ABSTRACT
Farm mechanization has reduced the drudgery and risk of most farming operations, but it has contributed to a loss of agricultural employment and depopulation of some forming areas while enriching other locations. American agriculture is heralded as a great success. The survival and prosperity of agricultural academia require that we adopt a new covenant, a commitment to be scientifically excellent, socially relevant, and ecologically responsible. The challenge to us as a people is not to stifle inquiry into the unknown, but to be wise enough to incorporate new knowledge into the fabric of living a better life within an organized society. Creation of the biotechnology institutes and a plethora of other such entities is an example of a policymaking philosophy that favors creation of new organizational structures rather than modifying or improving traditional ones. The success of any organizational or institutional strategy depends upon historical, cultural, and personnel factors that are not easily or quickly changed.
