New AgriLife Research engineer focuses on sustainable livestock systems
Peiyang Li joins High Plains center to address manure management and emissions
Peiyang Li, Ph.D., is the new Texas A&M AgriLife Research livestock air quality and agricultural engineer at the Texas A&M AgriLife High Plains Research and Extension Center in Canyon and assistant professor in the Texas A&M Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering.
In his new position, Li will conduct laboratory and field studies on the measurement, mitigation and modeling of airborne emissions, manure management and utilization, and value-added processing and utilization of co-products from agricultural production.
“I look forward to collaborating with multidisciplinary faculty teams, including animal scientists, nutritionists, soil scientists and fellow engineers, to conduct solution-oriented research that supports farmers and ranchers,” he said.
Growing a research program
Li’s research priority is to make livestock systems more sustainable through new technology and management practices. He wants to increase manure utilization and management through value-added processing of agricultural products, such as biochar, and collaborate with fellow researchers to make it happen.
Li seeks to advance the mechanistic understanding of feedyard emissions, which are an important component of sustainable livestock production. He is particularly interested in the underlying processes driving these emissions and in developing engineering-based technologies to mitigate them.
Because the High Plains livestock industry faces limited resource constraints, including limited locally grown feed and water availability, his research will also focus on strategies to improve resource efficiency.
He plans to engage with farmers and ranchers and listen to their feedback to determine how best to meet their priorities, as well as collaborate with producer organizations. Working previously with swine and poultry systems, Li said he expects to be able to apply the engineering expertise gained there to the beef and dairy industries.
“My research will look at developing technologies that will help producers be more efficient, along with management practices that will work with their operations,” Li said, adding that he will also explore new tools to track animal behaviors and monitor animal welfare to improve overall management.
Education and involvement
Li earned two bachelor’s degrees, one in biological systems engineering and one in environmental science, as well as a master’s and a doctorate in agricultural and biosystems engineering, all from Iowa State University.
He is a member of multiple professional societies, including the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers and the Water Environment Federation.
