " Prabhu Pingali, Head of Agricultural Policy and Statistics, Agriculture Development Division. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation " Mark Rosengrant, Director of the Environment and Production Technology Division, International Food Policy Research Institute " Katherine Smith, USDA  ERS Administrator and USDA Acting Under Secretary for Research, Education and Economics " Neil Conklin, President of the Farm Foundation " Thomas A. Bewick, USDA  CSREES, National Program Leader  Horticulture " Professor Justus Wesseler of Wageningen University, The Netherlands

    Topics addressed included the recent sharp increase in world food prices and its implications for agricultural research systems, relationships between energy and agricultural markets, agricultural R&D funding and productivity trends and their implications for world food production, private agricultural R&D and patenting, and mechanisms for enhancing the policy relevance of economic research. Please see full conference program in the Publications link of the NC-1034 home page.

    The full symposium agenda follows.

    NC-1034 Impact Analysis and Decision Strategies for Agricultural Research Annual Business Meeting and Research Conference on The World Food Crisis: The Future Role of Agricultural R & D Programs, Biotechnology, and Crop-Related Energy Policy Waugh Auditorium, USDA Economic Research Service 1800 M Street NW, Washington, DC March 19  20, 2009

    AGENDA Thursday March 19, 2009

    8:00  8:30 Registration

    8:30  8:45 Welcome Mary Bohman, USDA  Economic Research Service George Frisvold, University of Arizona

    8:45  9:15 The World Food Crisis: an Overview Mark Rosegrant, International Food Policy Research Institute

    9:15  9:45 Agricultural Research, Productivity, and Food Commodity Prices Phil Pardey, University of Minnesota

    9:45  10:15 The World Food Crisis and Agricultural R & D: The Role of Non- Government Institutions Prabhu Pingali, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation

    10:15  10:45 Break

    10:45  11:15 Industry Structure and R&D Spending: New Evidence from Agricultural Input Industries Keith Fuglie, USDA  Economic Research Service

    11: 15  11:45 Technology and Innovation in World Agriculture: 2010 to 2019 Wallace Huffman, Iowa State University

    11:45  12:15 Biotechnology and Nutritional Quality of Foods Laurian Unnevehr, USDA  Economic Research Service

    12:15  1:30 Lunch

    Thursday March 19, 2009

    1:30 - 2:00 A Method for Evaluating the Strength of Patents Brian Wright and Zhen Lei, University of California, Berkeley

    2:00  2:30 Political Economy of Biotechnology Acceptance and Rejection Gregory Graff, Colorado State University

    2:30  3:00 Policy Relevant Science for Food, Agriculture, and Natural Resources Kitty Smith, USDA Acting Under Secretary for Research, Education and Economics

    3:00  3:30 Break

    3:30  4:00 The Efficiency of Increased US Biofuels Mandates Antonio Bento, Cornell University

    4:00  4:30 Energy and Agricultural Markets Joe Glauber, Chief Economist, USDA

    4:30  5:30 Panel  Comparative Developments in Agricultural R&D Carl Pray, Rutgers University Justus Wesseler, Wageningen University

    Friday March 20, 2009

    8:30 - 9:00 Internationally Linked Patents in Agricultural Biotechnology John King, USDA  Economic Research Service

    9:00 - 9:30 On Pricing and Vertical Organization of Differentiated Products: The Case of Soybean Seed Industry Guanming Shi and Jean-Paul Chavas, University of Wisconsin

    9:30 - 10:00 The Relationship of Agricultural Productivity and Agricultural Output and Trade David Lambert, North Dakota State University

    10:00- 10:30 Break 10:30 - 11:00 Biofortification and Improved Staple Crops  Two Important Avenues Generating Irreversible Benefits from Transgenic Crops for Africa Justus Wesseler, Wageningen University

    11:00 - 11:30 Scientists Values, University-Industry Research Relations, and University Research Policies Leland Glenna, Pennsylvania State University

    11:30 - 12:00 The Role of Stakeholders in Developing Research and Extension Funding Sources Thomas A. Bewick, USDA  CSREES

