The Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education’s (DESE’s) Agricultural Education section, along with partners at the Missouri Department of Agriculture (MDA), developed a new Five-Year Strategic Plan to provide direction from 2024-2029 for agricultural education. The “Reinventing Agricultural Education for the Year 2020” strategic plan has served as a valuable resource to lead the industry for more than 20 years. Now, DESE has an updated plan to withstand the rapid changes and growth taking place in technology, agriculture, and education.

“As we navigate the coming years, the priorities developed through this process will guide the work of all stakeholders involved in agricultural education across Missouri,” said DESE’s Director of Agricultural Education Keith Dietzschold. “Missouri’s number one economic driver is the $93 billion agricultural industry. Education plays a key role in ensuring we develop the workforce needed to sustain that industry, along with informed Missouri consumers.” 

The 2024-2029 Missouri Agricultural Education Five-Year Strategic Plan identifies four key priorities:

• Comprehensive Reach of Agricultural Education Programs
• Quality Curriculum and Resources
• Agriculture, Food, and Natural Resources Literacy
• Quality Instructors and Instruction

Additionally, each priority establishes guiding themes to be carried out through the Missouri Agricultural Education Vision and Mission statements.

Representatives from education — including instructors, administrators, and students — government, and industry, along with other key stakeholders, met in a multi-stage process to affirm the key issues facing agricultural education in Missouri and to help determine the new vision. Committee work will continue this fall to establish the goals and action steps necessary to fulfill this vision.