9/19/11
by Nikki Brown
A new bill proposed by South Dakota Senator John Thune could mean more
research dollars for South Dakota State University.
Thune says the bill for agricultural research will amend the tax code and authorize
the creation of a new type of charitable tax exempt organization, similar to those in
medical research.
Senator Thune says that the current economic strength of production agriculture is
the result of research. Among other things, agricultural research has increased
crop yields, made livestock healthier, and food safer.
He says the bill would faciliate the transfer of much needed private funding to
agriculture research, helping to prevent innovations from stalling because of a lack
of funding. Agricultural research funding has fallen far behind other federal spending
since the 1970s.
Thune says the change would leverage private dollars to encourage new agricultural
research and is supported by a number of land grant universities inlcuding SDSU.
Senator Thune says he looks forward to working with members of the Senate, both
Republicans and Democrats, in order to move the bill forward.
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