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Health care costs are a significant and growing challenge
not only for the Texas Economy, but for the nation’s economy.
Some blame agriculture, some blame the consumer,
but common sense tells us that bringing together
agriculture and the consumer has to be the solution.
Agriculture is the best opportunity to boost
prosperity, while reducing the scourge of
diet-related chronic diseases.
As the number #1 agricultural research agency
in the nation, we know that agriculture is
the solution, and that development of precision
technologies across the entire food system—
from the farm and ranch to the family dinner table—will
make the difference.
Diet-related chronic disease costs the US
economy $1 trillion annually.
Texas businesses spend $11 billion on obesity
costs
and here in Texas we also spend $25 billion on Medicaid out of general revenue per biennia.
There’s got to be a better way to curb healthcare
costs. We know agriculture can be a solution.
Our own Vice Chancellor’s work with folic
acid advanced policies that essentially eliminated
neural tube birth defects through fortification
of the food supply.
Healthy food systems can be achieved through
precision nutrition and precision agriculture,
through understanding responsive agriculture
and listening to consumer preferences.
There’s a lot of work to be done,
but agriculture and healthy food systems can
help change the landscape of obesity and chronic
disease in this country.
Texas farmers and producers are in the perfect
position to provide the food we need to improve
the quality of life for every Texan, whether
it’s healthier varieties or more effective practices.
To do so, we need more research, more data
and more analysis
to help producers and ranchers make the best decisions.
Texas A&M AgriLife is uniquely positioned
to use genetics and precision agriculture
technologies to increase the nutritional quality of our agricultural products,
providing more economic value and profits for our producers.
For consumers, we will develop next generation smart phone technologies
that will allow point of care diagnostics that track diet and disease biomarkers in real time.
This will inform consumers how their dietary choices change their chronic disease progression.
This is a bold and innovative initiative,
but one that we know Texas and Texas A&M AgriLife is ready for.
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