These efforts tend to go unrewarded in the universities and federal research organizations, so some sacrifice may be in order until we convince the powers that be that our obligations to society far outweigh our organizations' obligations to a few powerful interests. Another concern I have is the increasing polarity of science, and the virtual attack ads and promotional campaigns being waged by both sides, for example in the GMO wars or the climate change debate. I feel that attacking each other has been one of the reasons the public's perception of the ethics and goals of science is on the decline. I have no suggestions on how to overcome this problem, but it is one that bothers me greatly. The public does not want to work through complicated issues, but relies on sound bites.
CAST has a golden opportunity to be part of the renaissance in agriculture.
It has already made a major step in bringing our scientific societies together with the precedent setting Conversations On Change program that, in a few short years, has societies talking to each other and internally to gain mutual understanding of problems and issues, work on electronic publishing, leadership development and portfolio building. We need to talk openly about the tradeoffs between feed, food and fiber production in this country and the social and environmental costs of those activities. Someone needs to have these debates in a focused way, too many are now being carried out in the media and in the capitals of the world. In conclusion, I am proud that my path from that small Iowa farm to this prestigious award included Dr. Black. He taught me much.