NIFA, which kicked off in October, said its role is to stimulate and find funding for research and technological innovation while making sure practices are environmentally sustainable and economically viable. Beachy is on loan to NIFA from the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center in St. Louis, where he ran a lab dedicated to unraveling questions about virus replication and spread in plants.

Beachy called Barack Obama "a science-friendly president" and noted that more than a dozen National Academy of Science scientists have been appointed to positions of influence. But his talk was not all roses.

"Why was there no stimulus funding for ag?" Beachy asked. He also said the industry needs to create a vision and back it, making the necessary changes to create real change. That, he said, is a pre-requisite for additional funding in the future.

Beachy said NIFA will demand "value for the dollar" and promised NIFA activities will complement those of other research agencies, not duplicate them. He said NIFA will partner with other agencies, foundations and the private sector.

The Institutes or sub-divisions of NIFA will be led by scientists and effective administrators with experience in USDA policies, Beachy said.

"We will look to examples of best practices for operations of the institutes and seek advice and input from external groups of stakeholders and expert scientists," he added.

Any group looking for NIFA support should think big and tie their projects to environmental soundness, Beachy said.

"NIFA will focus resources on delivering bold results with great power to improve human and animal health and protect our environment," he added, noting the group will "work on large projects where we see great potential for breakthroughs on a scale never before seen or imagined."

"NIFA will award research where we know the impact on human health and well-being can be tangible and meaningful," Beachy concluded.