Howard County

The mission of Howard County AgriLife Extension is to deliver research based information and educational opportunities for the citizens of Howard County regardless of ethnic or socioeconomic backgrounds. This is accomplished through cooperation with Texas A&M University, United States Department of Agriculture and Howard County Commissioners Court.

Howard County was established from the Bexar County Territory in 1876. Big Spring was chosen as the county seat but the county is made up of several towns and communities. With an agriculture base, the largest percentage of the local GDP comes from agriculture related production. Cotton is the major cash crop for the area with several thousand head of cattle grazing the rangelands.

Big Spring and Howard County are known around the nation for several sites in the area. Alon USA is the largest inland refinery in the nation and the Veterans of America Hospital is one of the largest as well. Howard County is also home to Howard College, the Big Spring, the State Hospital, Scenic Mountain and the world-reknown Slaughter Ranch. Even though there are many famous sites in the area, agriculture still remains the main source of revenue for the county.