Research Mission
Leverage drive of work ethic, scientific curiosity, and unique research skills to contribute to more resilient agriculture and natural resource systems, improved management capabilities, and teaching and scholarship of systems agriculture. To achieve this, we believe it is essential to create integrative knowledge that cross cuts traditional disciplinary-silos and infect students and managers with greater appreciation of the power of systems thinking.
Research Interests
First, our focus is on systems thinking and simulation modeling for complex agricultural systems problems not easily or adequately addressed by other means. In our modeling work, we apply system dynamics methodology (and the its many subdisciplines or companion methodologies) to evaluate management or policy alternatives related to natural resource management problems.
Second, our research efforts are dedicated to uncovering and unpacking the causal feedback mechanisms that link management decision-making with the ecological, biological, and agronomic processes embedded in agroecosystems. By focusing on this intersection, we explore how and why complex problems arise and persist despite our best efforts. Our objective is to add data and insight needed to produce more sustainable outcomes.
Finally, we couple systems thinking methodologies with stakeholder engagement and field-level monitoring and assessment data to best understand the problems at hand by surrounding them with a variety of methodologies that each reveal unique aspects of the problem. By doing so, we leverage the strengths of various approaches and help bridge disciplines by producing case studies that cross the gap between different domains of application.
Research Philosophy
Our primary research interests reside in ranch management problem solving and soil, water, and land conservation issues, especially those related to production agriculture in both crop cultivation and rangeland and grazing environments. Particular attention is given to understanding how biophysical and socio-economic elements feed back on one another to influence management decision-making and ecosystem functions. For specific examples of our work, please see the list of scientific publications here.
To get a glimpse of the systems perspective that has changed the way I see and think about the world, take a look at my Research Philosophy Statement here.
Current Funded Projects
National Science Foundation (NSF) Center for Research Excellence in Science and Technology (CREST): Center for Sustainable Water Use
Award: 5 years, $5 million
Team members: Drs. Mahesh Hosur, Lee Clapp, Selahattin Ozcelik, Tushar Sinha, Shad Nelson, Benjamin Turner (Co-PIs)
Description: The goal for CREST-SWU is to establish a regional institutional framework for integrating academic researchers, regional stakeholders, and regulatory policy experts to holistically develop and assess alternative management strategies for attaining sustainable water use in South Texas, particularly from the perspective of the water, energy and food security nexus. The Center will support a formative five-year program of research, education and outreach related to the following three overarching research subprojects: 1) Monitoring and Information Systems (MIS), 2) Modeling and Dynamic Forecasting (MDF), and 3) Decision Support Systems (DSS).
Prof. Turner's role: I serve as a Co-PI for the Center and am the project lead for Subproject 3 Decision Support Systems.
United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Agriculture Research Service: Developing Southern Region Management And Resiliency Tools for Agricultural Systems (SMART Ag Systems)
Award: 2 years, $200,000
Team members: Benjamin Turner and post-doctoral researcher
Description: This project goal is to develop a suite of agricultural production and supply chain models, grounded in system dynamics methodology to: a) measure currently unquantified production and financial risks of climate change to the Southern Plains Region’s economically important commodity systems, and b) evaluate the trade-offs of alternative management strategies in light of climate change risks and identify high leverage management strategies for the region.
Prof. Turner's role: I serve as a PI on the project and provide post-doctoral mentorship for the scientist in residence.
United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) NIFA Education and Workforce Development: Promote sustainable Agriculture Concepts in Education through multidisciplinary Research and Pedagogical Trainings (PACE)
Award: 4 years, $500,000
Team members: Dr. M.M.Hossain (PI), Drs. Marsha Sowell, Benjamin Turner, Hua Li, Kai Jin (Co-PIs)
Description: The project’s overarching goal is to create a dynamic multidisciplinary environment and a Community of Practice where research, education, and outreach are integrated to provide elementary and middle school (K-8) teachers with opportunities to conduct cutting-edge research and develop innovative curricular modules to promote agriculture literacy in South Texas.
