Beef Cattle Nutrition Research
Leading-edge innovations to advance economically and environmentally sustainable cattle production.
Animal Nutrition Research for the High Plains and Beyond
The Texas A&M AgriLife Research Beef Cattle Nutrition Program in Amarillo provides reliable, relevant, unbiased information to clients interested in beef cattle production in the Texas High Plains region.
Mission
Our program aims to develop nutritional and management strategies to improve production efficiencies and animal health while reducing nutrient losses to the environment, conserving natural resources, and improving the quality of beef delivered to consumers.
Goals
- Developing new technologies for feeding beef cattle,
- Improved understanding of the genetic potential of animals,
- Incorporating all industry sectors across each interconnected stage of production
Positioned to deliver solutions
Intensive production systems must meet many requirements to offset environmental impact.
Challenges of Limited Rainfall
Limited rainfall and depleting underground water supplies challenge the High Plains. Public concerns in this environment include the impacts of intensive cattle feeding on air quality, water quality, and water use.
Competitive advantages
Our facilities and resources allow for advancing research related to:
- Animal health
- Atocker cattle in native range and annual forage systems
- Growing and finishing systems
- Nutrient utilization
Serving Texas Producers and Texans
Our work reaches many beef producers as well as allied industry and commodity groups, regulatory agencies, and interested citizens.
Research at Amarillo aims to mimic beef production systems and their challenges specific to the High Plains. Primarily post-weaning systems, these encompass newly received calves, stocker operations, and finishing systems.
Faculty
Vinicius Gouvêa, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Ruminant Nutrition, Texas A&M AgriLife Research
Our Collaborators
Our lab continues to collaborate with the USDA-ARS-CPRL Livestock Nutrient Management Research Unit as we pursue similar interests in analyzing and improving the environmental impact of the beef industry. This is a vital partnership to our research program and a major contribution to our success.
Animal Science Extension at Amarillo
Delivering the latest science-based information in dairy and beef cattle production to producers in the High Plains and beyond.
