Initiative Equips Agricultural Entrepreneurs and Extension Professionals With AI-Powered Marketing Skills

Alabama A&M University is partnering with Mississippi State University to expand artificial intelligence training for agricultural entrepreneurs and Extension professionals, helping strengthen digital marketing, outreach and business development across the Southeast.

The initiative, known as AI to Answers, brings together the Alabama Cooperative Extension System at Alabama A&M University, Mississippi State University Extension Service and the Southern Rural Development Center. The partnership will provide practical training to help agricultural businesses and Extension professionals use AI tools to improve efficiency, reach new audiences and remain competitive in an increasingly digital marketplace.

The project recently received funding through the AgriProspects Workforce Development Network as part of a second round of grants awarded by the Extension Foundation. The network is supported by a $1 million investment from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture.

Led by Mississippi State University Extension economist James Barnes, the initiative builds on the university’s successful Bricks-to-Clicks Marketing program, which has supported food, agriculture and rural small businesses through digital marketing education since 2012.

Terence Norwood, an Extension specialist in community resource development at Alabama A&M, is helping lead the initiative alongside Barnes and Roseanne Scammahorn, associate director of the Southern Rural Development Center.

“Artificial intelligence is transforming how businesses connect with customers and compete in the marketplace,” Norwood said. “Our team at Alabama A&M is excited to co-lead this work in helping Alabama’s agricultural entrepreneurs and Extension professionals build the digital skills needed to grow and succeed.”

Through AI to Answers, participants will learn to incorporate tools such as ChatGPT and Claude into marketing, communications, program development and educational outreach. The training will emphasize practical applications that help users save time, develop promotional materials and strengthen engagement with the communities they serve.

The initiative will also establish an AI and marketing microcredential pathway, allowing participants to build skills and earn credentials that demonstrate their proficiency in AI-supported marketing practices.

A key component of the training is helping participants develop an individualized AI roadmap that identifies opportunities to integrate artificial intelligence into their professional responsibilities and daily workflows.

For Alabama A&M, the partnership reinforces the University’s land-grant mission and Alabama Extension’s commitment to delivering research-based education and resources that support economic development and improve lives throughout the state.

AI to Answers workshops are being planned across the Southeast, including Alabama and Mississippi, with additional scheduling information expected as the program develops.

Agricultural entrepreneurs and Extension professionals interested in participating can join the workshop notification list at https://brickstoclicks.extension.msstate.edu/aitoanswers.