Project Number: 6209-31630-003-22
Project Type: Memorandum of Understanding

Start Date: May 01, 2007
End Date: Apr 30, 2012

Objective:
The Southern Great Plains Dairy Consortium ("Dairy Consortium") is being established to meet rapidly expanding research, education, extension, and service needs of the intensive dairy production and processing industries. The Consortium will provide a recognized framework for coordinating multi-university, multi-disciplinary, and interagency research, education, extension, and service programs to benefit the expanding dairy industry of the respective states. The Dairy Consortium will be composed of faculty, scientists, and administrators engaged in research, education, extension, and service from the participating institutions. The Consortium's role will be the coordination of research, extension, and service programs involving the dairy production and processing industry in Texas and New Mexico, and collaborative education programs involving Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and Oklahoma.

Approach:
1. Provide framework for the formation of multi-disciplinary teams of faculty from member institutions, agencies, industry, and professional organizations. 2. Create opportunities for developing federal or state legislative initiatives that will help establish "centers of excellence" among member institutions. 3. Provide an effective mechanism for: (a) Identifying concensus priorities based on dairy industry inputs utilizing a broad-based Industry Advisory Committee; (b) Establishing multi-disciplinary faculty teams to address industry's identifed problems and issues through collaborative research, education, extension, and service programs; (c) Implementing and evaluating collaborative research, education, extension, and service programs; (d) Enabling partnering institutions and agencies to work together in maximizing efficiency and realizing scientific and programmatic synergies; (e) Providing coordinated and enhanced undergraduate and graduate training programs; and (f) Providing extension and continuing education programs related to the dairy industry in identified priority areas.