Sterling County

The goal of Texas AgriLife Extension in Sterling County is to provide quality, relevant outreach and continuing education programs and services to the people of Texas. Extension institutions provide an educational delivery system that reaches into every county of the state. Because Extension is changing to stay abreast of Sterling County’s issues and needs, Extension educators must continually examine, understand and accept any changes in Extension’s functions, structure and processes.

Sterling County is staffed with Extension agents who are professional educators with broad expertise in agriculture/natural resources, family consumer science, and youth development. Texas AgriLife Extension in Sterling County offers a wide range of educational programs and activities in the areas of agriculture and natural resources, family consumer science, 4-H and youth development, and economic development.

Sterling County was organized in 1891. It was created from a part of Tom Green County. It was named for Captain W. S. Sterling, an early settler and rancher. Its county seat is Sterling City, which is the agribusiness center of the area.

Sterling County is in the West-central part of Texas, mainly in the Edwards Plateau land resource area. A small area in the northern part of the county is in the Central Rolling Red Plains land resource area. Sterling County covers 914 square miles, or 584,960 acres.

Ranching and oil and gas production are the main enterprises in the county. The county is 97 percent range, 1 percent crop land, and 2 percent urban land, farm steads, water area, and other miscellaneous lands. Beef cattle, sheep and goats are the principle ranching stock in the county. Wheat, oats and grain sorghum are the main cultivated crops. Ranch income is supplemented by leases for hunting deer, turkey and quail.