CALF_News_April_May_2018

22 CALF News • April | May 2018 • www.calfnews.net T he Texas A&M University System has announced plans for a $22.8 million building for veterinary education, research and workforce opportunities as part of almost $90 million in new commitments to the state’s agriculture industry on the West Texas A&M University campus. The new Veterinary Education, Research & Outreach (VERO) Center will be con- structed adjacent to WTAMU’s new Agricultural Sciences Complex and a new Texas A&MVeterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory (TVMDL) facility currently in the process of relocating from Amarillo to Canyon. “This is a great day for Texas A&M, West Texas A&M and the Panhandle,” said Chancellor John Sharp.“With these three new facilities in Canyon, the Texas A&M System has invested nearly $90 million in the future of agriculture and animal health in this region. We have created a two-way superhighway of veterinary education and research activity from Canyon to College Station, and it runs right through these new structures.” Once the VERO Center is completed in 2020, it will provide an anchor in Canyon where stu- dents from Texas A&M’s College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences (CVM) will be able to take courses, participate in externship programs and conduct research. Opportunities for research and collaboration with faculty and staff at TVMDL, the Agricultural Sciences Complex and the CVM’s VERO Center will be available to students from both Texas A&M and West Texas A&M.  Texas A&M Announces New Vet Center For West Texas A&M Campus in Canyon “We are bringing the No. 3 veterinary school in the nation to the Texas Panhandle, which happens to be the No. 1 large animal production center in the United States,” said Chancellor John Sharp. “This is a very exciting day from the perspective of the livestock industry in the Texas Panhandle and really for the entire country, and in some ways, consumers around the nation and that world,”  said Ross Wilson, president and CEO of the Texas Cattle Feeders Association. what you have and creating efforts to recharge when possible. The goal is to be as sustainable as possible while also real- izing that perfection is unattainable. “For us, being right here in the Sandhills is a fine situation. The water, whether from irrigation or rain, runs right back down into our ground and helps to maintain the moisture profile,” Reeve explains.“We have also taken steps to improve our irrigation systems to use water as efficiently as possible. “Technology and genetics are what’s going to save us. Right now, it takes 20 gallons of water to grow one ear of corn. We’ve got to do better. Drought-hardy crops preserve water, but we still need corn, too. Improvements will come from the elimination of evaporation during irrigation and controlling weeds that suck all of the moisture and nutrients from the soil.” PASSIONATE PERSEVERANCE Continued from page 19 For Reeve, he really sees his contribu- tion to the future of agriculture through paying attention to the opportunities as they present themselves and continuing to take measures to develop a sustain- able operation for the next generation. “Agriculture is very unique, we all need it, and we always will,” he says.“It’s also a very interesting thing; [agriculture] is always changing, but it never changes. As we continue to develop technology we also see doors open and close. With the change comes opportunity.” With the support of his wife, Brenda, their three grown children, extended family and amazing staff, Reeve is able to impact the industry of agriculture beyond today, improving it for the gen- erations to come. Hat’s off to you, Mr. President, and thank you for encouraging the rest of us to get up and get involved.  As the evolution of irrigation continues, we can take time to appreciate how far it has come. Reducing evaporation by getting the water distribution closer to the roots will reduce water waste.