    12:00 - 1:30 Lunch / NC 1034 Business Meeting

    1:30 Adjourn

    The NC-1034 Business Meeting was held on March 20. Administrative Advisor Marshall Martin (Purdue) noted NC1034 is scheduled to terminate in September 2011. Hence, this is the year to write a new/revised 5-year multi-state project. Some information is due in NIMSS in September and everything must be completed by no later than December 1, 2010. Martin discussed the difference between NC projects and NCCC projects. NC projects involve integrated, often interdisciplinary, and multi-state activities; have expected outcomes, including original research results; convey knowledge; and are peer reviewed. A key element here is that research is actually carried out collaboratively by participants across states and that the purpose of meeting is more than information sharing. Marshall noted that if the groups major activities were primarily information exchange then NCCCs (NC Coordinating Committees) would be the more appropriate form of organization. He emphasized that, for project renewal it was crucial to show more evidence of research impact and collaboration, including collaborative grants and publications.

    George Frisvold (Arizona) noted that a main purpose of the annual symposium was information exchange. However, many NC-1034 are collaborating on ongoing research projects. Because of the large number of states, participating in NC-1034 (24) there is not single project that involve all participants. However, numerous projects involve sub-groups of NC-1034 participants. He also asked members to report on impacts of research and not just publications. Examples might include technology transfer, invited testimony before decision-makers, evidence of increase knowledge or awareness, or greater interactions with USDA agencies.

    Some suggestions for post-meeting activities included posting presentations on AgEcon Search or Farm Foundation websites. Carl Pray (Rutgers) suggested it would be a good idea to report some results back to the Gates Foundation.

    Discussion then turned to possible themes, locations, and dates for the 2010 meetings. It was agreed to have the meetings at ERS in Washington, DC again. March, around times of university Spring Breaks was suggested as a good time to hold the meetings. Possible themes mentioned included: " Sustainability " Biotechnology " Institutional structures & R&D " Environmental / food safety impacts " Implications for global food production " Economics of productivity research & benefits of productivity research " Productivity measurement " Measuring benefit and policy implications of public and private research

    It was also recommended that it would be worthwhile to invite industry speakers. It was also suggested that given that the meetings would be in Washington, DC, it would again be a good opportunity to invite policy makers to hear and make presentations. Vincent Smith (Montana State) and David Schimmelpfennig offered to lead the planning committee for the 2010 meeting. They were formally nominated and unanimously approved.

    Finally, motions were introduced and passed to elect George Frisvold (Arizona) president.


    URL: Copy of minutes

    Accomplishments:
    This year the project produced more than 50 publications (see attached publications list).

    Project participants helped organize and participated in the 14th International Consortium for Agricultural Biotechnology Research (ICABR) on The Future of Agricultural Biotechnology: Creative Destruction, Adoption, or Irrelevance? in Honor of Vittorio Santaniello. Selected papers from this conference will be published in a special issue of AgBioForum 2009.

    Researchers from Arizona, Wisconsin, Minnesota, and USDAs Economic Research Service extended collaborative research on pest resistance management for trangenic crops (which began as part of the 2005 NC-1034 research symposium) to a new project on herbicide resistance management. Research findings will also be published in a special issue of AgBioForum in 2009.

    Collaborative research among participants from California, Minnesota, and Wyoming continued with a major effort to update state-level and national agricultural input, output and productivity measures for the United States. This data will be used in future research examining the productivity effects of agricultural R&D.

