Council for Agricultural Science and Technology (CAST)
CAST Publications is a repository of peer-reviewed reports on agricultural science and technology. These standalone publications serve policymakers, researchers, and stakeholders with evidence-based analysis on critical agricultural issues.
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Convergence of Agriculture and Energy: III. Considerations in Biodiesel Production
Concern about rising prices and unstable sources of petroleum fuels is driving the search for U.S. domestically produced, renewable transportation fuels, such as biodiesel, which is developing into a widely accepted alternative fuel. The U.S. biodiesel industry is struggling because of high prices for its feedstocks, vegetable oils, and animal fats. High feedstock prices also are affecting international biodiesel production, but requirements to lower greenhouse gas emissions continue to stimulate interest in the fuel. The authors of this new CAST Commentary explain the biodiesel production process and discuss quality requirements, characteristics of biodiesel, biodiesel economics, and energy balance.
Copyright (c) 2026 Council for Agricultural Science and Technology (CAST) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
What is the future of American agriculture? This report examines the economic, environmental, and social dimensions of the agricultural sector.
Copyright (c) 1988 Council for Agricultural Science and Technology (CAST) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
Effective Use of Water in Irrigated Agriculture
This report provides a comprehensive description of irrigation in the U.S. and basic principles of irrigation management, addressing many significant problems with the use of water in irrigated agriculture.
This report stresses the importance of the economic and health risks of naturally occurring fungal toxins known as mycotoxins. These diverse toxins potentially occur in foods and feeds and can cause a wide range of injury when consumed by humans and animals. Contents: Animal health, human health, occurrence, economic impacts, control and management, and research needs.
Copyright (c) 1989 Council for Agricultural Science and Technology (CAST) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
Reducing American Exposure to Nitrate, Nitrite, and Nitroso Compounds: The National Network to Prevent Birth Defects Proposal
This paper reviews the scientific literature on nitrates, concluding that there is inadequate evidence linking nitrate or nitrite ingestion to birth defects or to stomach cancer.
Antibiotics for Animals: The Antibiotic Resistance Issue
Suspending subtherapeutic use of antibiotics would not eliminate the transfer of antibiotic-resistant intestinal bacteria from animals to humans. The main problem appears to be the disease-causing bacteria, not their resistance or nonresistance to one or more antibiotics.
Ionizing Energy in Food Processing and Pest Control: II. Applications
A number of years ago, CAST published two reports dealing with the irradiation of foods: Report 109, July 1986 and Report 115, June 1989. The Food Science and Agricultural Technology Work Group of the CAST Board of Directors believes that these documents contain a great deal of useful information that is not found easily elsewhere. Therefore, they have recommended that these reports be made available through the CAST website. Readers should be cautious, however, in using information that is obviously dated. Food irradiation can eliminate disease-causing bacterias. High doses produce sterile meat products that can be stored at room temperature in sealed containers without spoilage.
Ecological Impacts of Federal Conservation and Cropland Reduction Programs
Addresses the ecological implications of several programs established in the 1985 Food Security Act, including the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), Sodbuster, Swampbuster, Conservation Compliance, and Acreage Reduction Program (ARP). The authors include persons with expertise in many disciplines.
Copyright (c) 1990 Council for Agricultural Science and Technology (CAST) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
Alternative Agriculture Scientists' Review
Reviews by 44 leading scientists support and criticize the 1989 National Research Council report, Alternative Agriculture. The authors represent the disciplines of agricultural engineering, food science, toxicology, animal sciences, crop and soil sciences, economics sociology, weed science, entomology, and plant pathology.
This report indicates that biotechnology-induced herbicide resistance in crops will allow use of herbicides that are toxicologically and environmentally less suspect that those herbicides now used in some crops.
Copyright (c) 1991 Council for Agricultural Science and Technology (CAST) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
This CAST report supports dietary recommendations to decrease food fat consumption from the present national average of 37% to less than 30% of the total caloric intake. The agricultural and food industries are responding by redesigning fresh and processed foods so that consumers can more readily meet these recommendations.
