Mississippi Agriculture and Forestry Museum Executive Director named

September 6, 2023 Bob Bakken

The Mississippi Ag Museum to celebrate 40 Years on Saturday, Sept 9

Mississippi Commissioner of Agriculture and Commerce Andy Gipson named Theresa Love as executive director of the Mississippi Agriculture and Forestry Museum. In this position, Love, a 26-year staff member of the Mississippi Department of Agriculture and Commerce (MDAC) and former acting director of the Mississippi Agriculture and Forestry Museum, will oversee all daily operations and events at the museum.

“I am proud to name Theresa Love as executive director of the Mississippi Agriculture and Forestry Museum,” said Commissioner Gipson. “She has faithfully served the agency for 26 years now, and her experience and proven abilities will help further our vision to educate individuals on Mississippi’s rich agricultural history for generations to come.”

Love has accumulated 26 years of experience working for MDAC, with a significant portion of her career dedicated to the Mississippi Agriculture and Forestry Museum. Throughout her tenure at the museum, she has fulfilled various roles within education and volunteer services, as well as holding the deputy director, and more recently, acting director, positions. Love possesses an educational background with a bachelor’s degree in counseling. Her values are centered around family, community, history and education. A prime objective that she strives to achieve for the Ag Museum is to create a compelling experience for visitors that brings these core values to life.

“I am grateful for this valuable opportunity,” said Love. “The museum has an exceptional team, and I strive to nurture the remarkable legacy of this establishment to educate and captivate guests about the rich agricultural history of Mississippi. With an abundance of available resources at our fingertips, my intention is to make the utmost use of them to foster an enthusiastic interest among our younger generation, urging them to explore and pursue careers in the field of agriculture.”

As her first major event as executive director, Love will oversee the museum’s upcoming 40th Birthday Celebration on Saturday, September 9, from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Prior to the day’s activities, the public is invited to attend a ribbon cutting ceremony with Commissioner Gipson at 9:30 a.m. to kick off this event. This event recognizes the Mississippi Agriculture and Forestry Museum’s 40 prosperous years of educating the public on Mississippi’s agricultural heritage. The museum has partnered with several organizations who will assist in providing 40 unique experiences across the grounds that visitors can enjoy.

In addition to all the usual exhibits, festivities will feature:

The Dixieland Old Engine and Agricultural Club’s collection of antique engines and other agricultural tools will be on display throughout the day.
Small Town, Mississippi, will host continuous demonstrations at the Print Shop, Doctor’s Garden, Masonic Lodge, Blacksmith Shop, Nature Trail, Schoolhouse and Multipurpose Building throughout the day.
The Sawmill will be operated by museum staff for a special demonstration at 1:00 p.m. inside Small Town, Mississippi.
The Central Mississippi Beekeepers Association will give ‘beekeeper talks’ inside the Heritage Center throughout the day.
Museum staff will provide ‘collection talks’ on various ag-related topics inside the Heritage Center throughout the day.
Live musical performances will take place at the Heritage Center from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
A Mississippi 4-H Agent will be educating visitors on Mississippi’s 4-H program inside the 4-H Museum Learning Center all day.
Several educational presentations will be held in the Sparkman Auditorium throughout the day. Presenters include the Mississippi Museum of Natural Science, Mississippi Forestry Commission, Chimneyville Weavers and Spinners Guild, Jackson Audubon Society and others.
Mississippi Public Broadcasting’s Kids Club will provide activities, including character interactions and more, inside the Ethnic Heritage Center all day. Face painting will also be available in the same building.
Wagon rides will be available throughout the day with a Living History Presenter to provide commentary as visitors traverse the museum grounds.
Living History Presenters will be dressed in period clothing and interacting with museum visitors as they perform various demonstrations that illustrate ‘farmsteading’ in years past at McDavid Cabin and the Fortenberry-Parkman Farmstead throughout the day.

The Mississippi Agriculture and Forestry Museum, located at 1150 Lakeland Drive in Jackson, is open Monday through Saturday from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. For more information on the different experiences scheduled for the 40th Birthday Celebration, contact Rachel Bone at rachel@mdac.ms.gov, visit www.msagmuseum.org, call 601-432-4500 or follow the Mississippi Agriculture and Forestry Museum on Facebook.