USDA Secretary Sonny Perdue’s proposal to relocate the Economic Research Service (ERS) and National Institute for Food and Agriculture (NIFA, which administers the USDA competitive research grant programs) outside DC, and to move ERS out of the USDA Research Mission Area, has elicited widespread opposition throughout the scientific community. Over 100 universities and other organizations, including NSAC, and over 1,000 individual scientists sent letters to USDA and Congress expressing opposition to this move, and twelve Members of Congress have responded by expressing their concern to USDA. However, USDA has thus far provided no answers to questions or concerns, nor a cost/benefit analysis of the proposed changes.
Take Action!
When you speak to your Senators and Representative, express your concern regarding proposed relocation and reorganization of NIFA and ERS, and urge them to take steps to delay implementation until its potential impacts on the integrity and efficacy of USDA funded research can be fully evaluated.
For more on this, see http://sustainableagriculture.net/blog/opposition-ers-nifa-move-grows/
