By Chip Chandler
West Texas A&M University (WT) has received a $9.75 million grant from the USDA — the largest federal award in University history — to fund what promises to be the most advanced cattle feedlot research facility in the world.
The USDA’s National Institute for Food and Agriculture (NIFA) awarded the grant for a center for beef cattle research and innovation through its Research Facilities Act Program. A required dollar-for-dollar match — with $4.875 million from The Texas A&M University System and another $4.875 million from other sources — brings the project total to $19.5 million.
“We are grateful to USDA for recognizing the value of this work and to the partners helping WT bring it forward,” says Robert Albritton, chairman of the Board of Regents of The Texas A&M University System. “The A&M System is investing $4.875 million because research that strengthens Texas agriculture also serves the state and the nation.”
The facility will bridge the gap in national research infrastructure by pairing 90 small research pens for scientific studies with 45 commercial-scale pens. Undergraduate, graduate and veterinary students will be able to train and research at the facility with leading faculty in the field, producing the next generation of feedlot employees, managers and owners.
“The magnitude of the USDA grant, funding from the A&M System, and significant donor support underscore the critical role the Texas Panhandle plays in the beef cattle industry,” says Neil Terry, interim president. “As the university serving the Texas Panhandle, WT takes great pride in its ability to support the industry’s future through an educational center and a research feedlot that will be the best in the world.”
Plans call for the research feedlot to include a precision beef cattle handling facility, a veterinary care and research hospital, an advanced technology feed and production center, and a metabolism and physiology center. New feeding, health and handling techniques can be evaluated with traditional and artificial intelligence (AI)-powered approaches that are designed to increase beef production efficiency and advance feedlot management practices.
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