Lifescapes TEXAS A&M AGRILIFE
TEACHING
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RESEARCH
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EXTENSION
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SERVICE
TEXAS A&M AGRILIFE Mark A. Hussey Vice Chancellor and Dean for Agriculture and Life Sciences Texas A&M University College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Texas AgriLife Research Texas AgriLife Extension Service Texas Forest Service Texas Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory
Texas A&M System
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DEPARTMENTS 48 Giving 52 56 58
Noteworthy Accolades Members
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SERVICE
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WATER
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ENVIRONMENT
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HEALTHY FOODS
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WILDLIFE
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INTERNATIONAL
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YOUTH DEVELOPMENT
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My P erspective Times may be tough right now, but we also have some tremendous
opportunities to serve the people of Texas and the rest of the world, for that matter in the near future.
Our strengths are many, and they start with our outstanding people. We can do great things only by having really talented people on board, and we must find the resources to reward those we have and attract even more. We are large and diverse, with more than 3,500 employees and a $350 million budget. It is critical that we continue to find innovative ways to work together and to enlist new partners, particularly corporations, to fulfill our land-grant mission of teaching, research, extension, and service. Being a part of the Texas A&M System helps these moving parts work together seamlessly. Our four state agencies are each among the top in the nation. Yet we have to find strategies to help their budgets grow with the state, while offsetting inflation. Our college is the nation’s largest, and we proudly have a reputation of being one of the more caring colleges, treating students as valued individuals. Perhaps that’s why we attract so many who are among the first in their families to pursue a college education. No doubt, we face some tremendous challenges. But given our roots as people of the land, the optimistic way we look at the world is an advantage. By nature, we are problem solvers. Lifescapes offers some examples of how we work together to improve the lives of Texans and make our state and our world better.
Mark A. Hussey, Ph.D. Vice Chancellor and Dean for Agriculture and Life Sciences Texas A&M AgriLife
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Operation No Fences 4
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SERVICE Through a well-organized network of specialists, educators, and some 100,000 volunteers, Texas AgriLife Extension provides disaster relief coordination as one of its many services. When Hurricane Ike struck the Gulf Coast in September 2008, Extension and its partners helped save thousands of livestock after the fences came down.
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“It was truly a situation in which everyone yler Fitzgerald didn’t find much left of his
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from all the
home in Anahuac when he returned after Hurricane Ike slammed the Texas coast on
September 13, 2008. All that remained were the
organizations and
concrete stairs that had led to the front door, the kitchen sink, some scattered cinder blocks, and a sandy patch where the 1,100-square-foot house
from around the
once stood. “But I really didn’t have time to feel sorry for my wife and myself,” says Fitzgerald, a Texas AgriLife Extension Service agent in Chambers County.
community came
“Hundreds of other families lost their homes too, and ranchers were beginning to search for cattle that survived the storm.”
together to reach the
About 4,800 cows and 5,600 calves were lost when Ike’s 20-foot storm surge inundated parts of several counties. Fences were washed away. With his wife, Nikki, safe with relatives in College Station, Fitzgerald got to work helping area ranchers round up cattle within hours of the storm’s passing. He joined hundreds of other government relief
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same goal.” — Larry Gray Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association
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As part of the Hurricane Ike relief effort Operation No Fences, donors sent 6,500 round hay bales and nearly 3,000 square bales to feed hungry cattle displaced by the storm.
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Operation No Fences was nothing short of remarkable, says Larry Gray, who directs law enforcement and theft prevention services for the Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association (TSCRA). He and the TSCRA Special Rangers worked closely with the AgriLife Extension agents and specialists to coordinate the distribution of hay, water troughs, and water to livestock in the first few days of the relief. “It was truly a situation in which everyone from all the organizations and from around the community came together to reach the same goal,” Gray says. Some 12,000 head of cattle were rescued and sent temporarily to ranches out of the area. Donors sent 6,500 round hay bales and 2,950 square hay bales to temporary distribution centers. Donations included 255,000 pounds of cattle cubes and 68,000 pounds of horse feed. More than 300 troughs and tubs were workers and volunteers during Operation No Fences,
distributed throughout the area, with gallons of
a massive livestock rescue effort in Chambers,
water numbering in the hundreds of thousands.
Orange, Galveston, and Jefferson counties. e operation, coordinated by AgriLife Extension,
Winnie rancher Richie Devillier expressed his gratitude for Operation No Fences, saying: “I think
was joined by the Texas Department of Agriculture,
it’s great. e support and the feed, the hay, the
the Texas Animal Health Commission, the Texas
water troughs, the cubes, the medicine — everything
and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association, the
we’ve gotten has been tremendous. It will renew
Independent Cattlemen’s Association, other state
your faith in friends, or even just the human race.
and federal agencies, and agriculture-industry
I’m not necessarily a people person — have not been
partners.
in the past — but I’m coming around.”
“Extension had never been involved in a relief
Dee Leggett, a rancher south of Anahuac, praised
effort that large before,” says Dr. Monty Dozier, a
AgriLife Extension and the other organizations for
relief coordinator and AgriLife Extension regional
their help after he lost his home and hunting lodge
program director. “When we walked in there that
on the family’s 13,000-acre ranch. He also lost about
first day I thought, What are we getting into?”
300 head of cattle. AgriLife Extension regional program director Dr. Monty Dozier made dozens of phone calls as he coordinated Extension’s largest relief effort to date.
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“It will renew your faith in friends, or even just the
human race. I’m not Fitzgerald, in particular, exemplified the spirit of
necessarily a
AgriLife Extension and the Operation No Fences rescue operation, Leggett says. “He got hurt as bad as I did. It’s a hard thing to do when you’ve lost everything but you’re out helping everybody else.”
people person . . .