    Impact Statements:
    1. Genetically modified food research findings have been helping the USDA revise regulator approval policies for new intergenic GM crops.
    2. Research and pest resistance management of insect resistant trangenic crops has been used by EPA in design of resistance management regulations.
    3. Research findings used by Association of Public and Land-grant Universities for policy recommendations regarding agricultural research funding.
    Last Modified: 24-Jun-2010

    Date of Annual Report: 07/12/2010

    Report Information:
  • Annual Meeting Dates: 03/18/10 to 03/19/10
  • Period the Report Covers: 10/2009 to 09/2010

    • Participants:
    Brief Summary of Minutes of Annual Meeting:
    The annual business meeting of NC-1034 was held in conjunction with the committees annual research conference, this year entitled, Research Conference on Roles for Public and Private Funding of Agricultural Research in the new National Institute for Food and Agriculture (NIFA) Research Funding Context. The conference was held at the Economic Research Service of USDA in Washington, DC, March 18-19, 2010. The business meeting was held on March 19. More than 20 scholars and USDA agency staff participated in the conference (see list below).

    Marshall Martin (Purdue), NC-1034s administrative representative opened up business meeting discussion. He noted that NC-1034 is up for renewal this upcoming year. First, he suggested the group consider which type of committee best suited the groups activities. For example, coordinating committees (NCCCs) focus more on information exchange. NCCCs cannot be Hatch projects, however. NCERA projects often involve taking research and bundling results for outreach. It is more of a nexus between research and extension. A key element of multi-state research projects is true research collaboration across states and participants, not merely sharing separate research results and information with the group. Such evidence of collaboration would include collaborative research activities, publications, or grant submissions.

    Matt Anderson noted that for his institution (Wyoming) an NC designation was needed to obtain experiment station travel support for participation. Frisvold noted that, given large number of states and individuals involved, everyone is not necessarily collaborating with everyone else. However, there is substantial collaboration among the group members in different configurations. Such collaboration has included: (a) grant proposal writing, (b) workshops and conferences, (c) joint research publications, and (d) special issues of peer reviewed journals, where work of multiple participants are published together. Frisvold stressed the need to emphasize the nature and extent of such collaboration, both in the annual project report and in the project renewal proposal. The group decided to maintain the NC designation for project renewal.

    Martin then explained the project renewal process and deadlines. Project deadlines are as follows: " 9/15: notify NIMSS data of intent to submit project renewal proposal " 10/15: submit project objectives " 11/15: participants will receive notification to fill our Appendix E contribution to objectives " 12/1: all parts of project proposal must be complete and submitted

    Next steps after submission: " Martin (administrator) makes recommendations " Proposal then goes to NC ag econ dept heads " Multi-state research committee reviews @ April 1 " 2nd review in July

    Martin noted that project acceptance will be a bit harder. Projects will receive even more scrutiny because of tight budgets.

    There was then general discussion concerning the types of research topics to be explored under a new project. These included (a) the economics of research funding mechanisms to inform NIFA (b) background research to inform the research title of the next farm bill (c) world hunger (d) biofuels (e) biotechnology (f) public and private funding of agricultural R&D (g) intellectual property rights

    David Zilberman (UC-Berkeley) stated that NC-1034 should emphasize its past track record in generating influential, collaborative research publications. George Norton (VA Tech) suggested that we probably dont want more than four main objectives. Martin suggested that multi-disciplinary integration. Frisvold added that annual and renewal reports could do more to highlight inter-disciplinary publications. Zilberman noted that we have frequently invited staff from regulatory agencies to participate in conferences and that they often come from disciplines outside of economics. Carl Pray (Rutgers) raised a question about how much of an international theme the proposal should have. Martin responded that this would be a problem if research on international topics were the only things the group did, but that themes with international components were fine. Martin emphasized the importance on starting early on the renewal proposal. He suggested the possibility of having a writing meeting at the Denver Agricultural and Applied Economics Association meetings at the end of July. Frisvold volunteered to draft a project renewal proposal for general circulation prior to the Denver meetings.

    Discussion then turned to the 2011 NC-1034 research symposium. This discussion centered on an organizational theme that (a) demonstrated the breadth of the groups collaborative efforts and also addressed new NIFA program priorities. One potential theme title introduced was Biotechnology, Bioenergy & Global Food Security. David Zilberman suggested substituting Bioeconomy as a single word encompassing biotechnology and bioenergy. Julian Alston (UC-Davis) raised questions about how recognized the term bioeconomy was and whether it would be meaningful to outside groups.

