Rice and soybeans to be highlighted at Pine Tree Field Day on August 14
August 8, 2025
By Nick Kordsmeier
University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture
Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station
Fast facts
- Rice and soybeans focus of Pine Tree Field Day
- On-site registration is free, lunch included
- Disease, soil fertility, rice and soybean breeding on the agenda
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Download file photo of the Pine Tree Research Station
COLT, Ark. — The latest rice and soybean research and recommendations will be the focus of the upcoming Pine Tree Field Day on Thursday, Aug. 14.
Experts with the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture will cover a wide range of topics, including crop breeding updates, pest management recommendations and soil fertility studies.
“The work these researchers are doing at the station is all about helping Arkansas farmers,” said Shawn Clark, director of the Pine Tree Research Station. “We want to make sure producers and ag consultants have the latest information so they can make the best management decisions possible.”
The event starts at 7:30 a.m. with on-site registration at the Pine Tree Research Station at 7337 Highway 306 West in Colt. The research station is part of the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station, the research arm of the Division of Agriculture. Attendance is free, and lunch is provided.
The full agenda is as follows:
- 7:30 a.m. — On-site registration
- 8:30 a.m. — Rice Breeding Update: Potential New Releases and Experimental Lines, with Xueyan Sha, professor and rice breeder; and Christian De Guzman, assistant professor and rice breeder.
- 9:00 a.m. — Development of Rice Production Practices: Cultivar Testing, New Variety Development, Agronomic & Cultural Practices, with Jarrod Hardke, professor and extension rice agronomist.
- 9:25 a.m. — Harvest Dates with Desiccants Applied to Different Maturity Groups, with Jeremy Ross, professor and extension soybean agronomist.
- 9:45 a.m. — Soybean Breeding: Progress and Updates, with Caio Canella Vieira, assistant professor and soybean breeder.
- 10:05 a.m. — Benefits of Insecticide Seed Treatments for Control of Rice Water Weevil & Grape Colaspis: Updates and Thresholds, with Nick Bateman, associate professor and extension entomologist.
- 10:25 a.m. — Fungicide Applications with Drones: What We Know and What We Don’t Know, with Terry Spurlock, professor and extension plant pathologist.
- 10:45 a.m. — Rice Diseases: Cercospora, Sheath Blight & Blast, with Camila Nicolli, assistant professor and extension plant pathologist.
- 11:05 a.m. — Rice/Soybean Weed Control Options, with Jason Norsworthy, Distinguished Professor of weed science.
- 11:30 a.m. — Fertility in Rice/Corn/Soybean, with Trent Roberts, professor of soil fertility; and Gerson Drescher, assistant professor of soil fertility.
For more information about the event, please visit the 2025 Pine Tree Field Day website.
To learn more about the Division of Agriculture research, visit the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station website. Follow us on X at @ArkAgResearch, subscribe to the Food, Farms and Forests podcast and sign up for our monthly newsletter, the Arkansas Agricultural Research Report. To learn more about the Division of Agriculture, visit uhttps://uada.edu/ada.edu. Follow us on X at @AgInArk. To learn about extension programs in Arkansas, contact your local Cooperative Extension Service agent or visit 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 three system campuses.
The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture is an equal opportunity institution. If you require a reasonable accommodation to participate or need materials in another format, please contact Shawn Clark by email (sdc01@uark.edu) or at 870-673-0071. Dial 711 for Arkansas Relay.
Pursuant to 7 CFR § 15.3, the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture offers all its Extension and Research programs and services (including employment) without regard to race, color, sex, national origin, religion, age, disability, marital or veteran status, genetic information, sexual preference, pregnancy or any other legally protected status, and is an equal opportunity institution.
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Media Contact: Nick Kordsmeier
U of A System Division of Agriculture
Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station
479-575-6368