Weeks after Ike struck, helping ranchers recover remained Fitzgerald’s priority, whether his days involved delivering fence posts or organizing
but I’m
informational meetings for local ranchers. “ere’s not one challenge that you can put over the other,” Fitzgerald says. “ey all go hand in hand. You’ve got to have fences, food, and water before you can bring back the cattle.”
coming around.” — Richie Devillier, rancher Winnie, Texas
Some 12,000 head of cattle were rounded up by volunteers on horseback and in helicopters. The cattle were transported to temporary pastures away from the hurricane-ravaged counties.
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Rethinking the Rio Grande
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WATER The Rio Grande Basin Initiative is a joint effort among Texas AgriLife Extension and Texas AgriLife Research and their New Mexico State University counterparts. Since 2001, the project has helped irrigation districts, farms, and cities save close to a trillion gallons of water in a region where demand is greater than supply.
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“I’m no
longer
wasting water, and . . . I’ve been able
to
significantly reduce
he plight of the Rio Grande was never so
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stark as when the 2,000-mile-long river stopped flowing into the Gulf of Mexico in
2001. A sandbar separated the two bodies of water
the amount of
for almost a year. Spring rains eventually got waters flowing again, but nature had added an exclamation point to the river’s deteriorating condition.
fertilizer I use —
Coincidentally, 2001 also saw the birth of a federal initiative, funded through the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service, to focus on water
by 20 to 25 percent.” —Jim Hoffman, citrus grower Edinburg, Texas
conservation and efficient irrigation in the river’s
basin. Since then, the project known as the Rio Grande Basin Initiative has helped save more than 3 million acre-feet of water, or almost 978 billion gallons. at’s enough to supply some 15 million people with water for one year, based on average water use calculated by water industry sources.
Citrus grower Jim Hoffman is one of the many Rio Grande Basin residents who have learned how to conserve a precious resource through this collaborative initiative.
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“I sleep better knowing that we
no longer have to rely on a For its efforts, the project was recognized by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality with
100-year-old,
the 2008 Texas Environmental Excellence Award, the state’s most prestigious honor for environmental protection. How has the project saved so much water?
inefficient pump.”
Dr. Bill Harris, acting director of Texas A&M AgriLife’s Texas Water Resources Institute and project director of the initiative, says efforts have
—Sonia Kaniger, general manager San Benito Irrigation District
focused on helping three major water users conserve resources: (1) irrigation districts, (2) farms, and (3) municipalities, which include commercial, industrial, and residential users. “One of the major problems with the Rio Grande is that it’s oversubscribed,” Harris says. “at means that there are more legal rights to its water than there Sonia Kaniger and other irrigation district managers have seen major water savings as a result of the Rio Grande Basin Initiative’s cost analysis studies to justify equipment and piping upgrades.
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year-old, inefficient pump to supply residents of Rio Hondo and San Benito and 57,000 acres of
farmland.” In addition to saving water, the new plant will save about half a million dollars yearly in operations, management, and energy costs. Dr. Juan Enciso, an AgriLife Extension irrigation engineer in Weslaco, works with growers to improve their on-farm water delivery systems. “Flood irrigation worked well when water was plentiful,” he says, “but that’s not the case anymore. We’re working hard to use new technologies to is water. So by making those who have straws in the
deliver less water to crops while not affecting yields
river, so to speak, more efficient, we save water. And
or crop quality.”
every gallon of water saved is another gallon someone can use.” e almost 1 trillion gallons of water saved so far increases each year because of more efficient irrigation and canal systems, Harris says. “is is
grapefruit and several varieties of oranges northwest of Edinburg, says working with Enciso has helped him to better manage his crop inputs. “By using drip irrigation, I’ve been able to
where one of the largest savings has been realized.
maximize production,” he explains. “I’m no longer
Some systems were losing huge amounts of water, in
wasting water, and since I’m also fertilizing through
some cases as much as 50 percent. But by working
the drip system, I’ve been able to significantly reduce
with irrigation districts and the U.S. Bureau of
the amount of fertilizer I use — by 20 to 25 percent.
Reclamation, we have been able to help districts line
I’ve maintained, and in some cases increased, my
open ditches or convert them to pipes for more
previous production levels.”
efficient conveyance.” Sonia Kaniger, general manager of the San Benito
Rio Grande Basin Initiative personnel teach participants about irrigation system efficiency and
Irrigation District, relied on the initiative to supply
about reducing biological and chemical hazards
her with cost analysis studies to justify the expense of
through alternative treatment of water and
constructing a new $11 million river-pumping plant
wastewater. ey also provide technical and economic
and underground piping.
analyses and teach people how to save water in their
“Improvements are expensive but cost-effective
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Jim Hoffman, who farms 60 acres of Rio Red
homes and landscapes, control salinity and drainage,
because the volume of water conserved far exceeds
reuse agricultural water supplies, and save water in
the cost of piping,” Kaniger says. “And I sleep better
urban environments. Each of these conservation
knowing that we no longer have to rely on a 100-
measures makes for one less straw in the river.
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Carbon Green-Up
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ENVIRONMENT To limit air pollutants that contribute to global warming, Congress may pass new laws setting an annual cap on carbon dioxide emissions from power plants and industry, creating a “carbon market.” Texas AgriLife Research is working to enhance agriculture’s role in a potential carbon economy in the Lone Star State.
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griculture can play a vital role in countering
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created by annual caps on carbon dioxide emissions
the buildup of greenhouse gases in the
from power plants and large industries. For example,
atmosphere, one of the primary causes of
Texas farmers, whose crops generate carbon credits
global warming. Growing plants absorb atmospheric
by taking greenhouse gases out of the air, might sell
greenhouse gases and release them when burned,
these credits to a power plant to offset emissions that
according to Dr. Bruce McCarl, a Texas AgriLife
are above certain limits.
