MISSISSIPPI STATE, Miss. -- Mary Love Tagert is one of four individuals selected nationally as a fellow in the Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program.

Delivered through the National Association of County Agricultural Agents, the SARE Program provides hands-on training to help Extension agents and other agricultural professionals become leaders in promoting the adoption of sustainable and alternative farming practices.

Tagert, an assistant Extension professor in the Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering at Mississippi State University, will begin the two-year “Reading the Farm” training program in spring 2020. Each year, fellows visit two of the four regions of the country as they are divided within the U.S. Department of Agriculture. They attend a series of seminars to learn about different sustainable and alternative farming practices in the regions. They also visit two selected farms to see how each implements sustainable practices.

 “I look forward to meeting and learning from Extension colleagues throughout the country and using the knowledge I gain through this experience to enhance and strengthen my own Extension programs,” Tagert said. “Mississippi has some very innovative and conservation-minded producers, and I would like to help them be as successful as possible today and at the same time also improve our working lands for future generations.”

The SARE Program is supported by the U.S. Department of Agriculture National SARE program.