I to am an ex Texan (ok I was born in OK). I would recommend that you stay away from California. Perhaps NH, the chosen state of some libertarian project.
It is pretty agricultural, so animal science would work well there.
I have family in NH. In order to get away from nuttiness you have to be north of Hanover. Otherwise the place has been infiltrated by Liberals that have screwed up MA and NY Now they are screwing up southern NH. Some of the folks there want to start a Minuteman project on the MA border.