Dr. Daniel Collins, Chair, Agriculture

Alcorn State University

Key faculty contacts:

Dr. Wesley Whittaker, Professor, Ag Economics (U of I Alum)

Clifton Peters, USDA/1890 Liaison Officer

School of Agriculture, Research and Applied Science

Agriculture Department

· Bachelor of Science in Agricultural Economics

o International Agriculture Option

· Bachelor of Science in Agribusiness Management

· Bachelor of Science in Agricultural Sciences

o Plant and Soil Science Emphasis

o Animal Science Emphasis

o Forestry Emphasis

o General Agriculture Emphasis

o Agricultural Education Emphasis

o Veterinary Science Emphasis

o Environmental Science Emphasis

· Master of Science in Agriculture - Agronomy Option

· Master of Science in Agriculture - Animal Science Option (thesis track, only)

· Master of Science in Agriculture – Agricultural Economics Option

· Master of Science in Secondary Education – Agricultural Education Endorsement

Center for Biotechnology and Genomics

· Established 2000 and supported by an annual Federal Administration Grant.

· Research scientists at the Center have established a state-of-art biotechnology research facility, including 4 laboratories for plant molecular biology and genomics, plant tissue culture and genetic transformation, plant breeding, and plant pathology

· The major research focus at the Center is to improve sweetpotato (Ipomoea batatas Lam.), to increase its economic value to U.S. farmers, particularly the limited-resource farmers in Mississippi, using a combination of biotechnology, genomics and traditional breeding approaches.

· Currently, research projects at the Center include development of specialty cultivars, e.g. sweetpotatoes containing high starch content, or amylose-free, or high-amylose starch, for value-added industrial and food uses of sweetpotatoes, and disease-resistant cultivars.

Beef Cattle Research

· Researchers are currently working on manipulating follicular dynamics to enhance reproduction efficiency of beef cattle.

· An embryo transfer research project has been established since 2003 as a means to improve the genetic of beef herds. This project has as a second objective to improve retention rate of the transferred embryos with the use of hormonal protocols. It is believed that improving retention rate would consequently make small and medium size farmers more receptive to the use of the technique of embryo transfer. Embryonic retention remains one of the main concerns limiting application of embryo transfer within cattle producers

Swine Development Center

· The mission of the center includes developing sustainable swine production systems for small producers; improving the quality, safety, and composition of pork products; generating information to enhance the socioeconomic wellbeing of rural communities; conducting research that addresses swine production problems; and providing hands-on undergraduate and graduate training.

Mississippi River Research Center-Center for Ecology & Natural Resources

· Research studies conducted through the Center covers ecological and natural resources research, analysis, and management to enhance multidisciplinary approach in finding solutions to solve complex environmental issues and; thus, support the development of economic vitality of the surrounding communities and the state of Mississippi.

· Students in the Environmental Science Program receive technical training in collecting data from the field and analyze them in the laboratory. These exercises will advance their skills and enable them to compete nationally and internationally. Increasing the number of minority students in the field of Environmental Studies will help support the nation’s challenge in increasing minority professionals in this field.

Department of Human Sciences

· Child Development

o Child Development Laboratory Center

· Nutrition and Dietetics

o Didactic Program in Dietetics (DPD)