Research economist and Nobel Prize co-recipient
McCarl says there are many strategies for carbon
for his study of climate change (see “Accolades,”
sequestration natural and artificial means of
page 56).
removing carbon from the atmosphere. He believes
Burning fossil fuels such as coal releases carbon
that forestry and soils could play a more significant
that has been trapped underground for millions of
role. Trees, for example, are 50 percent carbon, and
years. Fossil fuel use is the source of more than 80
soils hold many times more carbon than the
percent of greenhouse gas emissions.
atmosphere does.
Tighter regulation on carbon emissions in the
United States now being considered by Congress may create a carbon economy that benefits Texas farmers and ranchers. Production agriculture could see a new income stream from a “carbon market”
Dr. Frank Hons, an AgriLife Research soil scientist, has investigated crops for their carboncapturing potential; he says that dryland wheat, sorghum, and bermudagrass hold promise. “Forages that have continuous groundcover, such as Dryland wheat is among the crops that AgriLife Research soil scientist Dr. Frank Hons says show potential for capturing carbon and providing cleaner air for Texas.
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coastal bermudagrass and switchgrass, tend to have a lot of carbon associated with their root systems,” he says. “Where there’s sufficient rainfall and fairly finetextured soils, they will have the best benefit. You
“U.S.
could start at Dallas and move southward.” Although irrigated crops also capture carbon, says Hons, some of the benefit is lost when fossil fuels are
agricultural lands
used to pump irrigation water. “Practices that increase soil organic carbon include adopting conservation tillage, like no-till; conversion to perennial grasses and crop intensification, which
have an estimated
could be doubling crop rotations; and annual cropping versus crop or fallow,” Hons adds. “U.S. agricultural lands have an estimated potential to
potential to store
store an additional five billion metric tons of soil carbon by 2050.” e bioenergy market could have the most
an additional
potential for producers, particularly those involved in ethanol and electricity production, McCarl suggests. AgriLife Research has pioneered a tall sorghum that
five billion
can yield 20 dry tons to the acre. at type of densely populated crop could significantly reduce the amount of carbon released when processed at an ethanol plant, he says. However, the switch to bioenergy
metric tons of
sorghum or other feedstuffs will present new challenges for Texas agriculture, including an increase in pests and crop diseases that will require
soil carbon by 2050.”
research and management to overcome. “Texas is the largest carbon-emitting state by a factor of two,” says McCarl. “If we can co-fire energy
— Dr. Frank Hons, soil scientist Texas AgriLife Research
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sorghum with coal, I think there is great potential to reduce emissions.”
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Tasty Prevention 24
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HEALTHY FOODS Texas AgriLife Research is striving to improve the safety of the state’s agricultural products and to use traditional and molecular breeding techniques to enhance the natural health-promoting compounds in fruits, vegetables, and nuts. At the Vegetable and Fruit Improvement Center, scientists are proving that components of these foods fight disease.
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“I think we could
take it up to 11 servings for women and 13
for men.
. . . Just go ahead and hoppers look at produce bins and see peppers,
eat your fruits
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carrots, onions, watermelons, and citrus. Scientists look at the same bins and see
cancer prevention, heart health, stronger bones, and less obesity.
and vegetables.�
Dr. Bhimu Patil, director of the Vegetable and Fruit Improvement Center, a component of Texas AgriLife Research and the Texas A&M University
—Dr. Bhimu Patil, director Vegetable and Fruit Improvement Center
Department of Horticultural Sciences, compares the two views to ingredients in a food processor set on puree: seamlessly blended and served up to consumers in tantalizing proportions that could chop a devastating dent in human disease.
At the Vegetable and Fruit Improvement Center, Dr. Bhimu Patil and his team are studying the biological compounds in fruits and vegetables that protect us from disease and improve health. Grapefruit and other citrus fruits have shown promise in the fight against cancer.
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“People eat an average of 2.1 servings of fruits and vegetables a day,” says Patil. “e recommended rate
extract inhibited the proliferation of estrogen-
is five per day, but I think we could take it up to 11
independent breast cancer cells. Patil and Dr. G.
servings for women and 13 for men. e more, the
Jayapraksaha isolated the potential cancer-preventing
merrier.”
components of sour orange that stopped colon cancer
But Patil knows that research is needed to provide
tissue growth in lab tests, and found that citrus
the answers most likely to convince people to
limonoids may also have potential as a drug against
increase their consumption to the healthiest levels. At
hormone-dependent breast cancer.
his center, that research mixes agricultural, medical,
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Dr. David Byrne’s research has shown that peach
Backing up to the farm level, Patil says discoveries
and food and nutrition scientists. Sharing discoveries,
show that specific levels of crop irrigation and
Patil says, is what helps translate information into
fertilizer application have an impact not only on
product development and get both products and
yields but also on the amount of health-promoting
information out to consumers more quickly.
phytochemicals in produce.
e center has already shown some promising
“Plant breeding and production techniques can
discoveries. One of the most recent findings, based
make a difference in the bioactive compounds,” he
on research by Dr. Kendall Hirschi, is that a carrot
says. “We’ve confirmed, for example, that globe
called sCAX1 helps people absorb more calcium,
artichokes can be produced in Texas, and further
which in turn helps prevent such diseases as
determined that artichokes can have a positive
osteoporosis.
impact on heart health and diabetes.”
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“Many students saw plants as more than
food resources and realized the
e center also is revitalizing tours and camps for school children, encouraging them to make increased fruit and vegetable consumption a potentially lifechanging choice.
importance
“Many students saw plants as more than food resources and realized the importance of anti-cancer properties and interdisciplinary connections,” says
of anti-cancer
Dr. Claire Hemingway, Botanical Society of America education director, after hosting a teen camp at the center. Yet these discoveries and educational ventures are
properties and
only the tip of the iceberg, Patil adds and he doesn’t mean the lettuce.
“We know about only 30 or 40 compounds in the
interdisciplinary
fruits and vegetables,” he says. “ere are an estimated 80,000 to 100,000 compounds total. We need to learn about each of those compounds and see which ones are good for us and how to use
connections.”
them better.” In the meantime, Patil suggests, “Just go ahead and eat your fruits and vegetables.”
