Source: FARM DOC DAILY, UNIV. OF ILLINOIS, 10/28/20

Public funding of agricultural research is widely-accepted as a cornerstone of US agricultural abundance.  Etched on this cornerstone is the objective, “Grow 2 blades of grass where 1 grew before.”  Rarely is public policy so successful: corn yield has quintupled from 30 to 178 bushels per acre over the last 100 years.  Higher yields however have lost public policy favor.  Public funding of US agricultural research has declined in inflation-adjusted dollars since 2005, with actual dollar declines in recent years (Clancy, Fuglie, and Heisey).  

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