New report on structure of ag

During World War II, six million farms produced all of the nation's food. Today fewer than a million farms produce 90 percent of all farm output in an increasingly concentrated industry.

A new report from the National Research Council and USDA's Board on Agriculture and Natural Resources shows that publicly funded research has played an important-but not an exclusive-role in changing the structure of agriculture. The report is the result of a 10-member panel that included Leopold Center director Fred Kirschenmann. The report recommends that public-sector research be broadened beyond productivity to benefit farmers in diverse production systems and help agriculture produce public goods. The 158-page report can be downloaded on the web at: www.nap.edu/catalog/10211.html.