Citrus Center

Officials from the state of Texas, The Texas A&M University System and Texas A&M-Kingsville gathered in June 2009 to break ground on a $7.2 million building at the Citrus Center in Weslaco. The new 25,000 square foot facility is scheduled to open in the fall of 2010 and will help researchers continue their work as they serve the $200 million Valley citrus industry.

The university negotiated with Kell Munoz Architects from San Antonio to include as many features as possible and provide the most square footage for this facility, which will include office space, laboratories, classrooms and dedicated space for graduate student workstations.

“The Citrus Center has been an important institution for the Rio Grande Valley for 60 years and with this new building, they can continue to be a friend to citrus growers for many more years to come,” said Dr. Steven H. Tallant, president of Texas A&M University-Kingsville. “This new state-of-the-art building will provide our researchers and students with the equipment and facilities they need to help the growers in the Rio Grande Valley create a better start.”

Dr. John da Graca, director of the Citrus Center, said the new building is designed specifically to allow the faculty to integrate their research programs even more than they currently can. “There also is room for future growth and flexibility for new technologies. The facility will be one which we hope will attract future faculty, visiting scientists and students,” da Graca said.

“The center has always moved with the times and now uses cutting edge technologies in our research, but always with the benefits of the Texas citrus industry in mind,” said da Graca. “The citrus industry will continue to face some of the same challenges it has always dealt with like established and new pests and diseases, weather events and market changes, but the staff at the Citrus Center will be ready to deal with whatever comes our way.”