The Texas High Plains has 9 million acres that could be planted to grapes. Talk to some of the local farmers now growing everything from grenache to viognier, and you’ll wonder why the entire area isn’t completely covered with vines.  more »

Never one to rest on its academic laurels, Texas Tech now becomes the first university in the state – and one of a handful in the nation – to offer an undergraduate program in viticulture and enology. Viticulture is the science of grape growing and enology is the study of winemaking.  more »

U.S. cotton producers are calling for action after government subsidies for cotton rose in India, a move that could drive down prices in an already saturated market. India’s minimum support price for cotton farmers rose to 72 cents per pound for the most common cotton qualities, a marked advantage over U.S. farmers looking at 55 to 58 cents of support for the same product.  more »

For Brent Trela, a good bottle of wine is so much more than something to pair with an entree. It is a product of chemistry, agriculture, tradition, art and science. “It’s a beautiful blend of all those things,” said Trela, a Texas Tech assistant professor of enology – the study of wine and wine-making.  more »

Evidence opposites attract: blueberry sausage patties. Texas Tech’s meat science department makes the winning combo. Batches that weigh up to 500 pounds are churned out in a frosty room at the Gordon W. Davis Meat Science Laboratory on the western edge of Tech’s campus.  more »

The Texas Tech Meat Judging Team took home its third win of the 2009 season during its last competition of the school year Saturday at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo and also took home a rare eighth consecutive win.  more »

It’s not all horsing around with Texas Tech’s Ranch Horse Team; hard work is involved too. Kris Wilson, an animal food and science professor at Tech, founded the team in 2005.  more »