Research & News
Editor’s note: This piece is the sixth and final installment in a series on the Texas Christian University Institute of Ranch Management Living Laboratory.
Reprinted with permission: Huffstutler, Katrina. “Beyond the Here and Now: Living Laboratory Concepts Focus on the Long Game - and Jeffrey Geider Says You SHould, Too .” The Cattleman, Dec. 2019, pp. 46-49.
Editor’s note: This piece is the fifth in a series of six on the Texas Christian University Institute of Ranch Management Living Laboratory. In this month’s installment, we’ll focus on optimizing human resources and labor available.
Reprinted with permission: Huffstutler, Katrina. “Less Work, More Profit: When Reducing Inputs on the Ranch, Don't Forget Labor.” The Cattleman, Nov. 2019, pp. 44-46.
Editor’s note: This piece is the fourth in a series of six on the Texas Christian University Institute of Ranch Management Living Laboratory. In this month’s installment, we will focus on the plant and soil resources component of the laboratory and its practical application on any cattle operation.
Reprinted with permission: Huffstutler, Katrina. “Beneath the Cows: Plant, Soil, and Manure Monitoring Are Easy, Inexpensive, and Provide Valuable Information for Any Cattle Operation.” The Cattleman, Oct. 2019, pp. 58–60.
Editor’s note: This piece is the third in a series of six on the Texas Christian University Institute of Ranch Management Living Laboratory. In this month’s installment, we’ll focus on the animal resources component of both the university’s teaching and its practical application on Jon Taggart’s operation.
Reprinted with permission: Huffstutler, Katrina. “Cow Size Matters: Living Laboratory Looks for Sweet Spot When It Comes to Cow Size, Stocking Rate .” The Cattleman, Sept. 2019, pp. 52–55.
Editor’s note: This piece is the second in a series of six on the Texas Christian University Institute of Ranch Management Living Laboratory. In this month’s installment, we introduce you to Jon Taggart, whose Burgundy Pasture Beef operation serves as the research site. Over the next few months, we will dive deeper into what they are doing and learning along the way.
Reprinted with permission: Huffstutler, Katrina. “Burgundy Fields: Jon Taggart’s Questions Could Mean Answers for All.” The Cattleman, Aug. 2019, pp. 42–46.
Editor’s note: This piece is the first in a series of six on the Texas Christian University Institute of Ranch Management Living Laboratory. In this month’s installment, we will introduce you to the laboratory. Over the next few months, we will dive deeper into what they are doing and learning along the way.
Reprinted with permission: Huffstutler, Katrina. “Live and Learn: Partnership Turns the Ranch into a Research Lab .” The Cattleman, July 2019, pp. 56–60.
The Institute of Ranch Management is excited to announce renowned field botanist, Dr. Sula E. Vanderplank, as the newly appointed Adjunct Research Associate. Dr. Vanderplank, from the Botanical Research Institute of Texas, specializes in biological hotspots and has contributed her botanical diversity expertise to many international conservation projects. The Institute is looking forward to her future contributions to various programs and a continued partnership with the Botanical Research Institute of Texas. Prior to her appointment, Dr. Vanderplank assisted the Institute with the Novo Santo Antonio Project in Brazil.
How much water does a head of cattle need? Depending on how hot it is outside, it can be up to 20 gallons a day, a whole lot more than the eight glasses of water you’re supposed to be drinking.
Coupled with huge population growth throughout the West, agriculture and ranching are huge users of aquifers and water storage reservoirs. Add historic droughts into the equation and the problem approaches crisis level.
Texas Christian University professor Jeff Geider has been focusing on the problem since long before the West dried up. “Water management is probably the single biggest issue facing agriculture all over the world,” he said.
His suggestion to farmers? Go natural, and strike a reasonable balance with the land and water they use to ensure their sustainability.
TCU’s Institute of Ranch Management sends graduates abroad to improve the world’s agricultural practices.
The world’s population is growing. Last month it was reported that roughly seven billion people call planet Earth home. That’s up one billion in 12 years. More people means further taxation on the planet’s resources and more poverty-stricken families. Because of this, there is an increased demand on food aid programs worldwide.
TCU is “showing up on the radar” in some unlikely places — Brazil, Mozambique, Mexico, Colombia, Swaziland and Ghana.
It is all about sustaining natural resources. Environmentally and economically sustainable resource management practices are a signature of TCU’s Ranch Management Program. A hunger for that expertise is leading foreign countries to the Institute of Ranch Management, which meets continuing education needs that extend beyond the scope of the Ranch Management Program (RM).