The leadership of AgriLife Research visited the Republic of Botswana for a week of discussions with the country’s president, His Excellency Dr. Mokgweetsi E.K. Masisi, and several of the country’s ministries about solutions of mutual benefit to agriculture and natural resource sectors within the African country and in Texas.  

The National Center for Electron Beam Research within AgriLife Research has renewed its existing agreement with the International Atomic Energy Agency to advance research, development and applications of eBeam technology.

Texas A&M AgriLife has expanded the reach of its beef cattle expertise with an international conference and the 44 Farms-Texas A&M International Beef Cattle Academy, initiatives led by Reinaldo Cooke, Ph.D., professor in the Department of Animal Science in the Texas A&M College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.

More than 170 computer modeling scientists and researchers from 41 countries converged at Aarhus University in Denmark for the 29th annual conference on the latest applications and developments of the Soil and Water Assessment Tool, SWAT, a predictive modeling application invented by AgriLife Research and USDA-ARS scientists in Temple.

The Texas A&M University System Board of Regents approved construction of the new $13 million Animal Reproductive Biotechnology Center at their meeting on Aug. 16. Construction is expected to begin this fall with substantial completion scheduled for January 2025.

A new study led by AgriLife Research has identified what may be a novel biological approach for removing extremely small and potentially dangerous plastic particles from water.

The Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at Texas A&M University-Kingsville houses the Cybersecurity and Cyber Intelligence Training Program, which is now supported by an additional $500,000 from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Center of Excellence for Cross-Border Threat Screening and Supply Chain Defense, CBTS, led by AgriLife Research.

AgriLife Research and the Texas A&M University-Commerce College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources have hired an assistant professor to boost research and education in agronomy — the comprehensive study of soil management and crop production. Grace Flusche Ogden, Ph.D., will collaborate with AgriLife Research scientists across Texas on a range of research initiatives.

As an undergraduate bioenvironmental sciences major, Julie Howe ’95 ’99 wasn’t interested in taking the required introductory soil science class. But what she learned about soil opened her eyes to potential solutions to many of our society’s greatest environmental challenges. From exploring ways to hone the nation’s dynamic and complex food and fiber systems to teaching the next generation about how soil can mitigate water and air pollution, Howe dedicates her career to advancing the teaching, research and extension efforts around the science of soil.

As the new director of the Texas A&M Institute for Genomic Medicine, TIGM, a part of Texas A&M AgriLife Research, Johnathan Ballard, Ph.D., will leverage the service facility's capabilities to support researchers of The Texas A&M University System and worldwide who seek medical breakthroughs for humans and animals.

Ballard has served TIGM since 2010, where he has worked as part of a dedicated team to fulfill the institute’s mission.

He has contributed to nearly all aspects of the institute. His work has involved teaching; training; management of facilities, infrastructure and equipment; collaborative research; and financial administration. A cornerstone of his research has been to generate genetically modified mice for use as models of human disease. 

Ballard earned a bachelor’s degree in genetics from Texas A&M University in 1996 and a doctorate in cell regulation from the University of Texas Southwestern in 2004.