Pick up know-how for tackling diseases, pests and weeds.
Farm bill, farm marketing, agribusiness webinars, & farm policy.
Find tactics for healthy livestock and sound forages.
Scheduling and methods of irrigation.
Explore our Extension locations around the state.
Commercial row crop production in Arkansas.
Agriculture weed management resources.
Use virtual and real tools to improve critical calculations for farms and ranches.
Learn to ID forages and more.
Explore our research locations around the state.
Get the latest research results from our county agents.
Our programs include aquaculture, diagnostics, and energy conservation.
Keep our food, fiber and fuel supplies safe from disaster.
Private, Commercial & Non-commercial training and education.
Specialty crops including turfgrass, vegetables, fruits, and ornamentals.
Find educational resources and get youth engaged in agriculture.
Gaining garden smarts and sharing skills.
Timely tips for the Arkansas home gardener.
Creating beauty in and around the home.
Maintenance calendar, and best practices.
Coaxing the best produce from asparagus to zucchini.
What’s wrong with my plants? The clinic can help.
Featured trees, vines, shrubs and flowers.
Ask our experts plant, animal, or insect questions.
Enjoying the sweet fruits of your labor.
Herbs, native plants, & reference desk QA.
Growing together from youth to maturity.
Crapemyrtles, hydrangeas, hort glossary, and weed ID databases.
Get beekeeping, honey production, and class information.
Grow a pollinator-friendly garden.
Schedule these timely events on your gardening calendar.
Equipping individuals to lead organizations, communities, and regions.
Guiding communities and regions toward vibrant and sustainable futures.
Guiding entrepreneurs from concept to profit.
Position your business to compete for government contracts.
Find trends, opportunities and impacts.
Providing unbiased information to enable educated votes on critical issues.
Increase your knowledge of public issues & get involved.
Research-based connection to government and policy issues.
Support Arkansas local food initiatives.
Read about our efforts.
Preparing for and recovering from disasters.
Licensing for forestry and wildlife professionals.
Preserving water quality and quantity.
Cleaner air for healthier living.
Firewood & bioenergy resources.
Managing a complex forest ecosystem.
Read about nature across Arkansas and the U.S.
Learn to manage wildlife on your land.
Soil quality and its use here in Arkansas.
Learn to ID unwanted plant and animal visitors.
Timely updates from our specialists.
Eating right and staying healthy.
Ensuring safe meals.
Take charge of your well-being.
Cooking with Arkansas foods.
Making the most of your money.
Making sound choices for families and ourselves.
Nurturing our future.
Get tips for food, fitness, finance, and more!
Understanding aging and its effects.
Giving back to the community.
Managing safely when disaster strikes.
Listen to our latest episode!
By Fred MillerU of A System Division of Agriculture
Fast Facts:
(722 words)
Download MS Word version
Download related PHOTOS from Flickr album: https://flic.kr/s/aHsmocEtkq
Watch related VIDEO: https://youtu.be/eFFys4mRlRI
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — More than 150 Arkansas high school students and teachers tested water quality, threshed wheat seed and climbed into holes at the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture’s Arkansas Agricultural Research and Extension Center Sept. 25.
And that was just the easy stuff.
The U of A department of crop, soil and environmental sciences hosted the 10th annual Environmental and Agricultural Sustainability Field Trip Tuesday at the Division of Agriculture’s Arkansas Agricultural Research and Extension Center.
Holly Yeatman, recruiting coordinator for the CSES department, said the event connects students with environmental and agricultural experts for hands-on experiences related to what they’re learning in the classroom.
“So many of the things that we talk about and show students are directly related to their curriculum,” Yeatman said.
Natalie Olivieri, Rogers High School science teacher, said this was the seventh year she brought her advanced placement environmental science students to the field trip.
“Usually at this point, we finish up our soil unit, so this is really great hands-on, real-world application experience for them,” Olivieri said.
The field day helps the students see how what they learn in class applies in the real world, Olivieri said, “and how it’s used to feed so many people, and how many careers are out there, many I think they have never heard of before.”
The field trip presentations and activities also serve as a bridge between the soils unit of their studies and the next unit where they study land use, especially in agriculture, Olivieri said.
“My favorite thing about this program is seeing the lightbulbs come on for the students whenever they start seeing the things or hearing those things I told them about, and they hear them again, and seeing them make those connections.”
Students arrived at the research and extension center first thing Tuesday morning. Following a brief welcome address from Deacue Fields, dean of the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences, students split into small groups and loaded into rustic hay wagons toted by tractors. Each group visited stations led by faculty, personnel and alumni of the CSES department and visiting specialists from the Beaver Water District and Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service.
Each session lasted about 15 minutes and introduced students to sustainability concepts that are shaping the future of agricultural practices and environmental management.
Two tours, each with six stations, covered a wide range of topics, including remote drone sensing for soybean research, water quality and resource management, wheat breeding, soybean and rice research, erosion control, soil sustainability and careers in agriculture.
Colin Stare, a Rogers High School senior, said his favorite stops were the rice research plots and the soil profile pit.
Stare said the rice research plots let him see the genetic diversity available in rice genetic stock and learn about different traits that scientists try to breed into commercial varieties. “It was really cool seeing the difference,” he said.
Rogers classmate Brock Badely was also interested in the rice plots, and was especially fascinated by the engineering that created a rice paddy in the Ozarks.
Stare said the soil profile pit was also interesting, especially since his class has just been studying soils.
“We just took a test on it, so we thought we knew a little on it,” Stare said. “And they ended up saying there were something like 21,000 different organisms in it. We thought we knew something, but we really only knew a small scale, so it really opened our eyes to the greater magnitude of things.”
Badely agreed with Stare’s assessment of the impact of the field day on their recent studies.
“It was very visual,” Badely said. “We learned about the different kinds of soil in class, and then today we were out to see it in person and they had this big hole dug up where we could actually see each different (soil) horizon.”
“Being able to visually see it in person was a lot more informational than just looking at it on a screen,” Badely said.
Badely also enjoyed seeing how Division of Agriculture scientists use drones for plant research. “It uses technology,” he said, “and uses a new form by doing it from above the ground.”
To learn more about the impact of agricultural sciences in Arkansas, contact your local Cooperative Extension Service agent or visit http://www.uaex.uada.edu/.
About the Division of Agriculture
The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture’s mission is to strengthen agriculture, communities, and families by connecting trusted research to the adoption of best practices. Through the Agricultural Experiment Station and the Cooperative Extension Service, the Division of Agriculture conducts research and extension work within the nation’s historic land grant education system.
The Division of Agriculture is one of 20 entities within the University of Arkansas System. It has offices in all 75 counties in Arkansas and faculty on five system campuses.
The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture offers all its Extension and Research programs to all eligible persons without regard to race, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, religion, age, disability, marital or veteran status, genetic information, or any other legally protected status, and is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer.
Media Contact: Fred MillerU of A Division of AgricultureArkansas Agricultural Experiment Station(479) 575-5647fmiller@uark.edu
Related Links