Overview of the College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, Texas Tech University.

Texas Tech University’s College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources (CASNR) is the largest “college of agriculture” among non-land-grant universities, with respect to research expenditures. Among colleges within Texas Tech University, CASNR brings in the second-highest amount of competitive grants, and the most per full-time faculty member. The college is composed of six academic departments and multiple research centers and institutes, and offers 13 bachelors degrees, 14 masters degrees, and 7 doctoral degrees.  During 2010, the college had 1361 undergraduates, 324 graduate students, 85 facuty, and recorded $15 million in research expenditures. Notable areas of research focus include all aspects of cotton science, appropriate for an institution within the ‘world’s largest cotton patch’--; fibers and biopolymers, sustainable agroecosystems, natural resources management and planning, economics of agricultural production and marketing, food safety and quality, and agricultural policy and trade. Though not a land-grant institution, field experimental facilities are central to the research and educational mission of the college. The college maintains two research farms in Lubbock County, totaling more than 350 ha. Most of the area used for row-crop production is equipped with state-of-the-art subsurface drip irrigation systems and is used for irrigation management research. The college has a long history of funding from Southern SARE, which has supported long-term research on forages and grazing systems and crop rotations for the Southern High Plains of Texas. The experimental feedlot has allowed CASNR to become a world leader in feedlot cattle research, feed industry research, and student education.  The college conducts research programs focused on the unique agricultural and natural resources challenges of our semi-arid region. Distance education, private and governmental internships, and international exchange programs are yet some other hallmarks of CASNR at Texas Tech University.