Notice of the National Agricultural Research, Extension, Education, and Economics Advisory Board Meeting

The National Agricultural Research, Extension, Education, and Economics Advisory Board, which represents 30 constituent categories, as specified in section 802 of the Federal Agriculture Improvement and Reform Act of 1996 (Pub. L. 104-127), has scheduled a National Agricultural Research, Extension, Education, and Economics Advisory Board Meeting, March 17-19, 1999. On Wednesday, March 17, the Advisory Board will sponsor its 3rd National Stakeholder Symposium, focusing on two topic areas: Marketing and Trade Competitiveness and Landowner Rights and Responsibilities. The Symposium will begin promptly at 9 a.m. and use a panel format as in previous years. Each panelist will be permitted to make an opening presentation, with time limits to be announced, and will receive questions from the Advisory Board Members. If you wish to be considered as a panelist or would like to nominate a panelist, please forward speaker names, phone

numbers, and a brief summary, outline, or similar indication of the intended remarks regarding the two topic areas to the contact person below for Board consideration. Names for panelists will be reviewed and selections will be made by the Advisory Board and its Executive Committee. The general Advisory Board meeting will begin at 9 a.m. on Thursday, March 18 and continue until approximately noon on Friday, March 19. During this time, the Advisory Board will (1) incorporate input of stakeholders for use in recommendations for the FY 2001 priorities; (2) report the Advisory Board recommendations on the USDA scientific merit/peer review procedures for competitive education and extension grants; (3) report on the progress of REE programs and projects with regard to relevance to research priorities and adequacy of funding (Note: No. 1,2, and 3 above are all mandated by the Agricultural Research, Extension, Education Reform Act of 1998); (4) discussion on vision statements for the agricultural research and education programs; (5) hear progress reports on Advisory Board working group activities; (6) review the draft report by the Research, Education, and Economics Strategic Planning Task Force on agricultural research facilities; (7) plan two listening sessions for 1999 (in the Northeastern Region and at an 1890 institution); (8) conduct a focus session on nutrition and the integration of production and human nutrition by USDA Research, Education, and Economics; and (9) a possible session on enrollment trends for agricultural/natural resource subdisciplines and the CSREES funding relationship.

Dates:

March 17--9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., 3rd National Stakeholder Symposium March 18--9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. March 19--9:00 a.m. to Noon March 19--12:30 p.m., Optional tour of the Smithsonian agricultural exhibit. Place: Holiday Inn-National Airport (Crystal City), Grand Ballroom, 1489 Jefferson Davis Highway, Arlington, VA 22202. Type of Meeting: Open to the public. Comments: The public may file written comments before or after the meeting with the contact person. All statements will become a part of the official records of the National Agricultural Research, Extension, Education, and Economics Advisory Board and will be kept on file for public review in the Office of the Advisory Board; Research, Education, and Economics; U.S. Department of Agriculture; Washington, DC 20250- 2255.