Research American agriculture faces an ongoing crisis of over production, under utilization, and decreasing shares of the international export markets for raw commodities.
Funding is and has been provided by a variety of sources.
These include special appropriations from the United States Congress and the Iowa Legislature, and grants from commodity groups, public agencies, and private industry. Center programs incorporate various aspects of new product and process research, applications development, and technology transfer. Developing agricultural substitutes for petrochemicals. Exploring and modifying the functional properties of crop-derived materials through applied biotechnology. Other working groups conduct national and international policy studies to optimize product development and market identification.