Robert Burns Is Serving a Fifth Term on the Agricultural Air Quality Task Force
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — A biosystems engineer with the University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture is serving a fifth two-year appointment on a task force that advises the USDA on issues related to agricultural production and air quality. Robert Burns, a distinguished professor in the Department of Biosystems Engineering and Soil Science, is one of 27 members of the USDA Agricultural Air Quality Task Force.
“Dr. Burns’ appointment reflects his national and global prominence in the areas of air quality and emissions associated with agricultural operations, and he will represent UTIA well on this Taskforce,” says Hongwei Xin, dean of UT AgResearch. Created by the 1996 Farm Bill, the USDA Task Force on Agricultural Air Quality Research identifies cost-effective ways agriculture industry can improve air quality. Membership consists of leaders in farming, industry, health, and science who are appointed for two-year terms. The Task Force advises the Secretary of Agriculture on air quality and its relationship to agriculture based on sound scientific findings by reviewing research supported by federal agencies and by promoting intergovernmental (federal, state, local and tribal) coordination in establishing agricultural air quality policy to avoid duplication of efforts.
The task force also helps ensure that air quality conservation practices supported by USDA are based on peer-reviewed research and are economically feasible for agricultural producers.
Burns’ fifth two-year appointment will run through 2026.
Burns has also served as a technical expert on the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Technical Advisory Group (TAG) on Methane. The Methane TAG included 59 experts from 23 counties, and the group was tasked with illustrating how feed and livestock production interact with the environment through emissions of methane and other gases. TAG reviews have previously pointed to novel approaches associated with low-carbon livestock production and food security. In 2023, the FAO produced the report Methane Emissions in Livestock and Rice Systems.
A Fellow in the American Society of Agriculture and Biological Engineering, Burns received that society’s acclaimed Henry Giese Structures and Environment Award in 2021 and serves as the Chair of the National Pork Producers Council Pork Air Science Policy Advisory Committee. Prior to being named as a UTIA Distinguished Professor, Burns served from 2010-2020 as Assistant Dean, Associate Dean and Dean for UT Extension. He currently serves as the Program Coordinator of the UT Institute of Agriculture Precision Livestock Farming Initiative, which coordinates research and Extension efforts to enhance the state’s various livestock industries.
A registered professional engineer, Burns holds a B.S. in agricultural engineering, M.S. in environmental engineering, and Ph.D. in civil engineering from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.
The University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture is comprised of the Herbert College of Agriculture, UT College of Veterinary Medicine, UT AgResearch and UT Extension. Through its land-grant mission of teaching, research and outreach, the Institute touches lives and provides Real. Life. Solutions. to Tennesseans and beyond. utia.tennessee.edu.