A researcher's perceptions of United States Department of Agriculture funding in animal reproduction.

Dedicated funding for animal reproduction did not start until 1985 and was available primarily in the reproductive efficiency and physiology areas of the Animal Science Program. Funding for individual grants and duration of funding were similar between the National Institutes of Health and the USDA, typically in the range of 3 yr, with total direct costs of $150,000. The names of these programs have changed over time; the National Research Initiative Competitive Grants Program started in 1991 with a program in animal reproduction. The USDA did not change the award size for individual grants until 2001, when it gradually increased through 2003. The USDA then markedly increased individual grants in 2004 to a funding level of $300,000 to $500,000 over 3 to 4 yr. This has been beneficial for the funded scientist but discouraging to the applicants with high-ranking nonfunded grants. The number of grants funded per year is approaching a low critical number, with an average of only 10 new grants funded per year. At the present funding level it will be difficult for even the best scientist to sustain a research career based only on USDA funding.