Animal & Plant Sciences Center
About Us
The Animal & Plant Sciences Center is a unique facility that combines multiple critical needs from across the college into one complex at the Tarleton Agriculture Center. This facility includes classrooms and six state-of-the-art laboratories for teaching every aspect of animal and plant science. Individual teaching labs spotlight Genetics, Nutrition, Anatomy, Entomology, Soils, and Horticulture. Additionally, the Animal & Plant Sciences Center includes a 42,000-square-foot covered arena, four greenhouses, and is home to The Purple Tractor merchandising teaching laboratory.
Animal & Plant Sciences Center
Animal & Plant Sciences Center Ribbon Cutting
Animal & Plant Sciences Center
Animal & Plant Sciences Center Classroom
Animal & Plant Sciences Center Livestock Arena
Animal & Plant Sciences Center Greenhouses
The Purple Tractor
The Purple Tractor
Livestock Arena
The Livestock Arena at the Animal & Plant Sciences Center is a 42,000-square-foot covered, open-sided livestock arena where animals can be brought in for observation and hands-on learning. Working and sorting areas for cattle, sheep and goats feature pens, alleys, corrals, scales and squeeze chutes. The Livestock Arena can also be divided into multiple spaces for animal demonstrations, livestock evaluation classes and competitive events. There will be spaces where cows, ewes and does can give birth and students can safely be taught how to provide assistance. This new facility will allow students to learn many aspects of animal production through hands-on experience.
Greenhouses
There are four Greenhouses, an outdoor demonstration garden for food, forage and ornamental plants, elevated planting beds, and teaching plots that allow students to learn about horticulture and plant science programs at the Animal & Plant Sciences Center. The Greenhouses provide educational opportunities regarding greenhouse management, ornamental plant production, vegetable production, and pest control. The Greenhouses also include a weather station and a computerized control system to control heating, cooling, lighting, irrigation, fogging, CO2 or humidification. The system continuously monitors environmental conditions and operates the equipment to create specific growing climates within the Greenhouses.
The Purple Tractor
The Purple Tractor is a merchandising teaching laboratory at Tarleton State University. It was created for students within the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources to learn how to make and market agricultural products including fresh and frozen meats, vegetables, and nursery plants. All products are produced by Tarleton students in Tarleton classrooms, barns, and fields. Proceeds from sales at The Purple Tractor help recoup the teaching expenses at our Agricultural Center, so that it all goes back to enhance the student experience. The Purple Tractor is located at the Tarleton Agriculture Center in the Animal & Plant Sciences Center. Visit The Purple Tractor.