Department of Ecosystem Science & Management

Dr. Forbes is an Associate Professor and Range Nutritionist with the Texas AgriLife Research and Extension Center at Uvalde, TX. Dr. Forbes received his B.A. (Hons) (1973) in Zoology from the University of Dublin, Trinity College, Republic of Ireland; his M.S. (1978) in Animal Nutrition from Aberdeen University, Scotland; and Ph.D. (1982) in Animal Nutrition and Behavior from Edinburgh University, Scotland. He carried out post-doctoral research (1982-1985) at the USDA/ARS Research Center, El Reno, Oklahoma, and held the position of Research Scientist at the University of Kentucky (1985-1988), before joining the faculty at the Texas AgriLife Research and Extension Center at Uvalde in 1988. His research program is concerned with the nutrition of domestic livestock on both rangeland and sown pastures. Included in this program are investigations into the effects of stress on nutrition and physiology of domestic livestock.

The current focus of his research is on the effects of plant secondary compounds on intake and reproductive physiology of goats, sheep and cattle; effects of pre-conditioning diets on subsequent performance of steers grazing high quality, cool-season forage; and effects of environmental stress, especially heat and humidity, on adapted and unadapted breeds of cattle in reference to the potential role for newly imported breeds of cattle in south Texas.