In 1887, the first Homestead was filed with the U.S. government for property now included in the Center. In 1927, Congress granted the public lands to the College for research purposes. The Center is located in Dona Ana County, New Mexico, at the southern end of the Jornada Plain. Now divided by Interstate 25, the Center encompasses almost 100 square miles, with one-forth of the land west of the interstate. Land on the Center varies widely, with elevations from 4,000 ft. on the Rio Grande flood plain on the west side to 5,840 ft.
Soils range from sandy loams to clays overlying caliche hardpan.
Several vegetation types occur on the center. Creosote bush dominates the upper slopes of the mountains and the hills along the river. At lower elevations, the creosote bush type grades into the mesquite type that grows on sandier soils, and into the tarbush type on heavier soils. The plains area, once dominated by black grama, today has been invaded by mesquite. These mesquite stands are interspersed with snakeweed and many species of grasses and forbs.