—Dr. Claire Hemingway, education director Botanical Society of America
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And this little piggy went wild
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WILDLIFE Feral hog herds have been multiplying in Texas for years. From 1993 to 2003, their reported damage increased 105 percent per year, with a price tag of about $52 million annually. Now an estimated 1.5 to 2 million of these animals roam the state, and they’re moving from rural to urban areas.
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n Texas, it’s been business as usual for feral hogs:
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rooting up pastures and cropland, stripping fruit trees, dirtying ponds and streams, undermining
fences, and stealing feed. AgriLife Extension experts suspect that feral hog numbers have been steadily increasing for some time. But during the 1990s, the rate of increase apparently picked up speed, according to Dr. Billy Higginbotham, Texas AgriLife Extension Service wildlife and fisheries specialist based at the AgriLife Research and Extension Center at Overton. In 2004, Higginbotham and his colleague Dr. Clark Adams surveyed 775 landowners in 115 counties, about half the counties in Texas. Four out of five landowners said they had feral hogs on their
Feral hog photos on page 1, previous page, and next page courtesy of Texas Parks and Wildlife Department
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Feral hogs, which have been damaging Texas ranches and croplands for years, are now moving to suburban and urban areas, where they can root up lawns, recreation areas, and municipal grounds overnight.
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“is was a
great program from Extension. e trapping and
property. e survey also indicated that the rate of increase in hog activity since the mid-1990s had nearly doubled.
hunting of the
Among the landowners surveyed, the average estimated cost of damage done by feral hogs was $7,515 per respondent, Higginbotham says. Damage
wild hogs on our
done by feral hogs in Texas is conservatively estimated to cost about $52 million per year. A conservative estimate of hog numbers statewide is 1.5 to 2 million. But because it is nearly impossible
ranch and the other
to take a comprehensive census, the total could be much larger, Higginbotham says. Some hunters kill the hogs for meat, but hunting alone cannot control
ranches adjoining us
the population. ere may be some hope. In a 2006–2007 study funded by the Texas Department of Agriculture
greatly reduced
(TDA), Higginbotham and his colleagues examined how teaching landowners better hog-control measures might reduce damage. Two methods landowners use to control feral hogs are snares for
our problems.”
capturing individual animals to be sold for meat and large baited cages with gates, used to catch groups of hogs. e survey found that landowner education
—Melinda Smith, landowner
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combined with direct control by AgriLife Extension’s
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Wildlife Services which includes aerial hunting
could reduce damage to agricultural enterprises by as much as 66 percent. As a result of this project, TDA has provided an added $1 million to Wildlife Services to continue direct control efforts across the state into 2010. Landowner Melinda Smith wrote about the program: “Hogs have virtually destroyed the hay meadows and pasture land, making it almost impossible to travel over with hay equipment, sprayers, or shredders. All our land needs to be disked and leveled and replanted due to hog damage the
layer that makes deer and other animals visible to
past several years. is was a great program from
drivers at night. When a feral hog runs in front of a
Extension. e trapping and hunting of the wild
vehicle on a dark road on a moonless night, the driver
hogs on our ranch and the other ranches adjoining us
has little time to react.
greatly reduced our problems.” Marion County landowners David and Gretchen
In Anderson County, the city of Palestine has become the “poster child for urban feral hog
Arnold wrote: “After capturing seven hogs, there was
damage,” says Mark Price, AgriLife Extension agent.
little evidence of hog activity in the area for several
Hogs are venturing to within a couple of blocks of
months. e program is excellent, and we
the courthouse, he says.
recommend it for everyone who has feral hogs on or near their property.” More recently, feral hogs seem to be expanding their destruction into urban areas, says
Hospital administrators complain about expensive damage to the landscapes and worry about patients or staff encountering hogs in the parking lot at night. Rural landowners are familiar with the havoc a
Higginbotham. “ey’re not just confined to the
feral hog herd called a sounder can wreak in a
country anymore,” he says.
single evening, Price says. But town residents find it
Higginbotham has received reports of feral hogs in suburbia digging up cemeteries, plowing up golf
astounding. Why the increased reports of hog incursions into
courses, destroying suburban lawns, and devastating
urban areas? Are the numbers really exploding, or is
hospital grounds.
it just public perception?
ey also cause thousands of dollars in damages
Higginbotham frankly admits this is not known
and injuries when they wander onto roadways and
for sure, but he expects it’s both. Increased awareness
are hit by vehicles, most often at night. Feral hogs are
by landowners may play a role, but the hog numbers
usually dark-colored, and their eyes lack the reflective
are definitely rising.
Teardrop-shaped traps have proven to be the most effective for capturing feral hogs in larger numbers on farms and ranches.
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Growing Hope in Guatemala
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INTERNATIONAL The Norman Borlaug Institute for International Agriculture is improving agriculture in more than 100 countries around the world. The Food for Progress project in Guatemala is one of 11 major projects in which the institute is helping native people live better by increasing food production.
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“Since 2005, tens of thousands of Guatemalan
farmers have been able to increase their uring a trade mission to Central America
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in late September, then U.S. Secretary of
income and
Agriculture Ed Schafer stopped in
Guatemala City and praised the efforts of the Norman Borlaug Institute for International
improve their
Agriculture. Schafer was briefed on the institute’s Food for Progress project activities, funded by the U.S.
quality of life,
Department of Agriculture, including biodiesel production and food processing. “I’m impressed that these projects are providing Guatemalans with the tools they need to develop business enterprises that can be sustained after project funding is finished,” Schafer told Dr. Bill Dugas, then deputy director and now interim
thanks to this project.” —Johanna Roman, Latin American programs coordinator Borlaug Institute for International Agriculture
director of Texas AgriLife Research.
