Visitor's Center Illustration by Marge Berchek

Our visitor's center will have several spaces designed to serve the public and enhance learning about agriculture. The largest and most dramatic space will be a large exhibit hall on the main level of the building, providing space for museum-quality exhibits. Examples of exhibits will include displays on crops and their uses, the role of plant breeding and genetics in agriculture, conservation practices, and other contemporary agricultural topics. There will be a special exhibit on Thomas Jefferson, his farm, and his views on agriculture and farmers. We also have tentative plans to host a Smithsonian exhibit on agriculture which is currently touring the country.

The visitor's center will include a reading room with books on agriculture and horticulture for children and adults alike. On the lower level of the building, there will be two classrooms for use with youth and adult audiences. School groups touring the facility will have an opportunity for hands-on, interactive educational sessions on seeds, crops, conservation, or other topics in the classrooms. The visitor's center will have educational staff on hand to answer questions about the exhibits and agriculture, and to lead tours.

Thomas Jefferson Agricultural Institute
601 West Nifong Blvd. Suite 1D
Columbia, MO 65203
573-449-3518
info@jeffersoninstitute.org