Williams remembered as ‘old school,’ highly knowledgeable in cotton
“He wanted to make sure his farmers had everything they needed to do what they needed to do.” — Bill Robertson
By Mary Hightower
U of A System Division of Agriculture
Nov. 20, 2025
Fast facts
- Retired extension agent Jerry Williams grew up on branch experiment station
- “He wanted to make sure his farmers had everything they needed to do what they needed to do.” — Bill Robertson
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LITTLE ROCK — In the days before questions were answered with “Google it,” east Arkansas farmers depended on Jerry Williams for answers.
Williams, of Bella Vista, died Nov. 15. He was 80.
His decision to become an extension agent wasn’t surprising. Williams was raised in land-grant work. His father, Wallace, was director of the Delta Branch Station in Clarkedale, Arkansas, and Jerry Williams grew up surrounded by cotton fields.
After graduating from high school in Marion, Williams earned a bachelor’s of science in agriculture; followed by a master’s degree in entomology, both from the University of Arkansas.
The U.S. Army then called Williams to service. He rose to the rank of major and earned two Army commendations for Meritorious Service.
Following the military, Williams joined the Cooperative Extension Service. Over 35 years, he walked thousands of miles in the fields of Phillips, Arkansas, Mississippi and Lincoln counties helping farmers take care of their crops. He twice served as Phillips County extension staff chair. Williams retired from extension in 2004.
Bill Robertson, former extension cotton specialist now with the Soil Health Institute, said he learned much from Williams.
“He was extremely knowledgeable in cotton,” Robertson said. “When a farmer came into his office asking questions, he had to know the answers because he couldn’t just pick up a cell phone, or get on the internet, or go to AI or Google or ChatGPT.”
Robertson said Williams was an old-school kind of extension agent — one who knew his county and its people inside and out.
“He wanted to make sure his farmers had everything they needed to do what they needed to do,” Robertson said. “He took great pride in being the best county agent his farmers could have.”
Williams was active in the Helena Rotary Club, serving as president and named a Paul Harris Fellow. He also served as president of the Phillips County Chamber of Commerce, a member of the Tri-County Fair Association and was a member of the Boll Weevil Eradication Committee.
He received a Distinguished Service Award from the National Association of County Agricultural Agents and was elected the 58th president of the Arkansas County Agricultural Agents Association.
Find the full obituary on Williams online.
To learn more 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 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