West Texas A&M University marked a significant step in expanding its agricultural education and research capacity on Nov. 10 with the groundbreaking of a new research feedlot complex east of Canyon. The project, backed by $15 million in combined private and federal support, is intended to strengthen the university’s role in advancing beef production practices in the Texas Panhandle and beyond.
The complex will include two primary components: the WTAMU Foundation Research Feedlot and the Paul F. and Virginia J. Engler Foundation Feedlot Education Facility. Together, they are designed to support hands-on student learning, feedlot management training, and applied research that can directly benefit cattle producers.
Funding for the project comes from multiple sources, including individual donors, corporate partners and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. A land gift of approximately 43 acres near WT’s Nance Ranch, provided by local ranchers Mike and Gary Kuhlman, enabled the project to move forward. Additional major contributions include a $2 million gift from the Engler Foundation, a $1 million donation from Champion Feeders, and a $2.1 million USDA grant that supports construction of the education center.
The new facilities are expected to help maintain WT’s leadership in large food animal teaching and research across the Paul Engler College of Agriculture and Natural Sciences and the Department of Agricultural Sciences. University leaders describe the project as a collaborative effort among faculty, industry partners and state and federal agencies to expand research capacity in beef production, feeding efficiency, animal health, meat science and related areas.
The feedlot will be constructed southwest of the university’s existing feedlot near Nance Ranch. Plans call for a modern educational center with a classroom and small auditorium, 90 pens for smaller-scale research trials, 40 larger pens for commercial-scale studies, advanced feed manufacturing and delivery technology, and an updated processing facility and feed mill.
Because the USDA grant requires the grant recipient to own the facility, the WTAMU Foundation will hold ownership of both the feedlot and the education building. The university will manage operations once the complex is complete. Construction on the education center is planned to begin later this winter, with work on the feedlot portion expected in 2026.
The expansion aligns with recent growth in WT’s agricultural research output. Since 2021, research funding in agricultural fields at the university has increased significantly, and requests for additional funding continue to rise. University officials view the new feedlot as an important resource in sustaining that momentum and advancing WT’s standing as a regional research institution.
The project complements ongoing efforts through the Center for Advancing Food Animal Production in the Panhandle and the Feedlot Research Group, which support student training and applied studies in animal nutrition, health, environmental impact and food science. The facility will also contribute to ongoing partnerships involving WT, the Veterinary Education, Research and Outreach program, Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension, and the Texas A&M Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory.
Since 2016, more than $120 million has been invested in WT’s agricultural education infrastructure, including the Agricultural Sciences Complex and new AgriLife Research and Extension facilities now nearing completion. The addition of the research feedlot is viewed as another important step in expanding WT’s capabilities in serving students and the livestock industry across the region.
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