Texas A&M AgriLife Announces Official Move of Amarillo Facilities to Canyon

Copy by Kay Ledbetter, 806-677-5608, kay.ledbetter@ag.tamu.edu,  and Chip Chandler, 806-651-2124, cchandler@wtamu.edu

Building of new, $30 million home to AgriLife Research, Extension to take place on WT campus

CANYON, Texas —Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension Center of Amarillo will move to Canyon to complete an agricultural research, education and outreach powerhouse on the West Texas A&M University campus.

Funding for the new, $30 million center was approved May 19 by The Texas A&M University Board of Regents. Of that total, $20 million will come from the Permanent University Fund established by the State of Texas and $10 million from Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service.

Chancellor John Sharp announced the move at a May 25 press conference in the Texas A&M Veterinary Education, Research and Outreach building on the WT campus. The new facility will be constructed to the northeast of The Charles W. “Doc” Graham ’53 DVM, The Texas A&M University System Center, which encompasses VERO and the Charles W. Graham DVM Texas A&M Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory.

“We’re here today to announce something that only The Texas A&M University System could have accomplished. We’re bringing all of our resources together in one spot,” Sharp said. “We’re bringing together some of the best minds in agriculture together in collaboration right here in Canyon. This will be a real game-changer for agribusiness in Texas.”

Construction is expected to be complete in early 2024 at the northeast corner of the WT campus. The building will be home to about 60 employees working for the Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service agencies.

WT President Walter V. Wendler said the move complements WT’s sincere focus on agricultural issues across the Texas Panhandle and beyond.

“Moving the Texas A&M AgriLife Center to the WT campus completes the synergy that The Texas A&M University System provides for our region,” Wendler said. “The new AgriLife Research and Extension Center building will create a one-stop-shop for teaching, research and service provided by WT and Texas A&M University.”

This new building on Russell Long Boulevard will be clustered with WT’s Agricultural Sciences Complex, which contains the Happy State Bank Academic and Research building, the Caviness Meat Science and Innovation Center, the Piehl-Schaeffer Pavilion and the Bain Event Center; the VERO building; and the Charles W. Graham DVM Texas A&M Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory. 

“What The Texas A&M University System Board of Regents have created on this campus is un-paralleled in regional higher education across the country,” Wendler said. “The opportunities made possible by this partnership will advance the research and outreach missions of all of our institutions.”

The move further cements WT as a Regional Research University, the overarching goal of its long-range plan, WT 125: From the Panhandle to the World.

That plan is fueled by the historic, $125 million One West comprehensive fundraising campaign. To date, the five-year campaign — which publicly launched Sept. 23 — has raised about $110 million.

Maintaining a strong Texas A&M AgriLife presence in the Panhandle

Texas A&M AgriLife has 13 centers around the state that house both AgriLife Research and AgriLife Extension personnel who support the districts and regions.

“Texas A&M AgriLife Research is headquartered in College Station, but we are an institution that serves the entire state of Texas, and our centers are imperative to making sure that each region of the state has research conducted in their unique environment,” said Dr. Cliff Lamb, director of AgriLife Research. “Here in the Panhandle, we look forward to expanding our research programs in beef cattle, small grains, environmental quality, natural resources, pest management, crop systems and bioenergy.”

AgriLife Research has led the nation in six of the past eight years in agricultural research expenditures, with more than $223.5 million for fiscal year 2021, Lamb said.

“Much of that is dedicated to supporting Texas commodities, reflecting our agency’s dedication to producers and ensuring a thriving industry across Texas,” he said.

Dr. Rick Avery, director of AgriLife Extension, said the Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension Center at Amarillo has a long history of service and showcases the importance of the AgriLife mission—creating solutions to agriculture and natural resource issues through state-of-the-art research, and then ensuring that information is helpful and extended to great state of Texas.

“This center has been instrumental in making a positive impact on the success of ag producers, on the youth in the Panhandle, and in increasing the health of our public,” Avery said. “This center is the home for professional development for our AgriLife Extension county agents and other key educators and specialists to learn the latest technology, best practices and methods that improve the lives of Texans.

“Additionally, this center serves as the primary location for agriculture producers, county judges and commissioners, and industry leaders to interact with Extension personnel. Together, we are dedicated to creating solutions for a changing world, where agriculture and health are more important than ever.”

Synergy of programs, students

The existing programs, both AgriLife Research and AgriLife Extension, will be strengthened by the synergy that is built upon the expertise, organization, programming, educational outreach and student involvement due to the proximity of both facilities and personnel, said Dr. Brent Auvermann, center director for the Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension Center of Amarillo, said.

“We expect to have greater exposure to the graduate and undergraduate students that WT has, because we rely on them so heavily for our programs,” he said, estimating about 40 students are already being supervised by AgriLife Research and AgriLife Extension faculty at any one time.

Additionally, Auvermann said the co-location of AgriLife Research’s globally recognized program will help build WT’s agricultural research portfolio.

“Our programs are built and sustained by external contracts and grants,” he said. “We’ve built tremendous momentum bringing those resources to the Panhandle, and we want to leverage them to accelerate the development of WT’s research portfolio while we enrich the educational experiences of her students.

“That synergy happens best when we are across the wall, around the corner, or just down the sidewalk from one another. We want to build a true community of practice, and we need to be face-to-face to accomplish that.”

Auvermann said putting all of these closely related organizations right next to one another tightens the integration of Texas A&M AgriLife’s land-grant mission with WT’s educational and research missions.

“This building will be Texas A&M’s embassy in the Texas Panhandle,” he said. “We want the new Texas A&M AgriLife center in Canyon to be used for community outreach and extension education as well as cutting-edge research, just as our current facility is today,” he said.

Annually the Texas A&M AgriLife center at Amarillo has hosted more than 3,500 individuals who have completed nearly 11,000 contact hours of education.

“We will continue to host events and provide outreach, and we know this will be a facility that will allow more opportunities for the Panhandle,” Auvermann said.

About Texas A&M AgriLife

As the largest comprehensive agriculture program nationally, Texas A&M AgriLife brings together a college and four state agencies focused on agriculture and life sciences within The Texas A&M University System. With over 5,000 employees, and a presence in every county across the state, Texas A&M AgriLife is uniquely positioned to improve the quantity and quality of food production to benefit human health and lower health care costs, while increasing profitability for producers and ensuring environmental sustainability. 

About West Texas A&M University

WT is located in Canyon, Texas, on a 342-acre residential campus. Established in 1910, the University has been part of The Texas A&M University System since 1990. WT, a Hispanic Serving Institution since 2016, boasts an enrollment of about 10,000 and offers 59 undergraduate degree programs and more than 40 graduate degrees, including two doctoral degrees. The University is also home to the Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum, the largest history museum in the state and the home of one of the Southwest’s finest art collections. The Buffaloes are a member of the NCAA Division II Lone Star Conference and offers 14 men’s and women’s athletics programs.

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