The USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture has awarded a $480.000 grant to the state of Mississippi for their Agricultural Science Professional Development Program (ACRE 2.0).

The program will acquaint existing and prospective teachers with familiarity with agriculture and will allow them to encourage students to consider career opportunities including the poultry industry.

Under the leadership of Stephanie Lemly, Associate Professor in the Department of Teacher Education and Leadership, the project will train three groups of teachers each year and will provide subsequent support.  The first group will comprise twenty-eight teachers from fourteen school districts across Mississippi who will be trained to create lesson plans and to mentor students.