    Vincent Smith (Montana State) suggested holding the meeting in Seattle and approaching the Gates Foundation (headquartered there) for participation and possible support. Several NC-1034 participants are currently working on Gates Foundation supported projects. Further, the Gates Foundation interest in global food security coincides with NIFAs new Global Food Security Challenge area.

    The group agreed that the symposium should produce a tangible research product such as a book. It was further proposed that we draft a conference / book proposal to the Gates Foundation to see at what level (if any) they may want to participate. This could range from attending or making presentations at the conference up to financial support for the conference itself or for the book publication. It was also noted that the Gates Foundation may be keenly interested in having participation of scholars from developing countries. They might also be keen to invite scientists from other disciplines and desire impact assessments. Again, both these goals are highly consistent with goals of multi-state research projects.

    Frisvold volunteered to write a first draft of a one-page proposal to show to the Gates Foundation. Smith volunteered to approach economists at Gates to get a sense of initial interest. Zilberman suggested inviting David Ervin of Portland State to participate or help organize the conference. Ervin recently chaired the National Academy of Sciences panel for the book Impact of Genetically Engineered Crops on Farm Sustainability in the United States.

    Other possible sponsors for a book discussed were the Farm Foundation and the International Consortium on Agricultural Biotechnology. It was also suggested that, if collaboration with the Gates Foundation in Seattle proved infeasible, an alternative would be to hold the conference at the University of California, Berkeley.

    Accomplishments:
    Short-term Outcomes:

    Methods developed by NC-1034 members to evaluate the economic impacts and returns to agricultural research have been widely adopted by USDA agencies, the World Bank, and the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research.

    Assessments of economic impacts of new technologies have been widely cited in government and National Academy reports on the benefits and costs of biotechnologies.

    Outputs:

    Outputs this year included more than 60 publications.

    Activities:

    A conference on Biotechnology in Developing Countries at the University of California, Berkeley was organized and attended by NC-1034 members and collaborators.

    A conference on the Biofuel Situation and Policies in Developing Countries at the University of California, Berkeley was organized and attended by NC-1034 members and collaborators.

    The conference on the Emerging Bio-Economy  the 13th International Consortium for Agricultural Biotechnology Research (ICABR) Conference  in Ravello, Italy was organized and attended by NC-1034 members and collaborators. NC-1034 members have organized, edited, and published jointly in special issues of journals on project related topics agricultural research and technology management (see Milestones below). The rise of on-line publishing has reduced the time it takes to make research findings available and increases the breadth of information dissemination.

    Milestones:

    Publication of a special section of Choices, a journal of the Agricultural and Applied Economics Association, on the theme of Agricultural Productivity and Global Food Security in the Long Run. The special section was organized by NC-1034 members and included six articles from NC-1034 members and collaborators reporting results of project-related research.

    Publication of a special issue of AgBioForum, Herbicide Resistant Crops: Diffusion, Benefits, Pricing, and Resistance Management. The special issue was edited by and featured 13 articles by NC-1034 members and collaborators. These collaborations arose from past interactions from NC-1034 meetings and book publication projects.

    Publication of a special Issue of AgBioForum, The Future of Agricultural Biotechnology. This special issue included publications by NC-1034 members and international collaborators. Earlier versions of these papers were presented at the annual meeting of International Consortium for Agricultural Biotechnology Research, which was organized by NC-1034 and European collaborators.

