Texas A&M University - Commerce Educational Farm and Dairy is located 5 miles south of the main campus on State Hwy 50. The Farm is made up of 1,300 acres. The livestock center, swine, and goat units are located on 650 acres of the old Petit Ranch. The farm office and dairy are located directly across Hwy. 50 from the livestock center on another 150 acres. The remaining 500 acres of pasture and woodlands is located on Hwy. 50 closer to campus. The Farm employs 4-6 student employees each semester as well as four full time employees.

Livestock

The livestock center serves as both a classroom instructional facility and a work place for the beef and equine units. The TAMU-C beef cattle, equine, swine, and goat holdings are sufficient for instructional purposes, but are also expected to return income to the University Farm and provide animals of all ages for classroom and research use.

The TAMU-C beef herd is made up of a small registered Angus herd and a small registered Hereford herd. These two herds are being built and improved through artificial insemination and embryo transfer.

The Angus herd has been built around one cow, a QAS Traveler 23-4 daughter purchased in the Clark Angus Dispersal. Flushed on one time, she produced 47 grade A embryos sire by Twin Valley Precision E161. In the spring of 2003 the University purchased a GAR Sleep Easy 1009 daughter from the Creighton Ranch Dispersal. She produced the high selling open heifer in that dispersal. She is nursing a GAR Grid Maker bull calf and will be flushed in early 2004.

The Hereford herd consists of approximately 15 cows originating from Reed Farms, Deshazer Cattle Company, and Jalou Polled Herefords. The herd is made up of daughters of WTK 55Y Bond 75A, NJW 1Y Wrangler 19D, Carlsons TNT Z33, CMF Victor 103T, among others. The cows are being artificially inseminated to Haroldson's Drummond 56G, DCC 20X Littleman J7 and VPI Limited Edition.

The heifers from both purebred herds are kept for replacements. Bulls are either sold to area cattlemen or kept for use in the University's commercial herd.

The commercial herd consists of 80 head of Beefmaster cross cows. These cows are bred to Hereford and Angus bulls. These cows are also used for recipient cows for our embryo transfer program. Select heifer calves are kept for replacements. The remaining heifers and steers are marketed after their use in the classroom and research is completed.

Dairy

The University Dairy consists of approximately 100 head of dairy animals, primarily Holsteins , of all ages ranging from newborns to mature cows. The dairy is a grazing dairy. The lactating cows are fed a lactating cow ration in the parlor, supplemented with alfalfa, and ran on mixed grass pasture. On average, 45 cows are milked twice daily.

The cows are visually appraised and artificially inseminated to bulls that will correct their physical weaknesses as well as improve milk production. All heifer calves are kept for replacements and bull calves are marketed.

The dairy is used as a teaching tool as well as for research.

Equine

The University equine unit consists of 10 - 12 brood mares and one stallion. The stallion, as well as three of the mares, were donated by Sam and Susie Wilson of Wilson Ranch. As with other units, the horses are used for both teaching and research. Colts are kept for replacements or sold as yearlings or two year olds.

The mare band is made up of daughters of Bob Acre Doc, Mr. San Peppy, Son of a Doc, Smart Lil Paradign, and Skipa Star. The stallion, Papas Hickory Stick, is an own son of Christys Acre. His first two foal crops look very promising.