04/05/1991

AG Task Force Lists Aquaculture, Forestry Among Research Priorities

AUBURN, Ala.—Fisheries and aquaculture, forestry, poultry, horticultural crops, food quality and safety, processing and value added products and sustainability of natural resources were listed by an independent task force as high priorities for research in Auburn University's Alabama Agricultural Experiment Station.

E.T. York, retired chancellor of the University of Florida system and Auburn graduate, presented the findings of the 13-member task force during a seminar, "Alabama Agricultural Research for the 21st Century." The task force is made up of university agricultural administrators and agribusiness leaders from throughout the country.

York listed beef cattle and forages, cotton, wildlife, grain crops and peanuts as medium priorities for research. Low priorities for Alabama Agricultural Experiment Station research included swine, dairy, social sciences, soybeans and textile and clothing. He explained that there is no doubt that research in both the medium and low priority groups is needed, but without new resources, some of the emphasis currently placed in these areas should be redirected to higher priority areas.

York pointed out to the group of about 150 legislators, agribusiness leaders and Auburn faculty in attendance that the Alabama agricultural Experiment Station is the research arm of Alabama Agriculture. In the past, according to York, agricultural research has consistently produced a 40-60 percent return on dollars spent. In addition to dollar returns, agricultural research makes a positive contribution to the environment and to the wise use of natural resources. Research has played a key role in providing

Americans with the lowest food cost of any country in the world, according to York.

Specifically, York noted that Auburn must become more competitive nationally for research grants. "This will require identification of key areas, hiring and maintenance of top faculty in these areas and upgrading of facilities in which these scientists work. Currently about 75 percent of the effort is in applied research, and to be more competitive nationally more emphasis must be placed on basic research," York said. He noted that there remains a major need for applied research, noting that much of this work can be accomplished by further eliminating the lines of differences between research and extension.

In his remarks during the seminar, Lowell Frobish, director of the Alabama Agricultural Experiment Station, stressed that the state's top two crops, forestry (trees) and poultry, have tremendous expansion possibilities. The state is currently second in broiler production, but to reach number one, research must solve problems with waste disposal and utilization and diseases. The development of a Poultry Disease Research Center will play a key role in solving disease problems. Development of alternative uses, such as wood instead of steel for bridges, promises to further expand the use of a variety of tree species and help rural areas more economically maintain road systems.

Frobish referred to aquaculture as the "baby industry" in the state. He explained that commercial catfish production in the South began in west Alabama in the late 1960s. Currently pond production of catfish adds $40 million and catfish processing another $40 million to the state's economy. In addition, Auburn researchers are developing new crops, such as large orange and blue crayfish from Australia, that offer great potential for Alabama's expanding aquacultural industry.

Director Frobish pointed out that all these research programs involve a team approach, which often requires scientists from many different academic disciplines. Research in the Experiment Station is conducted by scientists in the Schools of Forestry, Pharmacy, and Human Sciences, and the Colleges of Agriculture, Sciences and Mathematics, Veterinary Medicine and Liberal Arts.

In concluding the seminar, Paul Parks, vice-president of research at Auburn noted that the problems and needs of agricultural and forest industries in Alabama are diverse. He echoed York's call for the development of a limited number of research areas in which Auburn can develop national and international expertise, which should lead to more extramural funding in these areas. Parks also acknowledged the need to attract and keep top research faculty members and the need to upgrade facilities, which he said would be done within the bounds of the University's overall research program.

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By:
Roy Roberson