About the Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension Center at Uvalde
A continuing tradition of agriculture, natural resources and life sciences research and outreach for Texas’ ‘Winter Garden’
The Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension Center at Uvalde is a respected source of scientific research and outreach in agriculture, natural resources and regional wildlife.
The Center at Uvalde is a community education hub for applied research and outreach on agricultural crops and wildlife for Uvalde and Southwest Texas. Faculty and staff of Texas A&M AgriLife Research and the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service lead the center.
We host a range of educational and scientific programs each year. These include multi-county programs, field days, college science fairs, and public events that welcome grower groups, commodity and water associations, schools, policymakers and others.
Established in 1972 with support from local farmers and community leaders, the Center at Uvalde continues to provide many economic and environmental benefits to citizens and producers across Southwest Texas.
Mission
Promote human health and wellness at the nexus of agriculture, environmental sustainability, and animal health through innovative research and science-based solutions.
Vision
South Texas and Southwest Texas lives and communities enriched by renewed connectedness with food, agriculture, wildlife, and environmental health.
A strategic location for serving Texans
The Center at Uvalde is in the heart of Texas’ winter garden region — a dynamic agricultural area north of Laredo and southwest of San Antonio. We are strategically positioned at a crossroads of urban and rural communities in one of the most rapidly growing metropolitan areas in the U.S. — 75 miles east of the Texas-Mexico border and 95 miles west of San Antonio.
The Center at Uvalde is within a 6-county transect with a population of 786,000 people and is near many recreational opportunities in the Texas Hill Country.
The winter garden region is characterized by a stable and diverse agricultural economy, which is dominated by irrigated high-value specialty crops, rotational systems with field and vegetable crops, and ranching and wildlife enterprises. Major economic activities include farming, ranching, wildlife recreation, hunting, tourism, oil and gas.
Leading-edge technologies and thriving collaborations
In fulfilling our center’s mission and vision, faculty and staff at Uvalde strive to develop and apply cutting-edge technologies that enhance the well-being of communities in Southwest Texas. The center develops sustainable solutions to current and emerging problems in Uvalde and the rural communities of the area with its strong foundations in basic and applied research and community-centric education.
Thriving collaborations within The Texas A&M University System and with government agencies, international organizations, and private enterprises allow us to drive progress and bring solutions to stakeholders. Working together empowers our dedication to providing sustainable solutions to the challenges of food and nutritional insecurity now and in the future.
A regional hub for Texas A&M AgriLife
The center at Uvalde is one of 13 Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension centers across the state. Each regional center addresses agriculture, life sciences and natural resources issues that are relevant to the food and commodities thriving where we operate. The centers also collaborate statewide on a range of teaching, research and extension initiatives. Each of the regional centers is administrated by Texas A&M AgriLife Research and houses faculty and staff from a range of organizations within The Texas A&M University System.
Strategic Plan: Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension Center at Uvalde
The strategic plan of the Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension Center at Uvalde aligns with that of Texas A&M AgriLife Research. Our four research priority areas interact synergistically to deliver healthy living to Texans. Innovative research is the foundation of this strategy, which operates at the nexus among agriculture, environmental and human health by cultivating science-based solutions to develop sustainable, profitable, and resilient agriculture and horticultural systems that provide affordable, high-quality, nutritious food and improve quality of life.
