The Agricultural Research Service, chief scientific research agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, marked its 50th anniversary November 3, 2003. ARS' accomplishments during the past half century include development of the leading mosquito repellent, development of vaccines to protect chickens against economically devastating diseases, creation of a key equation to reduce soil erosion, and the discovery of two new forms of life--viroids and spiroplasmas. Viroids are strands of ribonucleic acid (RNA) that can cause disease in plants and crops; spiroplasmas, which also are responsible for many plant diseases, are life forms with no cell wall and one of the smallest genomes of any living organism.
Today, ARS is the largest agricultural science agency of its kind in the world, with more than 2,100 scientists conducting research at about 100 locations across the country and overseas. ARS scientists constructed the first gene maps of cattle, discovered that boron is an essential trace nutrient for humans, helped triple milk production per cow, and eliminated the screwworm from the United States and other countries.
"ARS has had many specific accomplishments that have been critical to the continued vitality of American agriculture," said Edward B. Knipling, acting ARS administrator. "But the agency's work as a whole is an essential part of the long research continuum that allows us to improve our stewardship of the environment, while making our food and agricultural products more affordable, safer and more abundant."
In celebration of its anniversary, ARS will host numerous special events over the coming year, including a recognition ceremony at USDA headquarters in Washington, D.C., on Dec. 11, a National Scientific Leadership Meeting in New Orleans in January 2004, and open houses and field days at its various locations.
ARS has conducted research in every facet of agriculture. When Abraham Lincoln created USDA in 1862, the founding legislation called for the new department to acquire "useful information connected with agriculture in the most general and comprehensive sense." For the modern ARS, the mission goes beyond improving agricultural production. ARS research also helps develop agricultural commodities into new biobased products such as biodiesel fuel made from soybeans that can power cars, buses, planes and heating plants. Such advances benefit the farmer, the consumer and the environment.
Contact: Kim Kaplan, 301-504-1637
Kaplan@ars.usda.gov
www.ars.usda.gov/is/AR/archive/nov03/ars1103.htm