Leadership in Agriculture: Case Studies for a New Generation

Chapter 2

case Studies 49 2. exerting Agriculture Leadership in Distributed geographic Locations introduction Like politics, most agricultural enterprises are ultimately local—site specific—depending on the surrounding ecosystem, proximity to markets, populations, and transportation, and a resulting evolution of farming and ranching practices. While site-specific or at least regional research is often needed to support and promote these practices, general principles of agricultural science and technology can also be broadly applied. Accordingly , a combination of both site-specific and more general scientific activity has emerged in the university-based and federal systems that support food and agricultural enterprises in the United States. In small states with relatively little geographic diversity, agricultural research is often centralized on the campuses of universities with few satellite sites in operation throughout the state. In larger states with more diversity, universities and federal agencies such as the USDA’s Agricultural Research Service have developed various forms of geographically distributed but connected organizational structures that bring together the disciplinary variety necessary to meet the more heterogeneous needs of the regional industries. These structures also incidentally provided early opportunities for experience and leadership in multidisciplinary research using a systems approach . For example, research on economics and research with regard to the use of natural resources can be both commodity specific at the local level and more generally applicable in regional, state, and national settings. Linking research and outreach (e.g., extension programs) with the more centralized basic and disciplinary research aimed at conceptual breakthroughs presents challenging, exciting leadership opportunities. 50 case Studies Texas a&M: a Large Distributed System This case study deals with the evolution of one of the larger distributed systems of regional research programs and extension services as it evolved and operates today in the Texas A&M University System . Universities and federal agencies in many of the other large and ecologically diverse states developed similarly as distinct distributed models. All of them continue to evolve as needs, modern communications , and developments in science drive change. In the Texas A&M example, there emerged a set of thirteen regional research and extension centers to support the state’s ecologically varied agriculture. Shared leadership at multiple levels and with individuals from industry, government, and academia was required to develop a vision at the institutional level and to carry it to fruition at a number of locations across the state. Shared ownership by university, state, and local participants was an important factor in the birth and sustained operation of these centers. Such joint leadership was also critically important in the operational phase—leadership in upper-level administration, in the campus -based academic departments, at the level of the regional centers, and with the government and industry players served by these centers. The creation of this collective vision and plan connected an effective, integrated, and dynamic set of networked research and extension activities that continue to serve Texas and the nation very well. The major leadership elements portrayed in this case study are the following: Visionary leadership that recognized the need and opportunities for a distributed but connected system of research and extension activities at various locations in a state Shared leadership in the form of the joint setting of priorities and strategies between university administrators, local and state government officials, and private-sector stakeholders, which helped define the mission and secure the necessary resources case Studies 51 Cooperation between university, federal, and private-sector elements in conducting regional research and extension programs Leadership by administrators at the regional centers that (1) brought together the multidisciplinary teams of research scientists and extension specialists who addressed systems research in support of regional agriculture and naturalresource management; (2) maintained ongoing relationships with regional stakeholders; and (3) fostered collaboration between other regional centers and with campus-based departments Figure 4. Location of Texas A&M University AgriLife Research and Extension Service centers. 52 case Studies Leadership by university-based department heads in bringing together the disciplinary activities of regional and campus-based researchers into a complementary strategy—connecting basic and applied research across the state Graduate-student involvement in regional research, allowing for joint mentorship by campus and center-based faculty—which promoted active planning of academic and regional objectives and was often the most effective linkage of all. Genesis The regional Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension Centers (ARECs) (formerly known as Agricultural Research Extension Centers [ARECs]) evolved over a long period of time and along different pathways. In some cases, initial “substations” evolved to become fullfledged...