The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Crop Germplasm Committees

The Crop Germplasm Committees (CGCs), established under the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), comprise a cross section of National Plant Germplasm System (NPGS) users, including farmers, who provide technical support to NPGS genebanks and collections. They serve as subject matter experts to guide curatorial staff on best practices, including the priorities and techniques for characterizing the collections. They also help review proposals that fund plant explorations and evaluate grants for scientific rigor. The first CGCs were established in the mid-1980s as outgrowths of commodity-specific crop improvement/breeding conferences; while initial CGCs covered primarily the major agricultural commodities (grains, pulses, oilseeds), there are currently 43 CGCs representing almost all major and minor crops of economic importance in the United States. Each committee includes a chair and members from government agencies, universities, and commercial interest groups, such as commodity groups and farmers/producers, who volunteer their time and expertise to support the NPGS.