AgriProspects Announces $1 million in Extension Workforce Development Projects Around AI and Credentialing

The AgriProspects Workforce Development Network, a national program of the Extension Foundation, is pleased to announce the awarding of $1 million for the second round of AgriProspects grants made possible by the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI)-National Extension Clearinghouse for Industry and the Workforce, project award no. 2023-67037-40533, from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture. The second round of grants sought proposals that 1) addressed needs with respect to digital credential infrastructure development for workforce success within Extension, 2) addressed AI education and awareness needs within Extension and our served communities, or 3) pulled elements of both tracks together in unique and innovative ways, addressing pressing workforce, community, and Extension needs.

The five proposals selected for funding are:

• FIELD‑AI: Farm & Industry Extension Learning via Digital AI‑Credentials – Dr. Christian Christensen, University of Florida
• Establishing a Micro-Credentialing Infrastructure for Extension – Maria Gorgo-Simcox, Penn State
• Logging Smarter: AI-Enhanced Hardwood Bucking Training for Adult Workforce Development – Dr. Pipiet Larasatie, Virginia Tech
• Developing Skilled Workforce Training in Fruit & Vegetable Drying and Freezing – Dr. Qingyang Wang, Oregon State University
• Training Ag Extension and Farmer Users for AI and IoT – Dr. Suping Zhou, Tennessee State University
  

The awardees for Round 2 address a variety of needs and opportunities within workforce development. From expanding proven, successful programs to proposals integrating new and emerging tools and technologies; from primary production all the way to value added products, the proposals integrate new and emerging technologies and tools to develop skills, aptitudes, and competencies within the workforce with the support and input of industry and community partners.

“We’re excited to partner with these PIs in support of the agricultural sector and Extension” says Dr. Jason L. Weigle, AgriProspects Program Manager and co-PD on the NIFA-AFRI NECIW grant supporting these efforts. “The selected projects showcase the breadth and depth of the workforce development work within Extension and the opportunities in front of us. The awardees demonstrate the importance of engaging with and involving industry partners in developing and delivering their programs, especially in the rapidly evolving workplace environment.”

The round received 74 applications competing for $1 million in funding. The five awardees join the awardees from the first round of AgriProspects Grants, which just wrapped up the first year of their two-year projects. More on first round efforts can be found here: https://youtu.be/FN9P3LQQcV8 

“The proposals from Round 2 demonstrate that Extension Educators across the country have innovative ideas for how to address pressing agricultural workforce needs and are willing and able to step up when the opportunity arises and the barriers are removed. The ingenuity and resourcefulness of all applications across both grant rounds truly demonstrate that Extension IS Workforce Development!”

AgriProspects is supported by the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI)-National Extension Clearinghouse for Industry and the Workforce, project award no. 2023-67037-40533, from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture.

Awarded Project Summaries

Dr. Christian Christensen
University of Florida
FIELD‑AI: Farm & Industry Extension Learning via Digital AI‑Credentials

As new AI tools become more available in agriculture, Florida’s producers and farmworkers need training that is practical and easy to access. Farm & Industry Extension Learning via Digital AI Credentials (FIELD-AI) will be a micro-credentialing program derived from a statewide needs assessments to ensure Florida’s agricultural workforce has access to practical, trusted, research-based AI training. Over the next two years, the project will move step-by-step from assessing what farmers need, building courses, testing them, improving them, and eventually offering them statewide. With simple, hands-on micro credentials, FIELD-AI will facilitate learning how to use AI in ways that make sense on the farm.

Maria Gorgo-Simcox
Penn State
Establishing a Micro-Credentialing Infrastructure for Extension

This grant expands the Success Skills in Spanish for Agriculture (SSS4A) AgriProspects Round 1 grant through creating micro‑credentialed, industry‑informed training for agricultural workers. Building on Round 1 findings, the project will develop modules for five key agricultural sectors – tree fruit, poultry, dairy, mushroom, and the landscaping industry – while adding supervisory and advanced language success courses. The grant will support digital credentials which recognize participants’ skills and align with employer and industry expectations. Guided by worker and industry feedback, the program aims to improve communication, safety, job confidence, and career advancement while helping employers enhance retention, compliance, and workforce efficiency.

Dr. Pipiet Larasatie
Virginia Tech
Logging Smarter: AI-Enhanced Hardwood Bucking Training for Adult Workforce Development

The country’s forests drive rural economic growth in many places, yet log bucking – the critical process of cutting stems into logs – often lacks skills-based training. Current instruction tends to be static and doesn’t let loggers practice real-time decision-making or see the value impacts of their decisions. Logging Smarter addresses this gap by using AI, computer vision, and image generation to create interactive training that mirrors real field conditions. Integrated into the SHARP Logger Program, the goal of the project is to strengthen workforce skills, boost value recovery, and enhance supply chain efficiency. Focused on Virginia’s hardwood regions but applicable to the industry, the project will deliver scalable, open-source tools to modernize forestry training nationwide.

Dr. Qingyang Wang
Oregon State University
Developing Skilled Workforce Training in Fruit & Vegetable Drying and Freezing

The fruit and vegetable processing industry underpins U.S. agriculture but faces gaps in specialized training related to drying and freezing technologies for the workforce. These gaps limit innovation and adoption, safety compliance, and product quality. The proposed project creates a hybrid three‑day, credentialed short course – offered in Oregon and New York – covering drying/freezing science, food safety, quality management, hands-on lab work, and AI applications. Targeting farmers, processors, educators, and regulators, the program will build technical and safety competencies, supports data-driven decision-making, and issues stackable digital credentials, strengthening workforce readiness for evolving technologies and enhances value-added food production nationwide.

Dr. Suping Zhou
Tennessee State University
Training Ag Extension and Farmer Users for AI and IoT

Many small and mid-sized farms lack the means to leverage data-driven technologies needed for food safety, traceability, and market participation. This project seeks to address this need through integrating affordable Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Internet of Things (IoT) tools into Extension and new farmer training.  This project seeks to build digital skills in AI, analytics, and the IoT through train‑the‑trainer programs and partnerships with local farms and producers. By enabling real-time monitoring and verifiable supply chains, the project seeks to establish replicable tools to help farmers meet market demands, strengthening supply-chain resilience and expanding development and workforce opportunities across the state and nationally.

About the Extension Foundation

The Extension Foundation is a nonprofit organization that supports the nationwide Cooperative Extension System — the network of 112 Land-grant Universities that bring research and education directly into communities across the United States. Created by Extension leaders, the Foundation serves as the national infrastructure that helps this system scale its impact. Through technology platforms, artificial intelligence tools, national programs, communications, and professional development, the Extension Foundation strengthens the ability of Cooperative Extension to respond to emerging challenges in agriculture, health, environment, and community development. Every dollar is reinvested to ensure that Extension professionals and institutions have the tools, resources, and support they need to serve people where they live and work.

This work is supported by the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI)-National Extension Clearinghouse for Industry and the Workforce, project award no. 2023-67037-40533, from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this website and consultative support are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the view of the U.S. Department of Agriculture or the Extension Foundation.