Statement of

Mr. William Guyton

Vice President/General Manager
Applied Engineering and Development
Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory
Operated by Lockheed Martin Idaho Technologies Co.

for the U.S. Department of Energy

before The Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry

March 20,1997

STATEMENT OF MR. WILLIAM GUYTON

Mr. Chairman, Members of the Committee, I appreciate the opportunity to appear before you today to discuss how the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory (INEEL), as one of the U.S. Department of Energy's civilian-operated laboratories, is applying its multi-disciplinary expertise and abilities to address large-scale and complex challenges faced by agriculture. One of the areas in which the INEEL is focusing this expertise is precision agriculture systems. Precision agriculture, simply put, is the integration of new space-age information-gathering technologies with traditional agronomic tools to better manage individual farming operations.

Nearly five years ago, as precision agriculture was just beginning to take hold, a group of USDAAgricultural Research Service and university scientists, along with a few farmers and individuals from industry, approached the INEEL. They were seeking a broader range of multi-disciplinary expertise and technologies to begin adapting precision agriculture to crops grown in the Pacific Northwest. Less than six weeks after that initial contact, this unique partnership developed, tested and implemented the first ever potato yield-monitoring and data management system on a production potato farm. This partnership has evolved into an interagency/public and private sector collaborative precision agriculture project referred to as the Site Specific Technologies for Agriculture (SST4Ag). The SST4Ag project functions on a full-size farming operation adjacent to the pristine Yellowstone National Park Watershed. It is a holistic systems project that includes integrated research and development of site-specific technologies such as Yield monitors for potatoes and small grains; geophysical sensors for non-invasive soil characterization; remote sensing and other environmental characterization technologies.

In November of 1995, partly as a result of the success of the SST4Ag project's collaborative approach to problem solving, the Departments of Energy and Agriculture signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that provides a framework for the two agencies' scientists and engineers to prepare U.S. agriculture for competition in the global marketplace and to reduce agriculture's reliance on fossil fuels and the use of pesticides. A copy of the MOU is attached to my testimony for the Committee's review. As you will note, the purpose of this MOU is to stimulate greater cooperation and coordination between the Departments for the benefit of the agriculture sector. The partnership couples DOE's expertise in physics, engineering, and computers with USDA's expertise in plant breeding, biological pest control, soil and water conservation, and other areas. The horizon is full of complex challenges for agriculture research and development. None is more challenging or potentially more beneficial to the nation than precision agriculture. Many of the components of precision agriculture have already been developed through substantial public and private investment. What is lacking is a system to organize these components so that the information they provide can be readily accessed by the farmer on a real-time basis. INEEL has a demonstrated track record of applying its multi-disciplinary expertise and supporting infrastructure to large systems integration programs. The expertise of these two Departments will yield results that can be replicated to benefit agriculture. This has included developing and testing first-of-akind engineered systems, ranging from over 50 prototype nuclear reactors to the development and integration of complex environmental management systems for reducing environmental threats. We look forward to using our expertise to help design a model for a precision agriculture system that can be used by every farmer in the country.

Reauthorization of the Agriculture Research Title presents an ideal opportunity to expand upon USDA's current approach to funding for agriculture research to help develop precision agriculture systems. Existing USDA programs for funding agriculture research and development have evolved to become very effective in addressing the needs of specific elements of the agricultural community. However, the emerging need for a collaborative, information-intensive effort to integrate precision agriculture research will require innovative funding mechanisms.

Such an innovative approach to funding would need to:

(1) expand existing funding for agriculture research and development to encompass collaborative, information-intensive research initiatives, such as precision agriculture. Funding mechanisms should include leveraging private sector investment and identifying additional federal funding from non-traditional sources which share an interest in the potential benefits of precision agriculture. Exploring new avenues is critical to avoid undermining the fundamental components of existing research, education, and extension upon which integrated systems-based research will be built;

(2) establish the means to target such increased funding to specific initiatives like precision agriculture in large, consolidated blocks that will enable multiple, jointly-funded institutions (including education and extension), working through a collaborative, systems-based approach, to accomplish critical-mass levels of research in a definable period of time with quantifiable results;

(3) encourage the participation of all elements of the research community, including USDA, DOE, other federal agencies, national labs, and those in the private sector.

A mechanism that could provide the basis for developing such an innovate approach to funding already exists within the newly created Fund for Rural America (FRA). Another possibility would be a targeted special grant program which would address large-scale, multi-disciplinary projects through a competitively awarded, peer reviewed process.

Without some kind of funding mechanism that meets these three requirements, the agricultural and research communities will be unable to fully realize the benefits that precision agriculture has to offer. As reauthorization of the agriculture research title moves forward, the INIEEL looks forward to working with the Committee and stands ready to offer its expertise in helping the agriculture sector position itself for the 21 st century.

Thank you again for the opportunity to present testimony to you today.