CASNR Facilities
Learn Through Hands-On Experience
With a total farm footprint of over 1,600 acres, the College of Agriculture Sciences and Natural Resources offers a hands-on, immersive learning experience for all aspects of agriculture production.
Animal Science Facilities and Livestock Farm
The East Texas A&M University Animal Science Facilities and Livestock Farm is where the rubber meets the road for CASNR students. Beef cattle, pigs, horses and goats are all housed on the university farm to facilitate true hand-on learning through labs, student employment, and research. From introductory to graduate level courses, our faculty facilitate pragmatic, experiential learning with the livestock resources available on the farm.
For more information about the Animal Science Facilities and Livestock Farm, contact Ryan Doerner at [email protected].
Beef Cattle
One of the highlights of the livestock farm is our 100+ head commercial cattle herd. This herd supplies our farm with cattle for education and research. Students are able to interact with the herd through courses like ANS 317: Livestock Management Techniques and even participate in spring and fall calving through “Calf Watch”, a class activity that assigns students an observation period to monitor the herd during calving season. In addition to course education, our farm management team keeps close records on all livestock to identify areas of improvement. Just one example of improvement- over the last five years, our farm team has been able to increase calf weaning weight by 80 lbs through innovative management practices.
For more information about East Texas A&M’s cattle herd, contact Dr. Douglas Eborn at [email protected].
Small Ruminants
The Sheep and Goat Center is equipped with a complete working system and separate paddocks for grazing, education and research. Students have the ability to gain sheep and goat handling experience through ANS 411: Sheep and Goat Management, where they can work in a controlled environment that allows them to apply techniques taught in the classroom and are encouraged to relate this to their critical thinking abilities. The Sheep and Goat Center allows students to gain practical experience in management and husbandry, which can span from lambing and kidding to breeding and fitting.
For more information on the Sheep and Goat Center at East Texas A&M, contact Dr. Byron Housewright at [email protected].
Swine
Our swine program allows students an up-close look at swine management through the various phases of production from breeding and gestation all the way through finishing. Through a collaboration with an industry partner, our students have the opportunity to market and show university-raised pigs in courses such as:
ANS 2319: Livestock Handling and Presentation, ANS 2321: Livestock Evaluation & Selection, ANS 317: Livestock Management Techniques, ANS 397: Livestock Sales and Marketing, and ANS 413: Swine Management.
For more information on the swine program at East Texas A&M, contact Jared Mumm at [email protected].
Equine
By studying or working at the University's Equine Center under supervision of faculty and staff, students improve their skills and understanding of horses. Also, students learn how the University Farm acreage is managed, e.g., production of horse-quality hay and the responsible use of natural resources.
For more information on the Equine Center at East Texas A&M, contact Nathan Wells at [email protected].
Vegetable Research Center
At our Vegetable Research Center, we conduct research of various types, including variety trials, fertilization techniques, minimum-input trials and evaluation of various methods of disease and pest control. Current research projects include tomatoes, lettuce and bok choy. Our Vegetable Research Center has potential for trials in various settings, from traditional raised beds to hydroponics. Completed in 2023, this modern facility gives students an inside look at the future of vegetable production.
For more information about the Vegetable Research Center, contact Desire Djinonou at [email protected].
Agronomic Research
Through a strong collaboration with Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension, we are able to conduct research and educate students on agronomic crops. We currently have agronomic research farms that focus on row-crops and small grains in Greenville and Fairlie, Texas.
Our Greenville research farm, the Agriculture Research Farm, is a 160 acre farm located on blackland clay soil. Corn, grain sorghum, soybean, wheat and alternative crops are grown here for research, education and extension purposes. Texas A&M AgriLife Research team, Russell Sutton and Dr. Ellen Melson, host one location of soft wheat breeding nurseries in Greenville, a critical research site for wheat producers of Northeast Texas. Extension efforts by Dr. David Drake at this location encompass soil health, cover crops, alternative crops, weed control and soil fertility.
The Fairlie Farm is located north of campus in the small community of Fairlie, Texas. The Farm is leased by Cereal Crops Research, Inc. for use by the College of Agriculture Sciences and Natural Resources, as well as Texas A&M AgriLife Extension and Texas A&M AgriLife Research. The farm’s major uses are education and research. Education is provided through one of the department’s courses, PLS 420 – Crop Production Practicum. This course provides the student the unique opportunity to plant, manage and harvest a 10-acre wheat or cotton crop. The student learns how to operate farm equipment and machinery, as well as the steps involved in managing a crop. This experience is invaluable because many of the students who enroll in the course are from a non-farm background. Students completing this course are often sought after by agricultural industry employers. Cereal Crops Research, Inc. funds the student’s input and absorbs any financial loss. This is one of only three courses of its kind in the US!
