iLEAD IV – Fruit Research Station and Milo J. Shult Agricultural Research and Extension Center

by Andrea Price and Amy Simpson - July 14, 2025

iLEAD IV cohort members, Andrea Price and Amy Simpson, share their reflections on their final seminar, which took place in northwest Arkansas.

Day One

by Andrea Price, software and business enablement coordinator

Day one of the final session for Cohort IV started off on the breathtaking grounds of the Fruit Research Station located just outside of Clarksville. Dr. Jackie Lee gave us a warm welcome and some background on the station. Her presentation covered the history of the station, including how the research done on the station has changed over the years. Initially focusing on peaches, the station changed focus over the years to grapes, blackberries, blueberries, and multiple tree fruits.

The Fruit Research Station is fully self-funded thanks to the hard work of researchers in developing, patenting, and releasing more than 60 fruit varieties. Dr. John Clark, a former researcher on the station, developed the first thornless blackberries, and some of those varieties are the parents of berries we find in grocery stores today. The station’s blackberries are so well known that they are marketed on all continents except Antarctica!

Lee gave the cohort some insight into how she leads the station. She loves what she does, and it shows in how she talks about everyone who works on the station. They focus a lot on teambuilding because they need to rely on one another in stressful situations. They participate in activities together, cook together, and sometimes even play together to build a strong team.

Lee talked about being content in a leadership role. That sometimes leadership doesn’t always mean chasing the next promotion or role. Sometimes, being a good leader means finding a job that you are really good at and sticking with it.

After the station introduction, Lee and Dwain Ober, the farm foreman, took the cohort on a hayride tour of the grounds. We saw several blackberry trials in progress and were even allowed to sample some fruit off the vine. We heard about the muscadine research that is ongoing on the station under the direction of Dr. Margaret Worthington. Lee even took us on a brief look into her newest greenhouse with state-of-the-art technology.

The Cohort was able to participate in a blackberry tasting after the station tour. Researchers will often use focus groups to decide if the variety they are testing will meet the needs of the industry and also be appealing to consumers. Our blackberry tasting allowed us to sample some tried and true blackberry varieties alongside some new varieties and rank which varieties we found most appealing. The clear “winners” in our tasting did include a new variety, but were heavily weighted in favor of established varieties. My personal favorite was the Prime Ark Horizon variety.

After lunch, the cohort discussed where they were in wrapping up their projects. The cohort was overall excited to be near completion for many of the members. While some of us met roadblocks and challenges that caused us to change course from our original ideas, all in all, we were able to showcase our flexibility and enthusiasm for our work. We can’t wait to share what we’ve learned in the process at graduation.

After a short, but scenic, drive to Fayetteville, the cohort continued their leadership education at the Milo J. Shult Agricultural Research and Extension Center near the University of Arkansas' main campus. The cohort and guests from the Experiential Scholars Program came together to work through group exercises. The discussions were deep and meaningful about how to handle different challenges in leadership. Groups focused on one specific scenario and how they could use leadership tools they’ve learned to address and overcome obstacles presented.

Overall, these final two days together in learning for Cohort IV were bittersweet. We have grown so much together and developed new friendships and new skills. We all exit the program knowing that the work we do is important, not just to ourselves and our departments, but for the entire organization and the people of Arkansas. We’ve gained new skills and insights about ourselves that will shape our careers, no matter how far into them we are.

Day Two

by Amy Simpson, Clark County extension agent-staff chair

For our final day of iLEAD training, Cohort IV visited Fayetteville to learn about research being done on campus in Food Science and Poultry Science, as well as opportunities for beginning farmers at the Center for Arkansas Farms and Food (CAFF).

Starting the morning in the Don Tyson Center for Agricultural Sciences and Food Science Building, we toured Dr. Jamie Baum’s lab and learned about the research she and her graduate students were conducting. The students were excited to share their work with us.

We also toured the Center for Human Nutrition with Dr. Kristen Gibson. Here volunteers who meet certain criteria can enroll in research programs where they are assessed and asked to follow dietary plans to determine how it affects their condition.

Next up was viewing and learning about the Arkansas Food Innovation Center where entrepreneurs can create their own food products in a safe and capable facility.

Moving back across the street, our tour before lunch was of the Poultry Processing Plant with Dr. Casey Owens. She told us about production research that is conducted to determine how certain things (diet, environment, etc.) can affect meat quality. They also conduct post-production research on things like marinades and cooking methods.

After lunch we went over to CAFF and listened to Heather Friedrich tell us about the program and how it helps train new farmers to be more successful.

To wrap up our last in-person session, we traveled back to the Milo J. Shult Research and Extension Center. We had been given note cards with two of our cohort-mates names on them earlier in the day. Our assignment was to tell those two what leadership qualities we see in them. This was a very special activity that everyone enjoyed. Lastly, we were challenged to think of ways we can take our leadership qualities that we have honed during iLEAD and use them to improve our organization. It was the perfect way to wrap up the cohort year.

Next up, graduation!