Isn't it great to be able to go to the grocery store or to the farmers market and quickly choose the foods you would like to serve to your family and friends? Isn't it great to be able to choose from a great variety of foods, knowing all the time that these foods are as abundant and as safe as any in the world?

It is not uncommon for the modern day consumer to take for granted that virtually any food we desire is available and that these foods are available whenever we need them. It is not uncommon as well for consumers to take for granted that these foods are safe. Consumers have come to rely on American farmers to produce a great variety of foods, and they have come to rely on the United States Department of Agriculture to assure them that these foods are safe.

When consumers hear about research related to their foods, they often assume that the private companies that provide their food products are developing and carrying out whatever research is necessary. But in fact, both state and federal governments are responsible for the vast majority of research that is done. Much of this research is conducted to make sure foods are safe or that they can be made much safer than in the past. Additional research is devoted to developing new and different products that are more appealing to consumers, using traditional crops that are already being grown. Even more research is done to develop entirely new crops that have never been grown before or to develop new products that have never been available to consumers in the past.

Extensive public research, that done by either the state or federal governments, is currently being conducted for some of the more devastating diseases that affect the animals we consume, such as mad cow disease and avian influenza. Research is also being done on irradiating foods to make them safer, developing more healthy citrus crops, and how to more effectively separate the valuable starches and proteins from rice.

I mention all this to encourage you to consider our President's recent announcement of his intention to reduce funding to the United States Department of Agriculture for Extension and Research. This is his effort to address concerns about the national budget. You need to make the decision about whether or not it is wise to reduce funding for a very small portion of the national budget that has such a drastic impact on the health and safety of every American? At a time when this same government is encouraging Americans to eat more healthy foods and to take steps to keep their foods safe, is it wise to create a situation where our foods may even become less safe?

Each month, I receive a copy of Agricultural Research, a publication from the Agricultural Research Service, which is a branch of the United States Department of Agriculture. As I review this magazine, I am amazed at the various kinds of research that is being conducted and the results of some of that research. What is even more interesting is that I often read about some of the topics or concerns that are being addressed with this research and, then later, see headline news about new health developments or new technology that has just been released that is related directly to the articles I was reading. It makes me much more appreciative to know that somewhere in our vast food system there was someone who had the foresight to do some much-needed research.

I have often encouraged you to thank our local farmers for all the hard work they do to provide us with food and fiber. Now, I would like to encourage you to contact your elected officials and let them know that you expect them to do all they can to make sure our food supply remains as safe as possible. Let them know that research is a vital link in ensuring an abundant and safe food supply.

If you would like to know more about the research that is being done by the Agricultural Research Service, I encourage you to visit their web site at www.ars.usda.gov. If you don't have a computer and would like to review some of the magazines about research that our office receives each month, stop by and check out an armload, take them home with you, and read them at your leisure.

E-mail address: Everett_Davis@ncsu.edu

Mailing Address:
P. O. Box 2280
Lumberton, NC 28359-2280

Phone: 910-671-3276
Fax: 910-671-6278

Date Created 10/12/05