Last Spring when Dr. El-Zik invited me to present a talk to this group on the subject of state supported research and extension, I did not at the time realize the specificity of the other topics that have been presented at this commemorative meeting. If I had, I might have suggested another author for this paper. However, as I thought more about what I could say to you on such an occasion, I became more convinced of the appropriateness of a look at the future of agricultural research and extension from a general perspective rather than a specific one. The general perspective will encompass the work done on cotton diseases at State agricultural Experiment Stations and State managed Cooperative Extension programs, so I hope you will agree with me that a 50th-anniversary is a good time to reflect on the factors that are likely to affect all publicly supported research and extension programs.