Chihuahuan Desert Rangeland Research Center

White cow on Field Day

Mission Statement

New Mexico State University operates the Chihuahuan Desert Rangeland Research Center to protect and ensure availability of its resources for teaching, research, and extension endeavors that benefit the citizens of New Mexico as originally declared by Congress in 1927. The Chihuahuan Desert Rangeland Research Center conducts educational, demonstrative, and experimental development with livestock, grazing methods, and range forage, including investigation of the sustainability and management of natural resources and environmental ecosystems.

The center is hosting the 2023 Annual Field Day on November 3. See the 2023 Field Day Schedule for more information.

What We Do

Teachers, researchers and students from across campus benefit from the center. The Department of Animal and Range Sciences oversees the facility with help from a steering committee of scientists from the College of Agriculture and Home Economics and the College of Arts and Sciences. Through the Biology Department, the center is part of the Jornada Basin Long -Term Ecological Research project - a National Science Foundation Ecology Network. Current research efforts include:
  • Evaluating continuous and seasonal grazing strategies at different intensities to determine effects on livestock performance as well as plant cover and composition.
  • Evaluating performance of breeds of cattle in relation to quality and quantity of forage in a hot, arid environment.
  • Determining the influence of range conditions on wildlife populations.
  • Autecology of plant species.
  • Assessing competition and other interactions between common plant species.
  • Ascertaining the role of small herbivores in a desert environment.
In addition to research conducted by the Department of Animal and Range Sciences, faculty and graduate students from other NMSU departments are conducting research at the Center. Currently much of the research is in conjunction with the Long-Term Ecological Research program, which is part of a nationwide program funded by the National Science Foundation. The CDRRC is used for teaching, demonstration and research projects with livestock, grazing methods and range forage, including investigations into the sustainability and management of natural resources and environmental ecosystems.

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Contact Information

Chihuahuan Desert Rangeland Research Center
Gerald Thomas Hall, Room 220
Box 30003, MSC 3BF
Las Cruces, N.M. 88003
Phone: 575-646-3125
Fax: 575-646-2816
Email: arcox@nmsu.edu

Department of Animal and Range Sciences
Knox Hall, Room 202
Box 30003, MSC 3-I
Las Cruces, NM 88003
Phone: 575-646-2514
Fax: 575-646-5441
Email: ascience@nmsu.edu