West Texas A&M University (WTAMU) and Texas Tech University (TTU) have received federal grants to expand agricultural research and improve livestock production and food safety.
WTAMU expands feedlot research
WTAMU received a $9.75 million grant from USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) to develop a cattle feedlot research facility near Canyon, TX. The award, the largest federal grant in university history, was made through NIFA’s Research Facilities Act Program.
The grant requires matching funds, with the Texas A&M University System contributing $4.875 million and another $4.875 million coming from other sources, bringing the total project funding to $19.5 million.
The facility will include 90 small research pens and 45 commercial-scale pens, allowing researchers to study cattle performance under controlled conditions and in settings that more closely resemble commercial feedlots.
Plans also include a cattle handling facility, veterinary research hospital, feed and production center, and metabolism and physiology center. Researchers will evaluate feeding, animal health and management practices using traditional methods and artificial intelligence. The facility will also provide hands-on training for undergraduate, graduate and veterinary students preparing for careers in the cattle feeding industry.
Construction began in November 2025 near the university’s Nance Ranch on 42.84 acres donated in 2024 by Canyon ranchers Mike and Gary Kuhlman. A separate feedlot education facility is also under construction.
TTU expands food research
In another investment in agricultural research, TTU’s Davis College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources received a $28.9 million USDA grant to establish a Food Science, Safety, and Workforce Development Complex in Lubbock.
Also funded through NIFA’s Research Facilities Act Program, the complex will be housed in the college’s planned three-story flagship building. The facility will bring food safety research, product development, pilot-scale processing, quality testing and consumer evaluation together under one roof.
Plans include food innovation laboratories, sensory evaluation facilities and space for industry partnerships. Researchers will be able to develop and test new food products while evaluating processing methods and emerging technologies.
The complex will also offer hands-on training for students, food industry professionals and entrepreneurs through certificate programs, continuing education and workforce development opportunities.
University officials expect the facility to strengthen food safety research, support new product development and help prepare workers for changing industry needs.
Together, the two USDA grants provide $38.65 million in federal funding to expand agricultural research facilities and prepare future industry professionals. — Charles Wallace, WLJ contributing editor
