Soil, Water, and Ecosystem Sciences Program

Research and Extension Programs

The mission of the Soil and Water Science program led by Dr. Maria Silveira is to provide scientific-based information on nutrient management strategies that result in optimum forage production and profitability, and yet protect water quality. The major components of our mission are to address the needs of beef cattle industry in south Florida and to promote education programs that emphasize the importance of sustainable use of soil and water resources.

Research and extension efforts are focused on the following areas:

To understand fundamental relationship between soil, water, forage, and livestock production and determine management practices that utilize these resources more efficiently;
To develop sustainable soil fertility programs for major forage crops;
To investigate the beneficial use of animal and municipal by-products as nutrient sources for forage production;
To examine the impacts of agriculture on water quality and determine alternatives to protect Florida’s unique ecosystem.