Prof. Turner's role: I serve as a Co-PI on the project and provide research and training to participants in the project. The research project and resultant curricular material revolve around the creation, implementation, and study results from a soil erosion and water conservation lab capable of use in both field and lab settings
United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Research and Extension Experience for Undergraduates: Research and extension experience in Energy and the Environment across Agricultural engineering Disciplines (RE2AD)
Award: 5 years, $500,000
Team members: Drs. Hua Li (PI), David Ramirez, Kai Jen, Jennifer Ren, and Benjamin Turner
Description: There is a significant talent gap in agricultural engineering needed to drive innovation and to sustain the U.S. global technical superiority. There is also a significant under-representation of minorities in agricultural workforce, especially Hispanics and women. Employers are now seeking “T-shaped” talents who have a broader skillset including leadership, teamwork/collaboration, project management, and critical thinking. The goal of this proposed project is to develop and implement a model environment for multidisciplinary collaborative efforts where research and extension are tightly integrated around the different facets of energy and environment research in agricultural engineering. The specific objectives are: 1) providing research opportunities in the different aspects of energy and environment research to undergraduate students, especially Hispanic and women; 2) increasing the number of underrepresented students who participate in graduate education in agriculture disciplines; 3) integrating extension experience and professional development to train “T-shaped” agricultural workforce with exceptional skills.
Prof. Turner's role: I serve as a Co-PI on the project to provide input and student mentorship for the agricultural components of the effort- these have included dynamic decision making applied to weed herbicide resistance in cropping systems and edge of field modeling and monitoring of small watersheds (subcatchments) undergoing land use change for energy development.
Previous Funded Projects Completed
United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Higher Education Challenge: Curriculum Development for Wicked Problem Solving
Award: 3 years, $297,000
Team members: Melissa Wuellner (University of Nebraska-Kearney), Erin Corus (University of Minnesota), Ryan Rhoades (Colorado State University), Steven Chumbley and Benjamin Turner (PI, Texas A&M University-Kingsville)
Description: The goal of this multi-institutional and multi-disciplinary project is to prepare future agriculture, engineering, and natural resource managers to address the complexities of managing for multiple uses and working with stakeholders through the development of graduate student and faculty experiences in Systems Thinking (ST) and Systems Dynamics (SD). Natural resource issues are frequently deemed "wicked problems" that involve "hard systems" (ecosystem structure and processes) and "soft systems" (diverse values of stakeholders) that both inform and are influenced by management decisions. The audience for this project includes Master's and PhD students enrolled in agriculture and natural resource programs at the multiple participating institutions and their faculty mentors. Graduate students in these programs are training to become managers of natural resource systems and will likely be challenged to address wicked problems throughout their professional careers that exist at the nexus of food, energy, and water systems.
Prof. Turner's role: I served as the lead PI for this very productive and collaborative group project. The effort produced or supported several systems thinking and system dynamics modeling workshops as well as systems thinking case studies in weed herbicide resistance, land conservation for biodiversity, and the dynamics of conservation agricultural practices adoption.
Own Funded Projects as Lead Investigators
Pond Creek Watershed Conservancy
Timeline: 2021-present
Description: The goal of this project is to establish and maintain long-term stream health monitoring sites in Pond Creek, Texas, to evaluate changes in a suite of ecologic and hydrologic indicators of site- and watershed-level ecosystem function in response to dynamically changing land uses between agriculture and alternative uses. To do so, we are partnering with private landowners in the Pond Creek Watershed as well as specialists in hydrology and water resources throughout Texas.
Integrity of ecological functions on multiuse rangelands before and after intensive grazing and brush management improvements
Timeline: 2023-present
Description: The goal of this project is to document management goals and ranch improvement efforts on a South Texas sand sheet ranch and provide monitoring and evaluation of rangeland health indicators to assist and enhance decision-making over time.
Projects or manuscripts in development (December 2023)
Model supported learning labs: agricultural and natural resource management case studies
Grazing system modeling for insight generation for emerging livestock production opportunities
Facilitated role-playing simulation as a tool for improving watershed management problem solving
Systemic review and causal mapping of brush encroached range and grassland systems