Mississippi State University – Agricultural Autonomy Institute

The Agricultural Autonomy Institute (AAI) at Mississippi State University (MSU) was officially established by the State of Mississippi’s Institutes of Higher Learning (IHL) as a university-level institute in June of 2023. AAI reports to both MSU’s Vice President (VP) for the Office of Research and Economic Development (ORED) and its VP for the Division of Agriculture, Forestry and Veterinary Medicine (DAFVM). Seed funds for three years’ operation of AAI were provided by the Robert M. Hearin Foundation in October of 2022, but expenditures did not begin in earnest before AAI’s official recognition by IHL