OSU researchers will work closely with Texas A&M AgriLife Research at Texas A&M University and other universities in the region on a five-year project
Oklahoma State University (OSU) has received more than $2.6 million to research ways to improve agricultural production while reducing environmental impacts. The information was given by Kevin Wagner, Director, Oklahoma Water Resources Center at OSU.
OSU researchers will work closely with Texas A&M AgriLife Research at Texas A&M University and other universities in the region on a five-year project funded by the US Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture. OSU will receive more than $2.6 million of the $10 million competitive grant.
Although the scope of work under the grant is expansive with several multi-year components, Wagner said some aspects will benefit producers right away. Among his efforts, Wagner will monitor the quantity and quality of runoff water from fields where regenerative practices have been implemented, lead the modelling team and assist with stakeholder engagement and outreach. In addition to Wagner and Warren, there are several other key OSU researchers whose work will overlap in many areas.
Many members of the team also will be involved in arranging regional on-farm field days and large, multi-state conferences hosted in Texas and Oklahoma for disseminating research results.
Additionally, Ali Mirchi, Assistant Professor, OSU Department of Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering, will use data collected by the research team to develop models to evaluate the watershed scale effects of regenerative practices. The Agricultural Policy/Environmental eXtender (APEX) model will be used to predict the effects of management decisions on soil loss, water quality and crop yields at the field scale.
The OSU project encompasses short-term, medium-term and long-term goals over the next five years. However, Wagner and Mirchi said the data produced under the NIFA grant will likely yield more research opportunities, as well as additional benefits to Oklahoma and similar areas around the world.
The grant is part of the USDA’s recent investment of more than $146 million in sustainable agricultural research projects aimed at improving a robust, resilient, climate-smart food and agricultural system. NIFA’s Sustainable Agricultural Systems program focuses on a broad base of needed research solutions, ranging from addressing labour challenges and promoting land stewardship to correcting climate change impacts in agriculture and critical needs in food and nutrition.
