Research Farm at New Deal

The Texas Tech University New Deal Research Farm has approximately 120 acres that support the crop production research for the university's Department of Plant and Soil Science. Nearly half of this area is in grazing paddocks used by the Thornton Distinguished Professor of Plant Science. The remaining area supports research on irrigation management, cotton physiology, cotton stress tolerance, weed science, soil fertility, and forage physiology.

The farm is located on FM 1729, about 6 miles east of the town of New Deal, and a 20-minute drive from the Texas Tech campus. The farm is located at 33° 44' 13.76" N, 101° 43' 58.04"W, the elevation is 3,262 feet (994 m) above sea level, and the average annual rainfall is 18.6 in (472 mm). The average dates of last and first frosts are April 1 and November 9, respectively.

The site is irrigated with subsurface drip irrigation systems supported by two wells that supply less than 350 gallons per minute. The newest installation of subsurface drip irrigation includes more than 30 zones that can be irrigated independently. The site is on a Pullman clay loam soil typical of the fine-textured soils found from Lubbock to Amarillo. Declining irrigation water supplies are forcing an increased emphasis on limited irrigation and dryland production systems. Close proximity to the Burnett Center, the USDA-ARS Cropping Systems Laboratory, and the Texas AgriLife Research and Extension Center at Lubbock make this an excellent site to support

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