This report recommends implementation of an innovative minor use pesticides strategy before 1997, so as to assure the continued availability to U.S. consumers of high quality, reasonably priced minor crops.
Copyright (c) 1992 Council for Agricultural Science and Technology (CAST) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
This report states that the amazing advances in analytical methods have made the Delaney Clause hopelessly obsolete and it should be repealed. The Delaney Clause, which states that no amount of cancer-causing substances can be added to our food, should be replaced with a “de minimis” concept.
This report discusses modern agriculture’s impacts on the environment, especially surface and groundwater. This report increases the understanding of the science, risks, benefits, and realities of agricultural production and water quality protection.
Preparing U.S. Agriculture for Global Climate Change
Covers all aspects of the subject, emphasizing adaptation to changes, emission of greenhouse gases, the impact of climate change.
Concurs with the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) and National Academy of Sciences (NAS) amicus curiae brief to the Supreme Court related to guidelines for determining what scientific evidence is admissible in a court of law.
Copyright (c) 1993 Council for Agricultural Science and Technology (CAST) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
Pesticides in the Diets of Infants and Children Scientists' Review
The five members of a CAST task force who reviewed the National Research Council (NRC) report agree that the report is a thorough, balanced, and objective summary of available information on the subject. The NRC report has called for improvements in the evaluation and regulation of pesticide risks in infants’ and children’s foods.
U.S. Agriculture and the North American Free Trade Agreement
The members of a Council for Agricultural Science and Technology task force believe many of the fears of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) are not well founded. There generally would be a gain to U.S. producers of grain, oilseeds, livestock, and possibly dairy, and losses for producers who compete with Mexican fruits and vegetables.
Risks And Benefits Of Selenium In Agriculture
Scientists found no evidence that supplemental selenium use for farm animals and poultry, including feedlot concentrations, was involved in any environmental problems.
Copyright (c) 1994 Council for Agricultural Science and Technology (CAST) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
How Much Land Can Ten Billion People Spare for Nature?
Advances in farming technology combined with changing values and diets could ensure that the world’s population will use existing cropland more economically and thus save more land for natural or wilderness use in the next 50 years.
Labeling Of Food-Plant Biotechnology Products
Review of scientific evidence in response to proposed U.S. Food and Drug Administration policy for labeling of foods from new plant varieties.
Introduction; the issue; pesticide varieties, uses, and resulting pollution potential; relating concentrations in water resources to human and ecosystem risk; and risk mitigation.
Definition of wetlands, functions and values, agricultural conflicts, socioeconomic issues, conservation concepts, conclusions.
Foodborne Pathogens: Risks and Consequences
Better data on microbial risks are needed to make the U.S. food supply safer.
Challenges Confronting Agricultural Research at Land Grant Universities
Agricultural, corporate, scientific, political, environmental, and social communities are asking the agricultural research system to identify and pursue a broadened range of research priorities.
Sustainable Agriculture and the 1995 Farm Bill
Summary of a January 1995 conference sponsored by CAST. Topics include legislative, environmental, conservation, rural development, research, and education issues.
Copyright (c) 1995 Council for Agricultural Science and Technology (CAST) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
The Conservation Reserve: A Survey of Research and Interest Groups
This CAST Report summarizes Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) policy literature and a survey of key special interest groups regarding their preferences for a future CRP. By gathering key literature and preference information into a single document, the Task Force authors are able to present and evaluate options for the future.
Understanding public perceptions, risk perception, and the public, risk acceptability and pesticides, and consumer perceptions of animal drugs.
Waste Management and Utilization in Food Production and Processing
Comprehensive report on wastes from crop production, poultry farms, swine production, cattle feedlots, dairy farms, food processing, and seafood production and processing.
Competitiveness of U.S. Agriculture and the Balance of Payments
U.S. agricultural producers and food processors will need to focus on adding value to agricultural products in a way that meets the needs and desires of an increasingly diverse group of consumers around the world. If they do not focus on consumer need, the United States will be relegated to supplying homogeneous commodities that are transformed into value-added food products in foreign countries.