Natural Resources Inventory & Analysis Institute in Temple, Texas 

Host Facility: Temple, TX

     Texas A&M Blackland Research Center & 
USDA/ARS Grassland, Soil and Water Research Laboratory

Blackland Research Center is one of 13 Texas A&M University Extension Service regional centers in Texas. USDA-ARS, USDA-NRCS and TAES scientists have developed a totally integrated approach to research on weather, soils, and crop management.  Experimental techniques are used to study specific agricultural and environmental processes including evapo-transpiration, crop growth and response to stresses, root system dynamics, and pesticide degradation.  Mathematical models and data bases are then used to integrate information from basic sciences and predict the effects of environment and alternative management strategies on crop production systems. The results of these models serve as useful references for federal policy-makers and as practical tools to determine optimal land use strategies for the future.

The Grassland Soil and Water Research Laboratory is located in the Southern Plains Area of the United States Department of Agriculture - Agricultural Research Service. The Grassland Soil and Water Research Laboratory is comprised of two research units: the Natural Resources Systems Research Unit the Grasslands Protections Research Unit.     The mission of the Grassland Soil and Water Research Laboratory is to develop technology for maximizing forage and crop production; reducing uncertainty regarding the effects of global change on agriculture; controlling non-economic brush and weeds; and solving problems relating to efficient use of soil and water, crop production, soil fertility, erosion, hydrology, and water quality. The mission is achieved through simulation modeling and experimental research by a multi-disciplinary staff of scientists and engineers organized into the two research units.  The federal facilities include approximately 100,000 square feet of office and laboratory workspace coupled with 440 acres of local research lands and approximately 840 more acres located in Riesel, TX.

NRIAI STAFF in Temple, TX:

• David Buland : Economist

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