Specialty Agriculture

Cameron and Milam County have significant strengths in the agriculture sector.  Milam County’s proportion of farm employment per 1,000 residents is about 10 times the U.S. average (84.4 compared to 8.5).

A prime examples of the agricultural specialization include:

• Ideal Poultry, which offers hundreds of unique breeds of poultry and is the largest supplier of backyard poultry in the U.S.
• 44 Farms the largest Angus operation in the State of Texas with 14,000 head.
• Glass the Florist, which produces Poinsettias, ferns, beogonias, and must more for major retailers in Texas.  They are also one of the best retail florists anywhere.

Key Competitive Features

• Close proximity to one of the nation’s leading academic research and development universities, Texas A&M, with nearly $200 million spend on plant & animal sciences R&D (2009)
• Access to water for irrigation (surface and ground)
• Generally, higher rain fall
• Comparatively low land cost
• Available skilled labor
• Access to markets and key inputs
• Access to capital – area financial institutions are knowledgeable and experiences in support of agricultural operations

Feed and Livestock Production

Businesses engaged in the production, packaging and distribution of animal feed and livestock products should add Cameron and Milam County to their short list for locations.

• Access to water
• Predictable weather patterns
• Affordable and abundant land
• Excellent access to a market of $17 million people within 150 miles
• Skilled and affordable labor

Milam County crop production includes (in order of production):

• Corn
• Milo
• Small Grains (Wheat/Oats/Triticale/Barley)
• Cotton
• Sunflowers
• Canola, flax, others

Specialty Goods Production

The Cameron area is no stranger to specialty goods production from grass feed and premium grade beef operations to goat’s milk, pecans and wholesale nursery growers to name a few. There remains a large opportunity for expansion thanks to fertile soil and plentiful groundwater, as well as proximity to major urban markets.

Plant and Animal Sciences

Nature’s laboratory exists in the Cameron area. Consider, nature’s laboratory in Milam County, in close proximity to national research and development talent in the field of genomics and organic chemistry found at Texas A&M University and you have identified the ideal laboratory location. Add to this already compelling formula the research and professional capital of Scott and White’s main campus in Temple, Tx and the formula produces a unique location solution with ready access to both unique resources.