The AgriLife Research Center in San Angelo, TX is home to the longest running Rambouillet ram and Angora buck performance test in the world. Other discoveries include the first soremouth vaccine and the first genetic study of Boer goats in the U.S.
The research center in San Angelo, TX is located in west central Texas, where about 95 percent of the area is rangeland. Brush encroachments is a major problem in the rangelands. The San Angelo Center aims to control or further utilize these woody plants.
The center also addresses efficiency of production of sheep, goats and cattle to address sustainability and compatibility with wildlife and recreational business in the area.
Key Research Areas
- Animal breeding & genetics
- Livestock nutrition
- Range management
- Wool & mohair
Research Impacts
- Low cost, rapid, near-infrared spectroscopy techniques developed at the San Angelo center will improve the efficiency of wool marketing to reduce costs for buyers and growers.
- San Angelo researchers are selecting goats that ovulate earlier in the spring to enhance the production of year-round goat meat and allow producers to benefit from the almost 20% higher prices in the low volume winter months.
- The wood to feed program at the center is developing methodologies for using encroaching brush species for livestock and wildlife feeds and supplements.
- Researchers at the San Angelo Center have developed innovative management strategies using prescribed fire and goat browsing to reduce the cost of juniper control and provide a savings of over $100 per acre for brush control.
- Goats are being selectively bred to increase their ability to consume juniper one of the most problematic brush species in Texas and nationally. Goats bred to consume more juniper have the genetic potential to consume 10 percentage units more juniper than when the study began and we continue to make genetic progress for this trait.
Featured projects
Animal Fiber Research on Wool and Mohair
Researcher: John Walker, Ronald Pope
John Walker and Ronald Pope are using Near-Infrared Reflectance Spectroscopy to evaluate animal fibers to guide producers and scientists in selecting superior fiber traits; and to monitor the effects of nutrition. Benefits of these evaluations include effective marketing of raw materials and predicting processing characteristics for the textile industry Read more
Sheep and Goat Breeding and Genetics
Researcher: Dan Waldron
Texas was traditionally known for the quality of wool from its Rambouillet sheep. The amount of wools shipped from San Angelo resulted in it being dubbed the “Inland Wool Capital of the World” because more wool was shipped from this location than any other inland shipping area. However, currently there are about as many hair sheep as Rambouillet in Texas. Dan Waldron is comparing the productivity and economic value of Dorper and Rambouillet sheep for a number of different traits. Read more