The Trinity Valley Community College's 'TVCC Ranch' is located an hour’s drive southeast of Dallas in Henderson County.  Like many other small colleges throughout the country, the personal feel of a smaller town atmosphere allows for more individualized instruction and is appealing to many students. Some students finalize their education at a community college and others use this education as a stepping stone to advanced study at a university.

Trinity Valley Community College is as unique as it is different. TVCC has an educational opportunity unlike many others – a program that combines classroom education with lessons only taught in a 'real world' environment. TVCC offers instruction in Agriculture and Ranch Management and although this is not so unusual in itself, what is unique is the college maintains its own registered Charolais beef herd and assembles award winning cattle showings at the major livestock shows through our Beef Cattle Show Team. 

It all began in the fall of 1975 when the Amoco Corporation gave TVCC a 25-year lease on 254 acres of land, along with the Texas Educational Agency's $50,000 grant award, to launch the college's Ranch Management program. Originally most all of the acreage was a forest; during the fall of this same year all but 70 acres of the land was cleared, and three stock ponds were built. In 1977, the TVCC built a $20,000 metal barn and a $5,000 corral. Throughout subsequent years most of the remaining forested land was cleared, more stock ponds constructed, and other structures added to the property.  The college's initial cattle herd was donated in September of 1976 and consisted of 104 Charolais cows, heifers, and calves. In the fall of 1977, TVCC received a donation of 54 head of cattle from Baldwin Associates of Dallas and this new herd was incorporated with the original herd. In September of 1999, TVCC eventually purchased the 254 acres of land from the Amoco Corporation.

Through the years, TVCC continues improving the genetics of our herd. Since 1977, numerous Charolais breeders have donated various individual cattle, semen, and embryos to our program. TVCC agriculture and ranch management instructors use the latest industry approaches in the genetic improvement of the herd and teach these methods to their students.

A brief description of the Ranch Management program: “Ranch Management is a comprehensive course of study for the student desiring knowledge in basic ranching principles and practices. The student will receive training in all phases of agriculture and ranching and be prepared for a position as a ranch manager in addition to a number of other positions in agriculturally-related fields.” The Agriculture program is a curriculum of introductory agriculture courses and core curricula courses for those students who know they will be continuing their education at a university.

The college ranch has given the TVCC agriculture and ranch management students much hand on experience since its inception.  Along with the obvious animal science experience, students also receive experience with forage tests, forage management, erosion control, and agronomy.