The president and Congress continue to struggle with a number of science-related public policy issues such as human stem cell research, global climate change, energy development and conservation, ballistic missile defense and biotechnology utilization and regulation. These issues ultimately will be resolved through the political process that will involve scientific input but will not be based entirely on science. Much of the research conducted by University of Nebraska Agricultural Research Division scientists does not address contemporary public policy issues. However, a growing number of our projects are providing information that is useful for decision making.

For example, a major new project under way at the Agricultural Research and Development Center near Mead is investigating how much carbon can be stored in soil under varying high-yield corn production systems. Through photosynthesis, corn plants take up carbon dioxide – one of the gases responsible for global warming – from the atmosphere and store carbon in their roots and foliage. Most of the stored carbon is returned to the atmosphere as carbon dioxide as soil microbes decompose dead plant material after grain harvest. Producing large amounts of biomass removes more carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Managing the decomposition process may result in more carbon from plant material being stored in humus and less being released back to the atmosphere. Demonstrating that soils have the ability to store additional carbon when properly managed may change international opinion regarding the need for significant reductions of carbon dioxide emissions by developed countries as proposed in the Kyoto Treaty.

Research by ARD faculty associated with the Rural Policy Research Institute (RUPRI) is having an impact on national rural policy decisions. RUPRI is a consortium of Iowa State University, University of Missouri and University of Nebraska faculty interested in the impact of federal legislation and policies on rural communities and people. Current Nebraska interest focuses on the impacts of federal health care policies on the delivery of health care in rural areas, the effects of federal telecommunications policy on availability of modern telecommunications services including high speed internet conductivity in rural areas, and the effectiveness of rural development activities in bringing jobs and improving quality of life to rural communities. After studies are completed, RUPRI personnel brief members of Congress on the impacts of policy alternatives.

IANR faculty are just starting a new RUPRI project to develop a database of community information to help local, state and federal policy-makers with decision making.

Agricultural biotechnology continues to be a major thrust of ARD research. Not only are our scientists using biotechnology to improve crops and livestock, several studies are under way on the potential environmental impacts of commercial biotechnology products.

Entomologists are studying the effects of Bt corn on non-target species and on management techniques to minimize the development of Bt resistence in European corn borers. Additional studies are under way on the effectiveness and environmental impacts of Bt corn that resists corn rootworms.

IANR agronomic studies have shown that inserting the Roundup Ready gene into soybean cultivars leads to yields that are 6 percent lower than those of similar varieties without the gene. Although the yield drag is present, soybean yields may be higher in Roundup Ready varieties in fields where weed control is a problem.

Information produced by these biotechnology-related studies is being used by federal agencies in regulating biotechnology crops and has been widely disseminated through Cooperative Extension.

ARD scientists are pleased to contribute a scientific perspective on key national issues. We believe that this research is an important mission of a land-grant university.

Darrel W. Nelson
Dean and Director
Agricultural Research Division

Darrell Nelson