Jimmy T. LaBaume, Director

Agribusiness Program, Sul Ross State University

Box C-110, Alpine, TX 79832 · (432) 837-8286  · jlabaume@sulross.edu

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Photos courtesy of Damon White, Sul Ross graduate and currently manager of the Diamond A Ranch, Leakey, Texas

Study International Agribusiness in Mexico this summer.

Click on the link to find out more.

Agribusiness at Sul Ross State University

Introduction and Mission Statement

The dawn of the 21st century brought with it a multitude of challenges and opportunities in the various fields of agriculture and natural resources.

Our primary purpose is the enhancement of the well being of the citizens of the State of Texas , the region, the nation, and the world through excellence in teaching. Education is the cornerstone of this mission.

We are a student-centered, teaching university. Our specific goal is to enhance our students' ability to reason analytically, think critically, and be creative. We prepare them to be effective and ethical professionals.

Opportunities and Options

One out of every five workers is employed in the agricultural sector of the economy.

Our program in agricultural economics and agri-business provides the flexibility needed to meet a diverse set of career interests. Our graduates are prepared for the challenges of a world of increasingly global and information-driven agriculture.

Opportunities exist with food companies and markets, environmental and natural resource management agencies as well as companies and agencies outside the agricultural sector. Our past graduates have found excellent career opportunities with competitive salaries. Some have founded their own successful businesses. Many have gone on to graduate school and now have successful academic careers. Some have gone on to law school and are now successful attorneys practicing in the areas of natural resource and environmental law.

Among other things, our program can prepare you to:

  • Develop entrepreneurial skills related to agriculture and agri-business
  • Work in various areas of international development and trade.
  • Return to the family farm or ranch with enhanced management skills.
  • Start, acquire or manage a business in the agricultural sector.
  • Provide financial and estate planning and/or accounting services to agricultural producers and agri-businesses
  • Be an agricultural journalist-reporter.
  • Market agricultural inputs (feeds, seeds, fertilizers, machinery & equipment, pharmaceuticals, etc.).
  • Solve natural resource management problems.
  • Perform economic analyses of agricultural polices.
  • Market and/or appraise agricultural real estate properties (farms and ranches).
  • Trade futures market contracts
  • Be admitted to graduate or law school.

Through judicious use of electives and academic advising, Agri-business students can develop a specific area of concentration. In fact, Agri-Business is the only program within the School of Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences where a student can obtain the course work equivalent of what amounts to a double major. Examples include:

  • General Agri-Business Management
  • Farm and Ranch management
  • Meat Industry Management
  • Horse Production
  • Ruminant Livestock Production
  • Agricultural Education (leading to a teaching certificate)
  • Vet Clinic Business Management
  • Farrier Technology Business Management
  • Agricultural Marketing and Sales
  • Agricultural Communications (Journalism)
  • Agricultural Finance or Accounting
  • International Development and Trade
  • Natural Resource Management and Environmental Economics
  • Graduate School Preparation (Quantitative Skills)
  • Pre-Law

Thinking about transferring?

Basic courses from all Texas Community and State System Colleges (as well as many out-of-state schools) are readily transferable to Sul Ross making the transition much easier.

Need financial help? Financial Aid is Available

Besides the financial aid available to all SRSU students, the School of Agriculture and Natural Resource Sciences offers numerous undergraduate scholarships. These are generally awarded based on academic performance, financial need, or both.

Many students find work in the school and also can receive work study grants.

For more information and application forms, contact the Financial Aid Office

For more information

You can also see SRSU's Web Site for information about. admissions (including online application forms) tuition , housing, etc.

You can also see the entire university catalog which includes a list of course offerings.

For information about the academic program, contact:

Jimmy T. LaBaume, PhD, ChFC

Professor, Statistics and Economics

School of Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences

Box C-110

Sul Ross State University

Alpine, TX 70930

432-837-8286

Email: jlabaume@sulross.edu

The Infamous "Purple Sunset"

In Memory of Dr. Samuel N. Little, Teacher, Mentor, Friend

Photo courtesy of Carla Nelson Spencer, Agribusiness program graduate and currently emoloyed as a Program Technician for the USDA's Farm Service Agency

The content of this web site is the sole responsibility of Dr. Jimmy T. (Gunny) LaBaume. The concepts and opinions expressed are the authors' and not those of Sul Ross State University or the State of Texas. They are, however, protected by the basic human right to freedom of speech, as guaranteed by the First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States and reaffirmed by the U.S. Supreme Court on June 26, 1997, as applying to the Internet. For information, contact Dr. LaBaume, RAS 113, (432) 837-8286, jlabaume@sulross.edu.