    Impact Statements:
    1. Research findings by NC-1034 members were widely cited in the National Research Council (NRC) report, The Impact of Genetically Engineered Crops on Farm Sustainability in the United States. The goal of the NRC, organized by the National Academy of Sciences, is to further knowledge and to advise the federal government on critical issues in science and technology. A stated objective of NC-1034 was that project participants would continue to be directly involved in NRC publications and to be sources of key cited references.
    2. A study of the University of Nebraska-Lincolns Agricultural Research Division (ARD) found that for every $1 invested in ARD, the major research arm of Nebraskas Agricultural Experiment Station, investors received the equivalent net annual benefits of 36 cents every year for 31 years, amounting to $17. Nebraskas ARD returns rank second nationally with only the University of Missouris Agricultural Experiment Station ranking just slightly higher with a 37 percent rate of return. The study was conducted in all 48 continental U.S. states. On average, the rate of return in other states was 29 percent. The ARDs 36 percent rate of return beats the 9 percent and 12 percent average returns of the S&P 500 and NASDQ composite indexes during the same period of the study.
    Last Modified: 05-Jan-2011

    Date of Annual Report: 04/26/2011

    Report Information:
  • Annual Meeting Dates: 03/25/11 to 03/26/11
  • Period the Report Covers: 10/2009 to 09/2010

    • Participants:
    Brief Summary of Minutes of Annual Meeting:
    This years NC-1034 research symposium, Biotechnology, Bioenergy, and Global Food Security was held in conjunction with the 4th Annual Berkeley Bioeconomy Conference: The State of Biofuel and Biotechnology. The joint conference was held from March 24-26, 2011 on the campus of the University of California, Berkeley. The program for the Bioeconomy Conference is available at http://www.berkeleybioeconomy.com/program/2011-program while the program for the NC-1034 portion of the joint conference is list below and also posted at http://www.berkeleybioeconomy.com/program/nc-1034-program-2011.

    NC-1034 Program, 2011 Friday March 25

    2:15  3:45

    Gregory Graff (Colorado State) and Brian Wright (UC-Berkeley) Structuring Public Private Research Alliances: Allocating Intellectual Property and Control Rights to Optimize Collaborative R&D in Bioenergy

    David Bullock (Illinois) and Flordeliza Bardey (Philippine Rice Research Institute) A Discussion about the Efficiency of US Ethanol Policy

    Jessica Schuring, Wallace Huffman, and Xing Fan (Iowa State) Genetically Modified Crops and Midwestern Farm Production: Evidence at the State Level over 1960-2004

    3:45  4:00 Break

    4:00  5:30 Guanming Shi (Wisconsin) An Analysis of Productivity of Biotech Seeds: The Case of US Corn Hybrids

    Kyriakos Drivas (UC-Berkeley), Zhen Lei (Penn State), and Brian Wright (UC-Berkeley) The Role of Exclusive Licensing in Follow-on Research of Academic Patented Inventions

    Sun Ling Wang, David Schimmelpfennig, and Eldon Ball (USDA  ERS) Is Agricultural Productivity Slowing? The Case of US and EU Countries

    Saturday March 26

    9:00  10:30

    Panel Discussion led by Carl Pray, Timothy Dalton, David Zilberman and others. Can NC-1034 play a role in strengthening African agricultural science and technology policy? Strengthening African agricultural science and technology policy

    10:30  10:45 Break

    10:45  12:15

    Keith Fuglie (USDA, ERS) Global Agricultural Productivity Growth

    George Frisvold (Arizona) Resistance Management and Sustainable Use of Biotechnology

    David Bullock (Illinois) A New Measure of the Producer Welfare Effects of Technological Change

    12:30  2:00 Lunch / NC-1034 Business Meeting / Adjourn

    The joint conference featured speakers from a wide range of disciplines, including: agricultural economics, agricultural engineering, agronomy, biochemistry, bioproduct chemistry & engineering, economic history, epidemiology, forest economics & management, and plant biology. Presentations are available for download at: http://www.berkeleybioeconomy.com/presentations-2/2011-presentations

    The panel discussion on strengthening African agricultural science and technology policy included discussion of establishing endowed chairs of bioscience policy focused on agriculture at African Universities in economics and agricultural economics with money for research, graduate students and links to NC1034 and International Consortium for Applied Bioeconomy Research (ICABR) networks. It also considered possibilities of seeking out funding sources to increase opportunities for agricultural PhD students and post-doctoral scholars working on African agricultural development issues.

    The annual business meeting was held on Saturday, March 26, from 12:30 - 2:00 p.m.