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Guatemalans are learning to grow, harvest, and process more of their own food supply through the Borlaug Institute’s Food for Progress project.
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Dugas and Borlaug Institute representatives were visiting project sites and meeting with the
establish product development labs; build composting
Guatemalan farmers, including many indigenous
units, greenhouses, and irrigation systems; and
Mayan women. “e pride we see and gratitude we
develop new agribusiness “incubators” to improve
receive from those who benefit from these projects is
competitiveness.
heart-warming and humbling,” Dugas says. “Since 2005, tens of thousands of Guatemalan
Food for Progress has created a biodiesel program that is helping the Guatemalans develop alternative
farmers have been able to increase their income and
fuel without competing with food production. In
improve their quality of life, thanks to this project,”
Escuintla, two facilities for processing biodiesel from
says Johanna Roman, Latin American programs
native jatropha plants have been completed, with
coordinator for the Borlaug Institute. “is is a major
equipment on the way.
benefit to local communities, as most of the farmers we work with make less than two dollars per day.” For the past three years, the project has helped
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Institute representatives have also helped them
Michaela Cux, a Mayan woman representing the 15-member Mujeres Trabajadores (Women Workers) association of Maya de Santa María Visitación, met
teach Guatemalan farmers how to improve
with Schafer and told him how she and others had
agricultural techniques, develop cooperatives, and
learned good practices for food manufacturing and
build new agribusiness opportunities. Borlaug
processing through the project.
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“I’m impressed that these projects are
providing Guatemalans with
Food for Progress helped convert a kitchen inside an agricultural cooperative in Solola into a food-
the tools they need
processing center where Mayan women now prepare meals from local fruits and vegetables. A second modern food-processing facility was also established in the region. rough these centers, Borlaug Institute
to develop business
personnel demonstrate how to prepare and process such foods as pickled vegetables, jellies, salsa, and picante sauce. ey have also helped develop new
enterprises that can
products, including tropical fruit juices, pastries, trail mixes with dehydrated fruits, and edible tropical fruit arrangements.
be sustained after
Because the first was so successful, the USDA awarded a second four-year Food for Progress project to the Borlaug Institute in 2008. “We owe a debt of gratitude to the USDA for funding these projects
project funding
and allowing us to take a lead role in their implementation,” Roman says. “Because of their support, we’ve helped thousands of Guatemalans in
is finished.”
their fight against poverty and malnutrition, and we’ll be able to help thousands more.” For more information on the Borlaug Institute and
—Ed Schafer, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture
its international projects, go to http://borlaug.tamu.edu.
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Little Kids. Biz Ideaz.
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YOUTH DEVELOPMENT Ten-year-old tycoons in the 4-H Kids with Biz Ideaz program develop a product and sell it at school, while catching a glimpse of how they might succeed in running a small business when they grow up.
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an selling fruity yogurt smoothies to junior
C
Using a computer provided by 4-H, Luis has
high kids lead to establishing a successful
designed his own business cards and an advertising
Italian restaurant?
flyer. He says that what he’s learning may help him
Such is the dream of 10-year-old Luis David Leon
get into the restaurant business someday. “My dad is
of Conroe, Texas, who’s getting a glimpse of what’s
a chef at an Italian restaurant, and I like to cook
involved in starting a business through a special 4-H
lasagna, so owning a restaurant is something I think
Afterschool program called Kids with Biz Ideaz.
I’d like to do,” he says.
“I’m learning a lot about what it takes to go into
Helping kids see the possibilities involved in
business for yourself,” he says. Luis has settled on
starting their own small businesses is a goal of the
Smoothie Queen, an enterprise that will repackage
Kids with Biz Ideaz program, says Caroline Cruz, a
yogurt with varieties of fruit to sell to his classmates
county Extension agent for urban youth development
in the lunchroom at Travis Intermediate School for
with the Texas AgriLife Extension Service. 4-H Teen
$1.50 to $3 per cup. “We already know that
Teachers and other volunteers support Cruz in her
strawberry is the flavor that people like best,” he says.
work with Luis and some 70 other children ages
He and his two grade-school partners in Smoothie
10–13 involved in the after-school program in
Queen will feature the berries in a good many of
Montgomery County.
their yogurt cups.
Besides developing a business plan for their PREVIOUS PAGE: Graciela Octaviano, 10, plans to market her yogurt smoothie business by offering free samples. ABOVE: Luis David Leon, 10, goes over a computerized flyer for his business with Extension agent Caroline Cruz. OPPOSITE: Marquis Miles, 11, hopes to one day run a sports equipment business.
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LIFESCAPES | SPRING 2009
“I’m learning a lot about
what it takes to go into
business product, these “biz kids” will put together a display
for yourself.”
advertising their businesses for a “trade show” in the spring. Community business leaders are invited to critique the presentations and recognize the most outstanding efforts.
—Luis David Leon, age 10 Kids with Biz Ideaz member Conroe, Texas
Now in its fourth year, the program is also active in selected schools in El Paso, Brown, and Williamson counties. It is funded under a U.S. Department of Agriculture grant that supports a national Children, Youth and Families at Risk initiative. Dr. Jeff Howard, associate leader of the State 4-H Program, notes that each county’s 4-H staff offers a variation on the Kids with Biz Ideaz theme, based on community needs and opportunities. All seek to ensure that the young people involved have the key elements of entrepreneurship modeled for them and are encouraged to consider self-employment as a career choice.
