Alan Wood describes a proposal for a National Institute for Food and Agriculture to enable the United States to maintain competitiveness in this field. Having invited NABC member institutions to submit information regarding recent agricultural research beyond food and fiber with significant societal impacts, Wood described outstanding contributions to society under the headings Energy, Food Safety/Diet, New Products, Animal, Health, Environment and Plant Biology. Seventeen Nobel Prizes have been awarded to scientists involved in aspects of agricultural research, most of whom are not known to the public at large. The value and significance of US agricultural production and research must be more effectively communicated to the public and to legislators in order to improve understanding of the national and global importance of US agriculture, its breadth of impact and an appreciation of its many contributions to society beyond food and fiber, including human health and biobased products.