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Texas A&M University Research Center |
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www.brc.tamus.edu
Blackland Research Center (BRC) was created in 1909 as part of the Texas Agriculture Experiment Station (TAES), a state agriculture agency affiliated with Texas A&M University System (TAMUS) on 550 acres of blackland prairie in southeast Temple.
- It is one of 13 off-campus research and extension centers designed to improve regional water and soil quality by conducting research and developing new technologies and methods for farmers and ranchers across Texas and around the world.
- Scientists at Temple's BRC also assess the economic and environmental impacts of agricultural research.
- BRC enchances regional educational resources by connecting schools and cities via an interactive videoconferencing network (BeIINET).
- Since 1927, BRC has collaborated with the Grassland, Soil and Water Research Laboratory (GSWRL) of USDA/Agricultural Research Service (ARS).
- GSWRL has 2 major units: Natural Resources Systems Research Unit and Grassland Protection Research Unit.
Scientists from the National Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and the Texas State Soil Water Conservation Board (TSSWCB) are also located at BRC's facilities.
Research programs include:
- Agricultural Economics - Economic and biophysical computer models investigate economic impacts and environmental issues related to water quality management, animal wastes, and adoption of conservation tillage
- Agricultural Meteorology - Measures fluxes of energy and mass from croplands and rangelands throughout Texas
- Agronomy and Crop Physiology - Utilizes field studies and biophysical models to identify genetic and management constraints to dryland cropping systems and develops cultural practices to improve agricultural production and profitability
- Characterization and Assessment Applications - Develops spatial information systems (GIS) for agriculture and natural resources management in Texas, Africa, Central Asia and Latin America
- Hydrologic Modeling
- Soil Pesticide Screening
- Water Quality Program
- Integrated Information Management Laboratory (IIML)
Research programs from both agencies are closely linked, and scientists are able to capitalize on the strengths of each other utilizing shared resources, offices and labs.
Resources include:
- 25 UNIX-based workstations and 150 computers
- $4 million, 12,000 square feet BRC office building completed in 1999
- GSWRL has 25,000 square feet, and annual budget of $3 million
- 90 full-time employees and scientists, plus graduate students from TAMU and other universities and visiting scientists from universities and countries around the world
Research programs include:
- African Soil and Water Weather Database
- National Soil Database Development
- CO2 Climate Change
- Natural Resources Information Tech.
- Cotton Drought Tolerance
- Rangeland Water Use
- Herbicide Losses
- Research Opportunities for Teachers
- Integrated Information Management
- Software Training Manuals
- Lower Colorado River Graphic Info. System
- USDA Water Quality Projects
- Modeling of Mexican Sugarcane Production
- Water Quality Monitoring
- National Agriculture Policy Analysis
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