Challenges
- Farmers and ranchers across Texas face ongoing production-related challenges and economic risks.
- The supply of water and other natural resources in Texas is under tremendous stress from population growth and other factors.
- Rising health care costs are a burden to Texans ($239 billion annually).
- Youth need to develop essential behaviors of character, citizenship and leadership, and valuable life skills to prepare them for college and career opportunities.
AgriLife Extension Response
AgriLife Extension collaborates with public and private organizations to deliver impactful educational and applied research programs that address critical issues facing Texans.
- Offers wide-ranging educational programs in agriculture, focused on research-based production and management practices, evaluation of technologies, improved decision-making and job training.
- Delivers researched-based educational resources on water quality and use, soil nutrient management, watershed protection, wildlife and fisheries practices, and ecosystem and parks management.
- Health and wellness programs focus on diabetes education, nutrition, exercise, food safety, child safety seat education and early cancer detection.
- Offers many state- and industry-accredited programs to meet continuing education and certification requirements for thousands of people who provide important community services.
- More than 550,000 youth participated in Texas 4-H through program areas in STEM, Natural Resources, Agricultural and Livestock, Leadership and Citizenship and Family and Community Health.
- Conducted 127,600 educational events and reached 18.4 million educational and other contacts in 2019.
Economic Impacts
- Programs focused on agricultural production and management practices, evaluation of technologies, and improved decision-making led to economic gains of more than $486 million for agricultural producers in 2019.
- Use of the Farm Bill decision aid to analyze 17,305 farm units showed an impact of improved decision-making valued at $216 million.
- The economic impact of selected diabetes education, physical activity and nutrition education programs was estimated at $79.8 million (in lifetime health care cost savings).
- Programs focused on water conservation and wildlife and ecosystem management led to $107 million in economic benefits by conserving 3.1 billion gallons of water, reducing wildlife property damage and adopting selected management practices on 1.3 million managed acres.
- Through its continuing education and certification programs, AgriLife Extension directly supports 79,450 jobs in Texas, with an estimated annual wage base of $1.5 billion.
- In 2019, AgriLife Extension engaged more than 93,600 volunteers who contributed a total of 5.5 million hours (2,633 FTEs) valued at an estimated $139.3 million.