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LIFESCAPES | SPRING 2009
“Many of the children we are working with here don’t have the financial advantages other kids do,” he
“Many of the
says, “and a number of them come from rural parts of urban counties that have declining employment opportunities.”
children we are
More than 1,200 children have gotten their first taste of entrepreneurship from the 4-H program, and many first “graduates” have returned as volunteers to
working with . . .
teach business basics to younger participants. One of the program’s highlights is a three-day summer camp that brings 40 youngsters from the four locations for additional business training at the
come from rural parts
Texas 4-H Conference Center in Brownwood. Part of the learning experience is the trip itself, Howard says, explaining that the buses bringing the
of urban counties
kids to camp usually stop for tours of interesting enterprises along the way. e group from El Paso, for example, stops at a shrimp farm in the middle of the desert.
that have declining employment
“e kids see how this entrepreneur used what he
had saltwater from deep wells and his own
imagination to make a profitable business raising and selling shrimp hundreds of miles from the Gulf,” Howard says. Texas 4-H hopes to build on its work with at-risk
opportunities.”
youth by seeking additional funding for programs aimed at helping high school students from lowincome families prepare for college. Programs starting up in May in south Harris County and in
—Dr. Jeff Howard, associate leader State 4-H Program
Cameron County in the Rio Grande Valley will demonstrate how 4-H clubs working in the schools can help students raise their science and math test scores and gain work-related skills that will enhance their chances of college admission.
Agustin “A. J.” Jaime, 12, looked into making salsa or trail mix before deciding that yogurt smoothies offered the most profit.
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Giving
Charlie Smith, with his wife, Jean, their granddaughter Heather Miller Haliburton ’00, and their great-granddaughter Hannah Haliburton.
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LIFESCAPES | SPRING 2009
A BETTER FUTURE FOR AGGIES Even though Charlie and Jean Smith of Houston never attended Texas A&M University, the couple has been among the institution’s most ardent — and generous — supporters. e Smiths founded Data, Inc., a business that
Over the past 14 years, contributions by the Smiths to Texas A&M have surpassed $684,000. eir gifts include the Endowed Fund for Excellence in Agricultural Development; the Charles B. and Jean G. Smith COALS Endowed Scholarship
collected and sold geophysical data for the oil and gas
Fund in Animal Science; the Charles B. and Jean G.
industry, which they sold in 1994. But it was their
Smith Endowed Scholarship for Agricultural
decades in the cattle ranching business, when they
Leadership; and the Charles B. and Jean G. Smith
raised registered Charolais cattle, that brought them
Endowed Scholarship in Rangeland Ecology and
into contact with Texas A&M, particularly with the
Management (the department has since been
university’s animal science department.
renamed Ecosystem Science and Management).
“We got to know the people at Texas A&M
“e Smiths have a passion for A&M and its
through the Department of Animal Science and
students and understand the need for philanthropy
started our giving there,” says Charlie Smith. “en
and scholarship assistance so young people can have
years later a few of our granddaughters started going
a better future,” says Hussey. “We’re grateful to them
to A&M, so we got interested in giving to the
for all they have done for the university and for the
school’s Agricultural Leadership program and other
many students whose lives they have changed
areas.”
through their generosity.”
Since 1991, the Smiths have made donations to
Along with their gifts to Texas A&M, the Smiths
three College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
also give to Oklahoma University and Stanford
departments, as well as to the Chancellor’s Century
University, where Charlie Smith received his
Council and other university organizations.
bachelor’s and master’s degrees, respectively, and to
“Charlie and Jean Smith have given generously to
the Society of Exploration Geophysicists.
the departments of Animal Science; Agricultural Leadership, Education and Communications; and Ecosystem Science and Management,” says Dr. Mark Hussey, vice chancellor and dean for agriculture and life sciences. “We’re privileged to have the Smith’s
For more information on giving opportunities in agriculture and life sciences, please contact the College
support and are honored they think so highly of the
of Agriculture and Life Sciences Development Office at
students, faculty, and programs in the College of
979.847.9314 or visit our Web site at
Agriculture and Life Sciences.”
http://giving.tamu.edu
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GIVING THE PASSION OF A LIFETIME
In the world of miniature roses, breeder Ralph S. Moore is called father, patron saint, and king. Now the title benefactor can be added. Moore, who celebrated his 102nd birthday in January 2009, has donated all of his rose breeding stock to Texas A&M University’s Department of Horticultural Sciences to ensure continued rose research through the department’s Robert E. Basye Endowed Chair in Rose Breeding. Moore continues to collaborate with Basye Chair holder Dr. David Byrne to develop new varieties. Although best known for his miniature roses, Moore has also done groundbreaking work in developing shrub roses, striped roses, halo roses, Hulthemia roses, rugosa hybrids, moss roses, and crested roses. Moore’s gift to Texas A&M includes 80 rose patents, a book collection, and a $100,000 cash contribution for program operation. A metal sculpture of roses climbing an arbor, created by his son Keith Moore, will be placed in the Horticulture and Forestry Sciences Building atrium to honor Moore’s lifetime of work. Thanks to Moore’s donation, Texas A&M will continue his goal of creating beautiful, disease-resistant roses adapted to a wide range of climates. “I am excited by this opportunity and the partnership with Texas A&M,” Moore says. “Obviously, I have a lot of respect for the rosebreeding program Dr. Byrne has created there.” To support Moore’s work and honor his legacy, the university will establish an endowment, the Ralph Moore Excellence Fund.
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LIFESCAPES | SPRING 2009
FOUNDATION SUPPORTS RICE RESEARCH
It would be hard to find better examples of the spirit of giving back to the community than the late David R. and Eula Wintermann of Eagle Lake, Texas. In the early 1970s, Wintermann (1911–1997) was instrumental in the creation of the Eagle Lake Rice Research Station, a satellite of the Texas AgriLife Research and Extension Center at Beaumont. The station was renamed the David R. Wintermann Rice Research Station in his honor in 2002. Wintermann was a successful rice farmer and a strong supporter of the Texas rice industry. He and his wife, Eula, were dedicated to their community and to wildlife conservation. They were instrumental in the development of the Attwater Prairie Chicken National Wildlife Refuge, the Wintermann Library, the Prairie Edge Museum, the Eagle Lake Community Center, and Rice Memorial Hospital. In 2002 and 2007, the David R. and Eula Wintermann Foundation provided gifts that made it possible for the Beaumont center to acquire 113 acres of prime rice-farming land west of Houston. AgriLife Research scientists have helped to increase Texas rice yields from an average of 1,700 pounds per acre in 1945 to 7,300 pounds in 2007. In September 2008, Wintermann Foundation members were honored in a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new research farm. Recognized were foundation chair Jack M. Johnson; his wife, Judi Johnson, the Wintermanns’ niece, who has supported the station since its establishment; and directors Donald N. Bendy and Steve Balas.
