Andrew McFarland

• Working towards MS. in Horticulture, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, expected to graduate in 2028
• B.Sc. in Soil and Crop Science, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, 2022

Andrew McFarland was immediately fascinated with the complexity of agricultural systems and the effects that climate change would have on those systems when he first attended Texas A&M. His degree had an emphasis in soil and water science, which the classes ranged from Global Water Scarcity to Soil Physics. Andrew’s undergraduate career was highlighted by his time working as an Undergraduate Student Assistant for the Texas A&M Sorghum Breeding Laboratory led by Dr. William Rooney. There he was able to apply all of the lessons from his classes in sorghum breeding nurseries by assisting with breeding selections, taking plant notes and assisting graduate students with a variety of research projects ranging from food grade sorghum to the use of UAVs to record phenotypic data in the field. It was also in this position that he discovered his passion for research and saw the impact that Texas A&M AgriLife Research had on producers and the state of Texas as a whole. Andrew started his position at the Texas A&M AgriLife Research Plant Growth and Phenotyping Facility in 2022 and became responsible for two automated phenotyping systems available for use by researchers in the Texas A&M system. Working in close proximity to diverse researchers and assisting with a multitude of research projects has expanded my knowledge and passion for improving agricultural systems. His experience has led him to pursue a master’s degree in horticulture under Dr. Lorenzo Rossi, in the Horticultural Sciences department at Texas A&M University. Andrew’s goal is to become an expert in phenotyping systems and help research teams use his facility to its full potential.