Lubbock, Texas
September 17, 2007
Source:
Texas Department of
Agriculture
Agriculture Commissioner Todd
Staples today announced the Texas Department of Agriculture has
awarded $1.2 million in grants to five Texas universities to
fund 39 research projects designed to bolster and enhance the
state's food and fiber industries.
"These projects, which range from reducing or eliminating
trans-fats in food products to comparing modern cotton
harvesting equipment to using goats in managing brush control,
will provide an important boost to the state's economy and
impact the lives of all Texans," Commissioner Staples said.
"Whether you are a cotton farmer on the High Plains or a family
living in Dallas or Houston, your lives and livelihoods are
constantly being improved by the benefits of food and fibers
research."
Commissioner Staples made the announcement at Texas Tech
University's International Textile Center in Lubbock.
The grants were awarded through TDA's Food and Fibers Research
Grant Program to the following universities:
- Texas Tech University,
$457,315 for 15 projects such as evaluating the fiber
properties of cotton; imparting antibacterial properties to
cotton fabric; developing chemical warfare protective
fabrics; and making peanuts a profitable crop in West Texas
where water is limited;
- Texas A&M University,
$446,500 for 14 projects such as broadening the genetic
diversity of cotton; researching engineered systems for seed
cotton handling, storage and ginning; and using goats to
manage juniper;
- Texas Woman's University,
$273,000 for eight projects ranging from using products
containing cottonseed oil to increase the dietary intake of
vitamins A and E to reducing or eliminating trans-fats in
various food products;
- The University of Texas at
Austin, $2,444 for transferring an agricultural database of
research to Texas Tech University; and
- The University of Texas at
Arlington, $30,000 for a project that will study the
effectiveness of using cottonseed oil to produce biofuel.
Each project is required to
leverage about $2.75 for each dollar received from the state,
bringing the total amount of research to more than $3.3 million.
"For 100 years, TDA has partnered with Texans and private
industry to support our food and fiber industries," Commissioner
Staples said. "The projects funded for this year will not only
go a long way in keeping Texas at the forefront of agricultural
research and technology transfer, but will also have a positive
impact and effect on food and fiber industries around the
world."
Texas Department of Agriculture funds array of cotton research
Source:
Texas A&M University System
The Texas Department of
Agriculture awarded more than $280,000 to cotton research in the
state during a Sept. 10 ceremony at Lubbock.
Commissioner of Agriculture Todd Staples announced more than
$1.2 million in grants to five Texas universities to fund 39
research projects designed to "bolster and enhance the state's
food and fiber industry."
The grants were awarded through TDA's Food and Fibers Research
Grant Program. Each project is required to leverage about $2.75
for each dollar received from the state, bringing the total
amount of research to more than $3.3 million.
Texas A&M University System
cotton research projects funded by these grants include:
- Broadening the Genetic
Diversity of Cotton; coordinated by Dr. John Gannaway,
Texas Agricultural Experiment Station cotton breeder at
Lubbock.
- Improving the Genetic
Potential of Cotton for Quality and Stress Resistance;
coordinated by Dr. Wayne Smith, professor of plant
breeding at College Station.
- Interspecific
Introgression to Expand Cotton Germplasm; coordinated by
Dr. David Stelly, professor of plant breeding and
genetics at College Station.
- Irrigation Termination
for Improved Fiber Maturity on the Texas High Plains;
coordinated by Dr. Craig Bednarz, associate professor of
crop physiology based at Lubbock.
- Comparison of Modern
Harvesting Equipment on the High Plains of Texas;
coordinated by Dr. Bryan Shaw, associate professor of
biological and agricultural engineering at College
Station.
- Engineered Systems for
Seed Cotton Handling, Storage and Ginning; coordinated
by Dr. Steve Searcy, professor of biological and
agricultural engineering at College Station.
- Analyzing the
Transportation Logistics Network for Texas cotton;
coordinated by Dr. John Robinson, associate professor of
agricultural economics and Texas Cooperative Extension
cotton marketing specialist at College Station.
- Single Process Point
Elimination of Aflatoxin and Gossypol in Cottonseed,
Texas Engineering Extension Service.
- Better Feed and Fuel
from Enzymatic Processing of Cottonseed, Texas
Engineering Extension Service.
More details on these Texas
Department of Agriculture grants are available online at
http://www.agr.state.tx.us |
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