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Noteworthy
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LIFESCAPES | SPRING 2009
TEXAS FOREST SERVICE RESPONDS TO ALL HAZARDS e cots emergency responders sleep on are small and hard. e camp food they eat is hot, but not home-cooked. e workdays are long; the wait to return home, even longer. Emergency response is tough, but helping others is what Texas Forest Service responders live for, says Marty Martinez, assistant chief regional fire coordinator. With only 180 forest resource protection employees, the agency is the lead for all-hazard responses, including suppression of wildfires and management of disasters such as hurricanes,
their house was gone, but they continued to work,
tornadoes, and flooding.
wanting only to help others who had also lost
From 2005 to 2008, the Texas Forest Service spent 797 days out of 1,253 in emergency mode,
everything.” is spirit of service in the face of all obstacles and
responding to 6,353 wildfires that burned 2.5
dangers is at the heart of the Texas Forest Service
million acres, Martinez says. Despite competing for
mission.
out-of-state resources such as firefighting personnel,
e Texas Forest Service was created in 1915 by
dozer crews, and air support, responders saved
the 34th Legislature as a part of the Texas A&M
28,135 homes.
System. It is headquartered in the John B. Connally
In addition to wildfire suppression, the Texas
building in College Station. To learn more about
Forest Service simultaneously responded to 22 all-
incident response, visit
hazard events, including Hurricanes Katrina, Rita,
http://texasforestservice.tamu.edu.
Dolly, and Ike; flooding statewide; tornadoes in Tulia/Cactus and Eagle Pass; and the Alon Refinery explosion. In February 2003 the Forest Service led the recovery of the Space Shuttle Columbia after it disintegrated in the skies above Texas. “In the years I have been with TFS, I have worked side by side with people who have lost everything they had,” Martinez says. “I have had people tell me The Ironwood Hotshots head out to fight the Cathedral Fire in Brewster County in April 2008.
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PROTECTING LIVESTOCK AND PUBLIC HEALTH
Serious diseases carried by ticks coming from Mexico pose new threats to the Texas livestock industry. “Expansion of the fever tick quarantine zone has been quite alarming,” says Dr. Tammy Beckham, director of the Texas Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory. In July 2008, the fever tick quarantine zone was expanded to include an additional 307,000 acres. Now over 1 million acres are under preventive quarantines. “We must continue to work to push the fever tick back toward the border and also monitor for any additional vector-borne diseases that could enter through our southern border,” Beckham says, pointing out that a disease as devastating to livestock as tick fever could potentially lead to large economic losses for the state. The lab is seeking additional funding to develop more rapid diagnostic testing that can be performed both on a large scale at a major facility and on a handful of cattle in a rancher’s corral. Having a strong diagnostic program for a range of exotic animal diseases also has a positive effect on public health. If diseases that can be transmitted from animals to humans such as avian influenza can be detected early, chances of minimizing an outbreak among people improve. The Texas Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory is one of a dozen core institutions making up the National Animal Health Laboratory Network. This network provides front-line surveillance and response to the most dangerous animal diseases.
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LIFESCAPES | SPRING 2009
FINDING BETTER DEFENSES AGAINST DISEASE
AgriLife Research food scientist Dr. Luis Cisneros and plant breeder Dr. David Byrne, at the Vegetable and Fruit Improvement Center, have found that plums, peaches, and nectarines may be just as beneficial to health as the much-touted blueberry. After testing more than 100 varieties of plums and other stone fruits against five brands of blueberries on the market, the researchers found that the stone fruits matched or exceeded the blueberries in antioxidants and phytonutrients, which prevent disease. The research team also found that the phytonutrients in plums inhibited the growth of breast cancer cells in the laboratory without adversely affecting normal cell growth. Future studies will focus on cardiovascular disease and cancer using animal models and on identifying the specific compounds that fight disease. The research indicates that plant breeders ultimately will be able to produce new crop varieties with the best ratio of phytochemicals for disease prevention and inhibition. These fruits will be available as fresh produce and in dietary supplements.
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Accolades
MCCARL SHARES IN NOBEL PEACE PRIZE Dr. Bruce McCarl, a Regents Professor of agricultural economics for
Texas AgriLife Research, and several hundred fellow scientists serving on the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) were joint recipients, with former vice president Al Gore, of the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize for their efforts to document and disseminate greater knowledge about man-made climate change. McCarl has worked on the climate change issue for more than 20 years, studying how agriculture could be affected and how it could play a role in mitigation (see story on page 20). Portions of this work were done jointly with the IPCC, which was established in 1988 by the World Meteorological Organization and the United Nations Environment Programme. McCarl’s studies show that Texas is vulnerable to negative aspects of climate change. Drought, high temperatures, hurricanes, and rising seas regularly punish the state, and under climate change, these factors will only increase. Texas also must reduce greenhouse gas emissions, he says, because it has approximately twice the emissions of any other state, including California. McCarl came to the Department of Agricultural Economics at Texas A&M in 1985 from prior faculty positions at both Oregon State and Purdue universities. He earned his undergraduate degree in business statistics at the University of Colorado and a doctorate in management science at Penn State.
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LIFESCAPES | SPRING 2009
PROFESSORS HONORED FOR TEACHING EXCELLENCE Three faculty members from the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences are recipients of the 2008 Distinguished Achievement Award for teaching excellence, given by the Association of Former Students at Texas A&M University.
