Mitchell named Fryar Center associate director-extension
“This represents a significant enhancement of the center's applied research and extension capacities.” — Lanier Nalley
By Mary Hightower
U of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture
Aug. 19, 2025
Fast facts:
- Mitchell brings extension outreach to Fryar Center
- Nalley: Appointment enhances the center’s ability to understand and respond to the evolving risks
(568 words)
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — James Mitchell’s appointment as associate director of extension at the Fryar Price Risk Management Center helps the center close a critical gap.
“This represents a significant enhancement of the center's applied research and extension capacities,” said Lanier Nalley, head of the agriculture economics and agribusiness department for the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture and the Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences.
“While the Fryar Price Risk Management Center has established a strong reputation for excellence in both teaching and research, it previously lacked a dedicated full-time extension component,” Nalley said. “The appointment of Dr. Mitchell significantly addresses this gap, strengthening the center’s capacity to engage directly with stakeholders.”
Mitchell, an extension agricultural economist and assistant professor who focuses on livestock, has been with the Division of Agriculture since 2020. His Fryar Center appointment began Aug. 1.
There are three components in America’s land-grant system: research, teaching and extension. Extension is the outreach arm, delivering research discoveries to those who can best use it.
“I feel called to extension because I believe research at a land-grant university should have a direct, practical impact on the people it is meant to serve,” Mitchell said. “Over the past five years living in Arkansas, I have grown to care deeply about agriculture in this state and about our rural communities.
“I take pride in their successes and want to stand alongside them when challenges arise,” Mitchell said. “Extension allows me to stay connected to these communities and to serve them in a meaningful way. It is central to who I am as a professional and carries real significance with me on a personal level.”
Nalley lauded Mitchell’s expertise in livestock markets, commodity risk analysis, and agricultural policy, and noted that “Mitchell’s previous extension and research activities have demonstrated a strong ability to bridge the gap between economic analysis and stakeholder engagement.
“His work has consistently focused on improving producers’ access to market information and risk management tools — core priorities of the Fryar Center,” Nalley said. “Dr. Mitchell’s expertise enhances the center’s ability to understand and respond to the evolving risks and challenges faced by agricultural industries and producers.”
Looking ahead
Mitchell’s objective in this new position is to “strengthen the connection between the Fryar Center’s research and the needs of stakeholders in Arkansas and across the country.
“I don’t anticipate a major pivot in my program. Instead, I will expand the scope and visibility of what I already do — providing livestock and forage producers with timely, research-based information and decision tools on marketing and risk management,” he said.
New projects will include advancing tools for evaluating risk management products and marketing strategies while extending recent work on forage production and budgeting.
Mitchell plans to build on the success of his existing presentations by creating new products that package the center’s research into formats more accessible to producers, lenders and policymakers. For example, he expects the center’s research articles to have a companion piece that is more accessible to the public, with outlook updates and decision calculators.
This role also creates opportunities to coordinate extension efforts with other faculty in the department, Mitchell said, adding that “the position will further the division’s reputation as a reliable source of research-based information for our producers and rural communities.”
Mitchell earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Oklahoma State University and a Ph.D. in agricultural economics from Kansas State University.
To learn about extension programs in Arkansas, contact your local Cooperative Extension Service agent or visit www.uaex.uada.edu. Follow us on X and Instagram at @AR_Extension. To learn more about Division of Agriculture research, visit the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station website: https://aaes.uada.edu/. Follow on X at @ArkAgResearch. To learn more about the Division of Agriculture, visit https://uada.edu/. Follow us on X at @AgInArk.
About the Fryar Center
The Fryar Price Risk Management Center of Excellence in the Department of Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness at the University of Arkansas was established in 2020 with a gift from Ed and Michelle Fryar.
The center is committed to developing an international program of scholarship embracing the University’s three-fold land-grant mission of research, teaching and outreach. Our work focuses on critical risk management issues facing the food and fiber system, with particular emphasis on products and industries contributing significantly to the Arkansas economy
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 campuses.
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: Mary Hightower
mhightower@uada.edu