In keeping with research that addresses regional issues with national and global impact, Davis College promotes and supports multidisciplinary, interdisciplinary, and inter-institutional research programs. These programs address real world issues faced by producers, processors and consumers of food, fiber and natural resources. This allows the research to support programs in areas contributing to the local and regional workforce, sustainable economic and social development, and growth.

“Davis College has been the center of agricultural research in the region for 100 years,” said Darren Hudson, a professor and agricultural competitiveness chair within the Department of Agricultural & Applied Economics. “Starting from basic animal and crop production and farm management, our research has expanded over the years into many areas including genomics, high-tech sensors and precision management, food safety and quality, management and protection of natural resources, and landscape design to improve environmental and human health.”

OVERVIEW

Davis College has an enrollment of approximately 3,400 students and generated approximately $48.8 million in annual research expenditures, including approximately $25 million in federal research awards, primarily from USDA, over 2021-2022. USDA-NIFA funding helps support the college's genomics research on crop stress tolerance that is leading to seed technology that improves drought tolerance in cotton, sorghum, and soybeans, which is a critical asset for future agricultural production. 

In addition, the college's research relationship with the USDA Agricultural Research Service's Ogalalla Aquifer Program has led to important improvements in water conservation strategies and increased productivity and profitability in water-limited regions of the Great Plains region. The data clearly indicate that the U.S. needs a concerted effort and investment in the research and outreach necessary to enhance U.S. agricultural output productivity and competitiveness, and that we must be cognizant of the influences that different funding sources may have on our ability to consistently deliver high-quality research that serves all of U.S. agriculture.

NON-LAND GRANT COLLEGES OF AGRICULTURE

An important factor to consider is that unlike many of our peer institutions in Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas, we are a non-land-grant college of agriculture. Today, there are approximately 70 institutions in 27 states with non-land-grant colleges of agriculture, all with long histories of successful programs in educating and preparing professionals in agricultural sciences and natural resources. Non-land-grant agricultural programs across the U.S. serve as a critical engine for future growth in educating our next generation of leaders, as well as proving important research and outreach programs within our respective states. Our goal is to complement congress' investment in the land-grant system and to service important elements of our populations and agricultural industries alongside our sister institutions to foster the long-term productivity and competitiveness of U.S. agriculture.