KINGSVILLE, Texas — To begin the new year, the King Ranch® Institute for Ranch Management (KRIRM) is expanding its service to the ranching industry by establishing a new applied research program. Dr. Jason Sawyer will join the Institute’s team to lead this endeavor as KRIRM Associate Professor and Research Scientist.
The research endeavor was created by virtue of a partnership between KRIRM and the East Foundation based out of San Antonio, Texas. Research will focus on the improvement of ranching systems and will tackle challenges with innovative solutions. The effort will allow further expansion of expertise and impact in the area of profitable grazing and production systems management. Sawyer brings 25 years of experience working in beef cattle production systems research.
“Dr. Sawyer is a well-established research scientist with extensive production system and rangeland management experience, and a passion for innovation in ranching,” said KRIRM Director Clay Mathis, PhD. “He is a perfect fit for KRIRM.”
The Institute realized research expansion was a natural progression in its mission to be an impactful resource to the beef industry. The applied research effort at KRIRM will strengthen current and future education and outreach efforts, focusing on issues threatening the sustainability of ranching operations.
“We are fortunate to have extensive relationships with owners and managers of many successful ranching operations,” explained Dr. Mathis. “These vital relationships will help KRIRM build a successful applied and translational research program. The addition of applied research to our mission is a logical next step, and can only come to fruition with great partnerships and the addition of highly capable faculty.”
Sawyer comes to KRIRM from Texas A&M University where he served as the Superintendent of the McGregor Research Center in McGregor, Texas, since 2008. In that appointment, Sawyer managed a diversified operation with cow-calf (more than 1,000 cows), stocker, growyard, finishing enterprises, and hay and grain farming. His role also required him to integrate research programs into the overall management system with the same challenges and disruptions that a commercial manager faces.
Sawyer earned a BS in Rangeland Ecology and Management with a Ranch Management emphasis from Texas A&M, and a MS and PhD in Beef Cattle Nutrition from New Mexico State University (NMSU). In the late 1990’s, Sawyer joined the faculty at the NMSU Clayton Livestock Research Center where he was involved with both research and outreach duties. Now, he looks forward to the new venture with the Institute and the chance to work in partnership with the East Foundation.
“The opportunity to work with the Institute and Foundation is literally a dream come true,” said Sawyer. “I plan to spend an initial period in discovery to identify the best opportunities to make immediate impact. Certainly, we will be looking for opportunities to develop innovative strategies that improve the resilience and sustainability of ranching operations.”
Sawyer and his wife, Alison, have been married 23 ½ years and have three children. Abby (18) is a freshman at the University of Texas, Jack (15) is a freshman in high school, and Joshua (8) is in second grade.
About KRIRM
Formed in 2003, KRIRM is a ranch management master’s program at Texas A&M University-Kingsville created in honor of the 150th Anniversary of the legendary King Ranch. As the only ranch management master’s program in the world, KRIRM teaches graduate students using a multi-disciplinary, systems approach to ranch management. The Institute also provides the highest quality lectureships and symposia to stakeholders in the ranching industry through its event outreach component. For more information about KRIRM, visit krirm.tamuk.edu.
–King Ranch® Institute for Ranch Management
Texas A&M University-Kingsville
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