Dr. Benjamin Turner grew up in Normangee, Texas. He received a Bachelor of Science degree in Agriculture from Sam Houston State University in 2009, followed by a Master of Science degree in Agribusiness from Texas A&M University-Kingsville in 2011. Between semesters during those years Ben interned with Texas AgriFinance (now Texas Farm Credit) in Robstown, Texas, Hunt Oil Company in Dallas, Texas, and day labored for several ranches in Kleberg and Leon counties.
Ben received a Ph.D. in Natural Resource Management at South Dakota State University (SDSU) with an emphasis on systems thinking and modeling in agriculture. At SDSU Ben worked on a diverse array of projects, including land use decision making and modeling, rangeland soil monitoring and assessment, and watershed management, while being a part of an interdisciplinary research team. After completing his dissertation, Ben worked as a post-doctoral researcher at New Mexico State University, where he joined another interdisciplinary team working to understand the socio-hydrology of agroecosystems in semi-arid environments to improve water resource management for irrigation and conservation.
As a faculty member at TAMUK, Ben’s research focuses on systems analysis of agroecosystems (both cultivated and grazing management settings), decision making in natural resource management contexts, and development of teaching, learning, and decision-support tools for educators, agricultural producers, or interested policy makers. Ben teaches agribusiness, ranch management, and systems thinking, modeling, and analysis courses for undergraduate and graduate students. Outside of the university, Ben is a member of the Society of Range Management, the Soil and Water Conservation Society, and the System Dynamics Society. He lives in south Texas with his wife, Viviana, and sons James and Aaron.
His work can be followed at:
https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=a7iNNy8AAAAJ&hl=en
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Benjamin-Turner-8
Education:
Ph.D. Biological Sciences/Natural Resource Management, South Dakota State University
M.S. Agribusiness, Texas A&M University-Kingsville
B.S. Agriculture, Sam Houston State University
