The 1985 Beltwide Cotton Production Conference does not include the word mechanization. Continued advancements in that area have allowed farmers to concentrate on productivity, which is a must because U.S. agriculture is in tough, all-out struggle for markets at home and abroad. Maximum productivity can be achieved by sound and creative risk management, that is, by reducing those risks to a minimum. Supporting and utilizing both basic and applied research is one important way to minimize on-farm risks. Private companies also play a key role in promoting public agricultural research. There has, unfortunately, been lack of growth of federal expenditures on this type of research despite documented high returns to society from public investment in agricultural research.