    Termination report: Committee president, George Frisvold (Arizona) informed the group that next year materials would be needed to write the committee termination report. The termination report differs from annual report in that it should discuss cumulative activities, accomplishments, and impacts of the committee over past 5 years.

    New NIFA rep: Robbin Shoemaker will be NC-1034's new NIFA rep. The group noted appreciation for Henry Bahn's support and assistance as past rep and welcomed Robbin's involvement as he is familiar with the group's research and has published in areas directly related to the committee's charge.

    Theme and venue of next meeting / conference: Because the old farm bill is expiring and a new farm bill will be drafted next year, several members suggested that the theme of next year's conference should be to inform the research title of the next farm bill. Frisvold conveyed to the group that Robbin Shoemaker was willing to explore the possibility of having next year's meetings at the NIFA offices in Washington, DC. This would facilitate participation of policymakers.

    Other suggestions included: * Invite congressional committee staff economists as speakers * Coordinate with groups such as the Farm Foundation and C-FARE to increase the impact of presentations * Have the first day of the conference focus on less technical policy presentations for policy makers. This would require presentations that were structured differently than typical academic seminars. Wally Huffman distributed to the group the copies of the report Investing in a Better Future through Public Agricultural Research ( http://www.econ.iastate.edu/sites/default/files /castagresearchfinal_qta2011-11.pdf ) published by the Council for Agricultural Science and Technology (CAST) as CAST Commentary QTA2011-1. The report was co-authored by Huffman, NC-1034 member George Norton (Virginia Tech) and Luther Tweeten (Ohio State). The report is a good example of the type of material that would be appropriate for presentation to policy makers. * Have the meetings over Friday/ Saturday (rather than Thursday / Friday). Because of teaching commitments it is more difficult for faculty to attend on Thursdays. This may require that meetings be held at NIFA on Friday, but a different site on Saturday. This has been done in the past when meetings have been in Washington.

    Planning committee: George Frisvold (Arizona), Gregory Graff (Colorado State), and Sun Ling Wang (USDA, ERS) agreed to serve on the meeting planning committee. It was also suggested we attempt to enlist Richard Just (Maryland) and Vince Smith (Montana State).

    Officers: George Frisvold (Arizona) was elected president Gregory Graff (Colorado State) was elected secretary

    The group heartily thanked David Zilberman for all the work involved in hosting this year's conference. Meeting Adjourned.

    Accomplishments:
    Short-term Outcomes:

    Methods developed by NC-1034 members to evaluate the economic impacts and returns to agricultural research have been widely adopted by USDA agencies, scholars at land-grant institutions, the World Bank, and the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research.

    Assessments of economic impacts of new technologies have been widely cited in government and National Academy reports on the benefits and costs of biotechnologies and on agricultural sustainability.

    Outputs:

    Outputs this year included more than 70 publications.

    Activities:

    NC-1034 members and international cooperators organized and participated in the 14th International Consortium on Applied Bioeconomy Research (ICABR) Conference in Ravello, Italy, June 16-18, 2010 with the theme Bioeconomy Governance: Policy, Environmental and Health Regulation, and Public Investments in Research. NC-1034 member publications were included in a resulting special issue of the journal AgBioForum (see Milestones)

    NC-1034 members and cooperators organized and participated in the Third Berkeley Conference on the Bioeconomy The Current Situation of Biofuel: Economics, Policy, Technology, and Research held June 24-25, 2010 on the campus of the University of California.

    Milestones:

    A large body of NC-1034 research has been published together in books, edited volumes and a special journal issue. Combining research outputs in special volumes and journal issues allows complementary research of NC-1034 members to be presented together. Examples include the following.

    The book Persistence Pays: U.S. Agricultural Productivity Growth and the Benefits from Public R&D Spending (Springer, 2010) was co-authored by three NC-1034 members (and one collaborator) and is based in part on research presented at earlier NC-1034 meetings.

    The edited volume The Economic Impact of Public Support to Agriculture: An International Perspective (Springer, 2010) was edited and features contributions of one NC-1034 member with multiple collaborators.

