The College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources (CASNR) receives Research Special Item Support for Agricultural Research to enhance agricultural production and the management of natural resources while adding value to agricultural and natural resource products.
Research Mission. The research mission of CASNR is to conduct basic and applied, disciplinary and multidisciplinary research having local, state, regional, national and international importance regarding current and emerging aspects of food, fiber, natural resources and environmental sciences, management, and planning.
Overall Research Impacts. The research special item support contributes to an array of scholarly research activities and accomplishments in the areas of agricultural and applied economics; agricultural education and communications; animal and food sciences; plant and soil science; range, natural resources management; and fiber analysis and textile processing.
Partnerships. These research thrusts are critical to the economic stability of Texas. The Special Item Support has been instrumental in making Lubbock, Texas, a leading nucleus for agricultural and natural resource research, which is uniquely positioned to promote interdisciplinary and inter-institutional programs linking all disciplines of CASNR, other colleges/schools of Texas Tech University, Texas AgriLife Research, Texas AgriLife Extension, USDI-USG, USDI-USFWS, TPWD and USDA-ARS.
Competitive Edge. This research support provides the foundation for the College to be competitive in securing additional federal, state, and private funds, and for excellent graduate students and faculty.
An Ambitious Path to the Future. We propose a new, integrated, comprehensive, multi-disciplinary, and multi-institutional initiative to estimate the overall capacity of the agriculture industry in the Texas High Plains based on objective, long-term valuation of its resources base. Discoveries and the widespread adoption of institutional and technological advances (from discoveries regarding genetic traits of crops and livestock, to improvements of production practices, marketing approaches, manufacturing processes, and growth of trade) have increased agricultural productivity.
However, input prices have generally risen over that same time period; forcing producers to either increase the “scale” of their operations or to search for alternatives to remain economically and financially viable. Reduced government support either due to domestically induced factors, or increased trade liberalization, or both, has placed additional pressure on agriculture’s competitiveness. This has lead to the over-utilization of natural resources in many regions of the world, and in many cases beyond their sustainable capacity.
If this situation continues to prevail, the long run prospects of the agriculture system globally could be disconcerting. The Southern High Plains of Texas is confronted with similar challenges, but is strategically positioned, given its agricultural diversity and resource constraints, to lead the path in shaping the future operational roadmap for agriculture globally.