Cassandra Klotz-Ingram, Sharon Jans, Jorge Fernandez-Cornejo, and William McBrideERS/USDA Herbicide-tolerant and Bt cotton varieties may offer farmers many benefits, including decreased pesticide use, increased yields, and greater planting flexibility. Farmer benefits appear to outweigh costs, translating into rapid adoption of these cotton…

Nicholas KalaitzandonakesUniversity of Missouri For over one hundred years, Land Grant Universities (LGUs) have pushed the frontiers of knowledge; have translated new knowledge into practice for the benefit of farmers, agribusiness and consumers; and have prepared the next generation of agricultural scientists…

Gordon RausserUniversity of California The traditional research paradigm represents discoveries flowing linearly from basic science conducted in public institutions to applied research and commercialization undertaken largely by private industry. This characterization fails to accurately portray the nonlinear and chaotic nature of research…

Donald A. Holt and J. Bruce BullockUniversity of Illinois & University of Missouri Increased collaboration between private firms and State Agricultural Experiment Stations (SAES) raises fears that the independence, objectivity, and credibility of SAES and their scientists may be compromised. Likewise, there…

Chris Buller and William TaylorICAM Centre, Australian National University & CSIRO Plant Industry, Australia We discuss an innovative scheme, the Cooperative Research Centers Program, established by the Australian government in 1991, which has a major objective of delivering research output of direct…

Cassandra Klotz-Ingram and Kelly Day-RubensteinERS/USDA Agricultural research has experienced increased industry spending and public-private collaborations. Private incentives for public goods research are limited. Public-private ventures can foster socially beneficial research. Joint research opportunities must attract firms, yet conform to public goals. A…

Steven Sonka and Steven PueppkeUniversity of Illinois The potential for market failure resulting from under-investment in research is one justification for public agricultural research. This justification seems less germane given recent developments regarding intellectual property protection and the size of private biotechnology…

Steven Wolf and David ZilbermanUniversity of California Concentration in the agricultural biotechnology sector and general patterns of restructuring raise important policy questions regarding public investments in research and extension. We argue that the most valuable contributions public sector organizations can make to…

Greg TraxlerAuburn University The structure of the United States (US) public-private plant genetic research system is being transformed by the emergence of practical biotechnology protocols for creating transgenic plants; and by strengthened intellectual property protection in plants. This paper draws on some…

Carl E. PrayRutgers University Public private collaboration in plant biotechnology is unusual in China because the private sector plays a very small role in the Chinese agricultural input industry. There are few public private collaborations and also some examples of collaboration between…