Dr. Jeffrey Savell is a Regents Professor and the E. M. “Manny” Rosenthal Chair holder in the Department of Animal Science. He joined the faculty in 1979 after earning three degrees at Texas A&M. Savell has taught more than 5,000 undergraduate and graduate students and has received 30 awards for teaching, research, and extension. In addition, he conducts research on meat and meat products through his appointment with Texas AgriLife Research. He has written or co-written more than 700 publications and garnered $10 million in grants and contracts.
Dr. Doug Starr, a Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist, is professor of agricultural communications and journalism in the Department of Agricultural Leadership, Education, and Communications. A faculty member since 1986, he earned his degrees from Louisiana State University and Florida State University. His 60-year career has included work as a photographer, columnist, and educator.
Dr. X. Ben Wu is professor and associate head for graduate programs in the Department of Ecosystem Science and Management. He joined the faculty in 1995. His degrees are from Lanzhou University in China and the University of Tennessee. He has written or co-written more than two dozen major articles or books in the past five years and garnered nearly $4 million in grants and contacts during his tenure here. He is a member of a research team that recently discovered that the amino acid arginine could help fight human obesity. For more information, see http://agnews.tamu.edu/showstory.php?id=956.
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Members
TEXAS A&M AGRILIFE: NEW NAME FOR A NEW ERA
The last time we published Lifescapes, in fall 2007, we were called Texas A&M Agriculture. In January 2008 we changed our name to Texas A&M AgriLife. We also renamed two of our agencies, the Texas Agricultural Experiment Station and Texas Cooperative Extension, which are now Texas AgriLife Research and the Texas AgriLife Extension Service. Our five college and agency components now reside under the Texas A&M AgriLife brand. Why the change? Beginning in 2006, we undertook a strategic positioning initiative to
determine how three of our components the
Our rebranding efforts centered on the message “Agriculture is Life!” We know that discoveries and innovations in agriculture and the life sciences directly affect the quality of the food we eat, the clothes we wear, the air we breathe, the water we
College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Texas
drink, the homes we live in, and even the fuels we
A&M University, the Texas Agricultural Experiment
put into our vehicles. When it comes right down to
Station, and Texas Cooperative Extension were perceived in Texas and around the world. The study showed that, although our teaching, research, and extension efforts have greatly
advanced agriculture and the life sciences, people did not clearly understand our agencies
it, life itself is the core value that we seek to sustain and enhance. As Texas A&M AgriLife, we are working every day to improve life and improve Texas. Simply put, that’s what we’re all about. Here is a brief introduction to the five components of Texas A&M AgriLife.
and their missions. The strategic positioning initiative focused on ways to reach out to a larger audience and a changing state population, attract new resources, and build new partnerships while strengthening relationships with our existing partners.
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LIFESCAPES | SPRING 2009
College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Established in 1911, the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences is the third-largest college at Texas A&M University, with approximately 6,500 students. With 14 departments and more than 80 undergraduate and graduate degrees, it offers the university’s greatest breadth of programs. Its prize-winning faculty includes two Nobel laureates, and more than $261 million in research grants and contracts have been awarded over the past five years. Since 2004, undergraduate student diversity has increased faster than for the university as a whole.
Texas AgriLife Research Texas AgriLife Research, established in 1887, is Texas’s only public, statewide agency dedicated to research in the agricultural, environmental, and life sciences. In College Station and at 13 research centers across the state, our scientists and professionals work to improve the productivity, efficiency, and profitability of agriculture, while maintaining a sustainable environment. Through its many collaborations and partnerships, AgriLife Research is helping to strengthen Texas’s global market position by meeting modern challenges here and around the world.
Texas AgriLife Extension Service Established in 1915, the Texas AgriLife Extension Service improves lives, businesses, and communities across Texas and beyond through high-quality education targeted to meet locally identified issues and needs. Employing some 960 professional educators, assisted by some 100,000 Extension-trained volunteers, AgriLife Extension serves all 254 Texas counties. Our experts maintain programs in food and fiber production, marketing and policy, environment and natural resources, family and consumer sciences, nutrition and health, 4-H and youth development, and community economic development.
Texas Forest Service The Texas Forest Service, established in 1915, leads the state in forest and tree development and conservation; wildfire prevention, mitigation, and protection; urban and community forestry; and forest sustainability. With 350 employees in 60 offices statewide, the Forest Service is also the state’s lead agency for all-hazard responses, including wildfire suppression and disaster management. Most recently, the agency played an important role in the aftermath of hurricanes Katrina, Rita, Dolly, and Ike and in the Alon Refinery explosion.
Texas Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory The Texas Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory (TVMDL) performs diagnostic testing for the livestock and poultry industries, pari-mutuel drug testing for the Texas Racing Commission, and companion-animal testing for zoonotic diseases. It also oversees Texas’s Salmonella Pullorum-Typhoid Program and has the state’s only Biosafety Level 3 veterinary diagnostic lab. Established in 1967, TVMDL has two full-service laboratories, in College Station and Amarillo, and two poultry laboratories, located in Center and Gonzales. Each year, TVMDL receives more than 220,000 submissions from Texas, surrounding states, and other nations and runs approximately 1.4 million tests.
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OUR STATEWIDE PRESENCE
State Headquarters at Texas A&M University AgriLife Research and Extension Center Texas Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory Texas Forest Service Texas AgriLife Extension Service County Office
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LIFESCAPES | SPRING 2009
Produced by AgriLife Communications Copyright 2009 Texas A&M System Printed on recycled, chlorine-free, acid-free paper All programs and related activities of The Texas A&M University System are open to all persons, regardless of race, color, age, sex, disability, religion, or national origin. Not printed at state expense
TEXAS A&M AGRILIFE
http://AgriLife.tamu.edu
Texas A&M System
Texas A&M University College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Texas AgriLife Research Texas AgriLife Extension Service Texas Forest Service Texas Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory