Animal Science graduate student Ms. Olivia Lasater (major professor Dr. Barry Lambert) received a prestigious USDA-NIFA Southern Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) graduate research grant of $14,443 to support her thesis work titled, “Native Texas Perennial Bunchgrass for Bioenergy Feedstock and Ruminant Nutrition.” Her research compliments a $342,033 US Department of Transportation SUN grant involving Tarleton professors Drs. Stuart Weiss and Edward Osei along with Tarleton graduate Mr. Randy Bow at Texas Native Seeds (TAMU Kingsville Caesar Kleberg Wildlife Research Institute) and Dr. Jim Muir at Texas A&M AgriLife Research and the Wildlife and Natural Resource Department. Five partner institutions in Texas, Missouri and Louisiana involve four COANR graduates.
According to the Southern SARE website, “the main objective of the Graduate Student Grants is to prepare the next generation of scientists in researching sustainable solutions to the challenges farmers and ranchers face each day, and to prepare young professionals to work together with other scientists, educators, and farmers to test sustainable ag theories in real-world, on-farm situations.” Every year graduate students from across the southern USA, including PhD candidates at Land Grant Universities, compete for these funds to support their graduate research. Applicants must write the grant themselves, as Ms. Lasater did in one of the COANR graduate writing courses.
Ms. Lasater’s thesis research involves collecting data from Native Texas Seeds research plots in 5 Texas ecoregions. These data will indicate if species hold promise for forage, conservation, wildlife and bioenergy feedstock. These multiple uses will be important in ensuring that Texas ranches are environmentally and economically sustainable as they diversify their use of native Texas bunchgrasses.
Written and Submitted by Dr. Jim Muir, Texas A&M AgriLife
