Pair of MSU students named to prestigious Gateway to Ag Careers program
STARKVILLE, Miss.—Two Mississippi State students are among seven nationwide selected for the 2026 Gateway to Ag Careers program.
Anslee Boyd, a plant and soil sciences graduate student from Sandhill, and Ella Britt, a biosystems engineering junior from Macon, Georgia, will represent MSU at the AgGateway Annual Meeting and Conference Nov. 9-11 in Nashville, Tennessee.
Gateway to Ag Careers is a competitive initiative linking top students with leaders in agricultural technology and digital innovation. Students are nominated by an advisor and submit a one-page essay about their background and what they hope to learn from the conference.
“I’m looking forward to meeting industry leaders and learning more about technologies coming down the pipeline,” Boyd said. “I hope to gain a better understanding of how industry is trying to address problems our producers are facing.”
Boyd’s passion for agriculture first started on her family’s row-crop farm. Following in her father’s footsteps, she earned a bachelor’s degree in agricultural engineering technology and business and is now pursuing a master’s degree in plant and soil sciences with a focus on weed science. Her graduate research compares spray deposition and weed control from U.S.-made agricultural spray drones with a conventional ground sprayer.
She said she hopes to pursue a career in Washington, D.C., after graduation.
“I’m really interested in pesticide regulation, ag technology and drone policy,” she said. “I’d like to use my background to help communicate ag research and bring farmers’ perspectives into policy discussions. Wherever I end up, I hope my work helps producers have the tools they need and opportunities that support rural America.”
Like Boyd, Britt grew up around agriculture as the daughter of a forester, which fueled her early passion for farming research. This past summer, she took on two research projects within the Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering, including one backed by the Mississippi Soybean Promotion Board. She evaluated the benefits of variable-rate irrigation in soybean fields, collecting and analyzing data from both production fields and plot studies before presenting her findings at MSU’s 2026 Undergraduate Research Symposium.
Britt’s plans include sustainable agriculture and hydroponics, a method of growing plants in nutrient-rich water instead of soil.
“I am incredibly grateful to have received this opportunity from the AgGateway program,” Britt said. “This will give me a strong foundation in starting my career.
“I would like to create more cost- and energy-efficient agriculture systems. This side of agriculture has the ability to create effective and affordable solutions to the many challenges producers and consumers face around the world. The opportunity to be a part of advancing sustainable agriculture is my main goal.”
MSU’s Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering is housed in both the Bagley College of Engineering and College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.
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