Mission:
The mission of the Agricultural Research Service units based in Las Cruces, New Mexico, is to develop technologies that solve problems directly affecting agriculture and natural resource management in arid regions. The Southwest Cotton Ginning Research Laboratory addresses problems affecting, or being affected by, the cotton ginning industry to maximize the economic visibility and competitiveness and minimize the environmental impact of U.S. cotton production and processing systems. The Range Management Research Unit conducts site-based, collaborative research on ecosystem change, innovative livestock production systems, and ecological restoration alongside national and global research on land health monitoring and decision support tools in rangelands.