Two MSU juniors selected for Gateway to Ag Careers Program
Contact: Kaitlyn Church
Two Mississippi State University students in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences are among just six undergraduates nationwide chosen for the 2025 Gateway to Ag Careers program.
Emma Koger of Indianola and Patton Simbeck of Loretto, Tennessee, are both juniors majoring in agricultural engineering technology and business with precision agriculture concentration. They represented the university at the AgGateway Annual Meeting and Conference this month in Clearwater Beach, Florida, where they explored careers and technology shaping the future of agriculture. Gateway to AG is a competitive initiative linking top students with leaders in agricultural technology and digital innovation.
Koger said her path to agricultural engineering was inspired by her family’s multi-generational farm and the encouragement of her late grandfather.
“My entire family is in farming. It’s been around all my life,” she said. “But my grandfather saw that I was still missing something. He told me to try engineering and research what the future could look like. Ever since then, I’ve loved it.”
After interning with John Deere’s Blue River Technology, Koger said she is eager to connect her classroom experiences with real-world innovations.
“This event let me share my passion and ideas with people shaping the future of agriculture,” Koger said. “It’s exciting to learn from industry leaders and see how new technology can help farms like mine back home.”
Simbeck, who also grew up on a row crop farm, said he was drawn to his major by curiosity about the technology driving modern agriculture.
“It can be easy to sit in a tractor all day that can drive itself, but I wanted to learn how that was possible,” Simbeck said. “This program lets me see agriculture from the industry side and how different companies collaborate to improve data connectivity and decision-making.”
Both students credit MSU’s supportive environment for preparing them for opportunities like this.
“Mississippi State has provided nothing but excellence in and out of the classroom,” Simbeck said. “They push all students to be the best they can be in their fields.”
To learn more about MSU’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and its agricultural engineering technology and business major visit www.abe.msstate.edu.
MSU is Mississippi’s leading university, available online at www.msstate.edu.