    The edited volume Handbook of Bioenergy Economics and Policy (Springer, 2010) was co-edited by one NC-1034 member and contains chapters by two NC-1034 members, several collaborators, and several graduate students conducting doctoral research on NC-1034-related projects.

    The volume The Shifting Patterns of Agricultural Production and Productivity Worldwide (Midwest Agribusiness Trade Research and Information Center and Iowa State University, 2010) was edited by two NC-1034 members and a collaborator and features research presented at earlier NC-1034 meetings.

    Papers revised and accepted based on peer review from the 2010 International Consortium on Applied Bioeconomy Research (ICABR) Conference have been published in a special issue of AgBioForum (volume 13, number 4). This special issue included publications by NC-1034 members and international collaborators. Earlier versions of these papers were presented at the annual meeting of International Consortium for Agricultural Biotechnology Research, which was organized by NC-1034 members and European collaborators.

    Impacts

    Two books that were the product (in part) of NC-1034 activities and research collaboration received a number of prestigious professional awards for excellence.

    The book Alston, J.M., M.A. Andersen, J.S. James, and P.G. Pardey. (2010) Persistence Pays: U.S. Agricultural Productivity Growth and the Benefits from Public R&D Spending. New York: Springer has received the following awards * The Quality of Research Discovery Award from the Australian Agricultural & Resource Economics Society * The Outstanding Published Research Award from the Western Agricultural Economics Association * The Quality of Research Discovery Award from the Agricultural and Applied Economics Association - the largest and most prestigious organization in agricultural and natural resource economics.

    The Australian Agricultural & Resource Economics Society gave its annual Quality of Communication Award to the book Alston, J.M., B.A. Babcock and P.G. Pardey, eds. (2010). The Shifting Patterns of Agricultural Production and Productivity Worldwide. Ames, IA: Midwest Agribusiness Trade Research and Information Center and Iowa State University.

    A stated objective of NC-1034 was that project participants would continue to be directly involved in National Research Council (NRC) publications and to be sources of key cited references. The goal of the NRC is to improve government decision making and public policy, increase public understanding, and promote the acquisition and dissemination of knowledge in matters involving science, engineering, technology, and health. The Board on Agriculture and Natural Resources (BANR) is the major program unit of the National Research Council responsible for organizing and overseeing studies on agriculture, forestry, fisheries, wildlife, and the use of land, water, and other natural resources. NC-1034 members made important contributions to two major NRC publications in 2010.

    The report The Impact of Genetically Engineered Crops on Farm Sustainability in the United States Research (2010, National Academies Press) relied extensively on research findings of NC-1034 members, citing more than 30 papers by members.

    The report Toward Sustainable Agricultural Systems in the 21st Century (2010,) National Academies Press cited 25 papers by NC-1034 members.

    Impact Statements:
    1. The book Persistence Pays: U.S. Agricultural Productivity Growth and the Benefits from Public R&D Spending has received the following awards The Quality of Research Discovery Award from the Australian Agricultural & Resource Economics Society " The Outstanding Published Research Award from the Western Agricultural Economics Association " The Quality of Research Discovery Award from the Agricultural and Applied Economics Association - the largest and most prestigious organization in agricultural and natural resource economics.
    2. The Australian Agricultural & Resource Economics Society gave its annual Quality of Communication Award to the book Alston, J.M., B.A. Babcock and P.G. Pardey, eds. (2010). The Shifting Patterns of Agricultural Production and Productivity Worldwide. Ames, IA: Midwest Agribusiness Trade Research and Information Center and Iowa State University.
    3. The report The Impact of Genetically Engineered Crops on Farm Sustainability in the United States Research (2010, National Academies Press) relied extensively on research findings of NC-1034 members, citing more than 30 papers by members.
    4. The report Toward Sustainable Agricultural Systems in the 21st Century (2010,) National Academies Press cited 25 papers by NC-1034 members.
    Last Modified: 19-May-2011
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