C-FAR Connection - Summer 2008

              IN THIS ISSUE:
Chairman Kasey: C-FAR Research and Its Funding ..............1
C-FAR 15th Anniversary .............................................................3
Important Leadership Opportunities .......................................4
High-impact Returns for Illinois ................................................5
Get to Know a C-FAR Leader ..................................................7
Websites to Watch .......................................................................7
C-FAR Research and Its Funding
A spotlight shone brightly
CONTINUED ON PAGE 2
Illinois Council on Food and Agricultural Research • Vol. 10, No. 2, Summer 2008
C-FAR
CONNECTION
As the release of the FY08 C-FAR appropriation and other agricultural-related program appropria-tions
was being sought this past fi scal year, the critical importance of the C-FAR appropriation to
Illinois was brought to light. The process of securing the FY08 appropriation reminded us that the
C-FAR appropriation’s unique attributes are very deserving of being reiterated from time to time.
We wholeheartedly embrace these opportunities to brightly shine a spotlight on the remarkable
characteristics of this appropriation.
The research arm for Illinois
The C-FAR appropriation is the only State of Illinois appropriation that provides a comprehensive
and coordinated research program for Illinois’ food, agricultural, and related sectors. This was
exactly the intent for C-FAR’s establishment and the enactment of the Food and Agriculture
Research Act (the C-FAR appropriation’s enabling legislation). Although there are pockets of
other important state research funding for specifi c purposes, the C-FAR appropriation anchors our
state’s food and agricultural research program on a holistic basis.
The stated purpose of the Food and Agriculture Research Act very directly captures the C-FAR appropriation’s role. It reads:
The purpose of this Act is to put a solid foundation of stable and long-term State support under the important public activity of
food and agricultural research while improving accountability and gathering public input concerning that research. This should
provide the institutional capacity and program continuity that are required to mount effective food and agriculture research
programs and that cannot be achieved with short-term funding.
A key point: Although there are other funds appropriated to universities by the state for food and agricultural research
support, the majority of these funds provide for researcher salaries and infrastructure costs. The C-FAR appropriation, however,
is dedicated to specifi c high priority research being conducted.
NELS KASEY
CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD