MSU’s College of Ag crafts plan for growth, industry partners

Carrie Crews: College will work closely with industry partners.

Missouri State University’s William H. Darr College of Agriculture wants to increase enrollment by at least 100 students, strengthen industry-focused curriculum and expand beef sciences as part of a set of goals for 2030.

The move is significant for the university, but also for the Show-Me State, where agriculture is considered a major economic driver. The Missouri Department of Agriculture said the sector employs nearly 460,000 people. The state contains roughly 88,000 farms, which average 308 acres each. A 2021 study, the most recent cited by the state, showed agriculture was a $93.7 billion industry.

According to the state, Missouri’s top agricultural commodities were soybeans, corn, chicken, beef and pork.

A new strategic plan dubbed Darr Next also seeks to modernize and strategically invest in MSU’s spread-out ag facilities, which include Karls Hall, Pummill Hall and Darr Agricultural Center and various farms, a ranch, a fruit experiment station and other sites in southwest Missouri.

“Through the strategic planning process, we identified the good, the bad and the ugly. We talked to everyone to get good feedback,” said Melissa Bledsoe, dean of the ag college.

Bledsoe, a graduate of MSU, was hired as an environmental plant science faculty member in 2013 and has served as dean – initially on an interim basis – since June 2023. She presented the plan to the MSU Board of Governors in May.

A steering committee led by Bledsoe identified strategic priorities involving enrollment, student experiences, culture, academic investment and facilities.

As the work was happening, the college was reconfigured to include the School of Agricultural Sciences and Conservation and the School of Hospitality and Agricultural Leadership.

Bledsoe was part of a total leadership turnover, and 33% of faculty and 52% of staff have either been hired or moved to a new role in the past three years.

“We’ve been through a significant period of change,” she said.  “A lot of people are new in their roles, are new to the college, and we’ve been able to build a strong foundation during that time.”

Last fall, the college reported 853 students with 565 in undergraduate programs, 23 in graduate programs and 265 in a China cohort studying in China or Springfield. In the past eight years, the overall number has fluctuated between 806 and 1,009.

By enacting the priorities in the plan, the college hopes to grow to at least 953 students by 2030 by increasing undergraduate and graduate students.

Carrie Crews, part of the college for 22 years, is responsible for facilities and event management at the Darr Agricultural Center. She said students are at the heart of the plan.

“We have a part in raising the next generation to continue feeding and clothing Americans, and what an honor,” Crews said. “We hold that with reverence, and it’s very important to us to see it articulated in the plan to equip the faculty, staff and students to do it with excellence.”

Under the plan, college staff plans to revise curriculum to ensure it is focused on students and industry needs. The goal is to enhance hands-on learning and establish advisory boards so the courses and programs are responsive to workforce demands.

“We’re just passionate about making sure that our curriculum lines up with industry expectations and that means having those beautiful partnerships with our industry, with our alumni, with our community,” Crews said.

She said the college cultivated a close and caring culture under the leadership of Anson Elliott, who served as director of the ag college from 1980 until 2016. She said it has continued under Bledsoe.

“Servant leadership and putting others first, that legacy has remained through all transitions,” Crews said. “I’ve watched students choose agriculture because they are valued, and we do our best to help them be their best.”

Bledsoe said in developing the five-year plan, there was a focus on “hidden strengths” that could be leveraged.

“A key example of that is the emphasis on beef science. That is a huge part of the agricultural industry right now, especially in southwest Missouri, where many of our students come from,” she said.

The plan calls for the college to build on existing resources and look at enhanced facilities to support hands-on learning, applied research and industry engagement.

Matt Wommack, assistant professor of environmental plant sciences, serves as farm coordinator for the college. He said between the Darr Agricultural Center and other sites, the college has close to 4,500 acres including the 3,300-acre Journagan Ranch in Douglas County.

He said MSU needs to invest in its beef infrastructure, especially for educational purposes, and there is a need for more facilities closer to Springfield.

“The goal is to come up with plans and start looking for support … and investing more into the beef side of things and, at the same time, utilizing what resources we have even better,” he said. “We have Journagan Ranch, and we have cattle there. We are starting to have our cattle processed and selling it as ‘MO State Beef,’ so starting to do more farm-to-fork ideas.”

The plan calls for the college to assess and prioritize facility needs across buildings, labs, farms and remote sites to ensure safety, functionality, instructional relevance and long-term viability. A series of phased recommendations, including cost estimates, are due in summer 2027.

College officials said reducing deferred maintenance and leaning into infrastructure that supports growth, innovation and external partnerships will be critical.

A design to renovate part of Karls Hall by 2030 is already part of MSU’s overall campus plan.

Wommack said the report is expected to include a list of needed upgrades plus the possibility of selling or leasing certain existing properties.

“We have to start prioritizing them by their use, rather than trying to get everything up to date all at once because we are spread way too thin,” he said.