Research programs in the Department are funded primarily through AgriLife Research. External grants and contracts provide a major source of research program support. New research grant and contract awards are approximately $2.0 million per year. Through these activities, findings and results are provided to producers and agricultural organizations, public policy decision makers, agricultural businesses and related agribusiness organizations.
Faculty publications in leading refereed journals have established the Department among the top five in the country in research output. The diversity of agriculture and agribusiness enterprises in Texas provides opportunities for a wide variety of research and educational activities. Many research projects also emphasize extensive multidisciplinary collaboration.
Major research programs are conducted in several areas; resource and environmental impacts, marketing and transportation, production economics and risk management, public policy analysis and agricultural finance.