AUBURN UNIVERSITY, Ala. — Graduate students from across the U.S. visited farms and research stations in Alabama and Mississippi on this summer during the 2026 Graduate Student Crops Tours. As part of the tours, students learned about farming practices and various crops grown across the region.

Eros Francisco, an Alabama Extension grain crops specialist at Auburn University, guided the tours alongside Justin Calhoun, a soybeans specialist at Mississippi State University Extension Service. Francisco said the goal of the tours was to help students gain valuable insight into the southern crop climate and learn skills that they can use in the future.

“The students gained a whole new perspective of different regions,” Francisco said. “We hope that they got information and knowledge that will help them have a holistic approach in their future research.”

About the Tours

Group picture of students, staff and farmers at Bell Place Farm

These tours are planned annually through Science for Success — a group formed by soybean Extension specialists from more than 20 land-grant institutions. This group works together to produce unbiased research information and Extension materials that support farmers and crop consultants. The specialists with Science for Success bring graduate students on crops tours in different states each year, with past tours having occurred in North Carolina, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and Maryland. The primary goal of the tours is for the next generation of agricultural researchers to get valuable, hands-on learning experiences.

Ophelia Tsai, a student at the University of Wisconsin, liked learning about different farm management techniques and how growers across Alabama and Mississippi work with Extension.

“I enjoyed being the boots on the ground — seeing the different soils and crops as well as interacting with the growers and station managers,” Tsai said.

The students visited the following farms and research centers over the span of three days, along with making stops at both Auburn University and Mississippi State University:

• Alabama: E.V. Smith Research Center’s Plant Breeding Unit (Shorter), Black Belt Research and Extension Center (Marion Junction), Bell Place Farm (Orrville) and Dee River Ranch (Aliceville).
• Mississippi: R. R. Foil Plant Science Research Center (Starkville), Bayer Scott Learning Center (Scott) and Delta Research and Extension Center (Stoneville).

Students watch demonstration of soybean crop breeding at Auburn University Plant Breeding Unit

At the Alabama Stops

Throughout the Alabama tours, soybean crops were frequently discussed regarding breeding techniques, different pH soil types, variety trials and root rot. Tour leads also discussed cotton and peanut crop varieties, with some students having never seen either of those crops. Deer feeding on crops was a common topic as well, with several farmers describing techniques that they have used to help ward deer away from their crops.

Through these in-the-field learning experiences, graduate students were able to ask questions to people who interact with these crops every day.

“We believe that these students need to be in contact with farmers and learn from their experience in order to be prepared to produce solutions for current agricultural problems,” Francisco said.

More Information

Science for Success and several groups in both states sponsored this year’s Graduate Student Crops Tours. Alabama sponsors included Alabama Extension, the Alabama Soybean Producers and the Auburn College of Agriculture’s Department of Crop, Soil and Environmental Sciences. Mississippi sponsors included Mississippi State College of Agriculture and Life Sciences’ Department of Plant and Soil Sciences, Mississippi Soybean Promotion Board, Mississippi State Soybean Extension Program and Bayer Scott Learning Center.

To learn more about Science for Success, visit www.soybeanscienceforsuccess.org. For Extension resources and information visit aces.edu.