In 1974, a new main research center  was built at 1380 A&M Circle and was completed in 1976.  The 43 acres of land that it was built on were donated by John and Betty McGuire (15 acres), K.B. Ivey Investment Co. (15 acres), and Charles and Mary Gaither (13 acres).   The main center houses the administrative offices  and four research project facilities in a 14,948 sq. ft. building.  The research projects performed at this location are agricultural economy, plant physiology / biotechnology, environmental microbiology, and water quality.  This facility contains the laboratories associated with each of the above projects.  An annex building is located behind the main building.  This annex contains four head houses that have greenhouses attached to each one.   A large auditorium, cafeteria, and TTVN (Texas Television Video Network) are located in the main building and are available for public meetings and conferences.  View these images in photo tour.

In  January, 1986, the building that housed the main offices on North Loop was demolished and in March, 1986, construction of a new building was begun.  This building, known as “the farm,” houses two research projects and an environmental analytical research laboratory in 3,500 sq. ft. of laboratory space. The projects are agronomy and environmental analytical chemistry.  There are also three residential homes for students. North and northeast of this building is farmland, belonging to the research center, which has been used to conduct field research projects.