The College of Agriculture and Natural Resources (COANR), as well as other large agricultural programs in Texas, have partnered with the Texas A&M Agrilife Research on the Texas Climate-Smart Initiative.

This initiative is a five-year research program that is funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and will cost 65 million dollars. 

Agriculture, while important to the lives and livelihoods of Americans, can take a toll on Earth’s environment. With Texas being a major player in agriculture, this initiative is designed to transform current agricultural practices into more climate-friendly practices. 

One of the aspects of this initiative is studying how dairy production affects greenhouse gas emissions, which will have help from a team from Tarleton’s Southwest Regional Dairy Center. 

Additionally, studies will be done on carbon credit market development, farm-level economic analysis, supply chain efficiency and traceability, and crop insurance implications. The team responsible for this is led by Dr. Edward Osei. 

“I am pleased that several Tarleton faculty members are playing important collaborative roles in this effort led by Texas A&M AgriLife Research,” COANR Dean Dr. Barry Lambert said.  “Collaborations such as these are an important part of meeting the challenges faced by society as we seek to provide food, fiber and energy to a growing world population.”