ARDMORE, Okla. — Noble Research Institute researchers Jon Biermacher, Ph.D., and Maria Monteros, Ph.D., were recently promoted to professor.
Biermacher has served as the primary research economist for Noble Research Institute since 2005. His research focuses on generating useful economic information for agricultural producers involved in forage-based beef cattle production, pecan production and other related fields.
Biermacher develops useful information about the economic benefits and costs associated with new production and marketing systems. Farmers and ranchers can use this information to help them decide whether or not to adopt these new systems on their operations.
Beyond his research, Biermacher is highly involved with numerous organizations at the local, state and national levels. Currently, he serves on committees for the Western Agricultural Economics Association as well as the Agricultural and Applied Economics Association. Biermacher is also an adviser for Oklahoma’s Southern Technology Center’s Biotechnology Academy.
Monteros has led Noble Research Institute’s Legume Genomics Laboratory since 2007. Her research focuses on improved plant breeding methods to develop solutions to challenges limiting agricultural productivity, to reduce on-farm inputs to enhance the profitability of year-round forage-based grazing systems and sustainability of pecan production enterprises.
Monteros’ lab has implemented new strategies to evaluate the performance of plants under a range of stress conditions, identify better performing plants, and understand the methods plants use to cope and thrive under stressors, such as weather and nutrient deficiencies. Understanding these things will enable the development of better plant varieties with durable disease resistance and optimized for growth in multiple farming regions.
Monteros has served on the editorial board for five scientific journals and as a reviewer of grant proposals for the National Science Foundation, United States Department of Agriculture and various plant breeding programs. She is an active member of the Association for Women in Science educational awards committee and the Women in Science initiative of the American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America and Soil Science Society of America.
–Noble Research Institute, LLC
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