Formed in the late 1960s through the then-Agriculture Committee of the Rio Grande Valley Chamber of Commerce, the Valley Agricultural Research and Development Corporation (VARDC) created a $100,000 revolving fund, raised when 100 businesses each contributed $1,000.

Initially, VARDC acted as the purchasing arm for various agricultural research agencies, since those agencies can secure public funds for personnel and operations, but not for land acquisition. Agencies that used VARDC lease-purchase agreements or low-interest loans to acquire land for research facilities include the following:

• Texas A&M purchased 80-acres to develop varieties of grain, corn, and other trials better adapted to the Rio Grande Valley;
  
  
• Texas A&I purchased 36.35-acres for citrus and pecan research (A&M and A&I now are combined into the Texas A&M System facility);
  
  
• and the USDA-ARS purchased 12.46-acres for honey bee, pest control, remote sensing, as well as soil and water study.

In 1986, after the original $100,000 plus $68,000 accumulated interest revolved back into the VARDC coffers, the board established a grant program to fund special projects, such as the study of mycotoxins (aflatoxin) in food corn (1990) and the control of the whitefly (1991), that are not eligible for agency budgets.

Each year, the VARDC convenes at the Partnership to review grant applications for new agricultural research projects that may advance this staple industry for the Rio Grande Valley.

Accomplishments in Agriculture:

A 16-page booklet, Agriculture in the Rio Grande Valley, has been published by the Partnership with a VARDC grant to provide basic agricultural information and understanding. See publications for more information