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TO:  Sustainable Ag Network

On September 19 the Position of the Director for the USDA 
Global Change Program Office will be terminated.  I have been 
reassigned as the Director of the Natural Resources Institute 
at the Beltsville Agricultural Research Center, Agricultural 
Research Service, Beltsville, MD.  I will be in transition 
between the Global Change Program Office and the Natural 
Resources Institute Office between now and the 1 Sep.

The Natural Resources Institute is comprised of several 
laboratories focused on pesticides, environmental chemistry, 
crop modelling, farming systems, hydrology, remote sensing 
and instrumentation, sustainable agriculture and soil 
microbiology, as well as other areas.  I have been given the 
mandate to initiate the development of a virtual institute 
focused on sustainable agriculture.  This will be a unique 
undertaking for ARS and will probably involve some paradigm 
shifts in how whole system research is designed, implemented 
and conducted.  SANET will obviously be an invaluable link to 
you and your interested client groups and I intend to keep 
the linkages open.  Moving from a few sustainable agriculture 
research projects into a fully focused institute will take 
time, patience and support from the community.  I look 
forward to hearing from everyone, particularly as we begin 
the strategic planning process and seek involvement in 
obtaining research priorities.

Gary R. Evans, Ph.D.
Director
Natural Resources Institute, BA
Rm 214, Bldg 003, BARC-W,
USDA, ARS
Beltsville, MD 20705

phone: 301.504.7338
email: evansg@nalusda.gov