ABSTRACT
The dramatic demographic shift of rural population into urban centers weakened the traditional "farm bloc's" juggernaut. Research priorities are caught in the tension between the scientific enterprise and the political process. Legislators frequently intervene on behalf of their own strongly held scientific concerns or their constituents' interests. Individual legislators, particularly chairpersons and members of key Congressional committees, may subvert established scientific priorities by injecting line items or earmarking funds for special uses. Agricultural emergencies can disrupt dramatically organizational priority-setting efforts, as well as substantive priorities themselves. The unforeseen, long-term negative consequences of scientific breakthroughs have shaken the public's previously unquestioning belief in scientific research. The difficulty in establishing and sustaining priorities for agricultural research flows partially from the divergent traditions and objectives of agricultural scientists, science administrators, and policymakers. In the highly decentralized agricultural research system, mediating structures perform several critical functions.
