Rice and Soybean Field Day set for July 30 in northeast Arkansas
July 22, 2026
By John Lovett
University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture
Fast Facts
- Free event offers two field tours, indoor seminar
- Information provided by UADA faculty, USDA researchers
- Industry exhibits include presentations on weed science, remote sensing, drones
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Download PHOTO of the Northeast Rice Research and Extension Center
HARRISBURG, Ark. — Current research in row crop production will be showcased July 30, at the Northeast Rice Research and Extension Center during the Rice and Soybean Field Day.
Field day attendees can follow two field tour circuits dubbed the Red Tour and the Green Tour, with each being offered twice to allow attendees to visit every stop. The first round of field tours starts at 8 a.m., with the second round departing at 10 a.m.
“We are excited about the research presentations at this year's field day,” said Tim Burcham, director of the Northeast Rice Research and Extension Center. “They will cover rice and soybean breeding programs, row-rice research, nitrogen management using digital imagery, nematode research, spray drone updates, postharvest management practices and much more. CEUs are available for consultants and agricultural professionals.”
The tours will be presented by scientists and extension educators with the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station and the Cooperative Extension Service, the research and outreach arms of the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture. Presenters from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Research Service will also share research updates.
In addition to the field tours, a one-hour seminar will be offered in the center at 8:30 a.m. and repeated at 10:30 a.m. The seminar includes presentations for postharvest management practices and rice-specific plant-parasitic nematode research.
Free on-site registration begins at 7:30 a.m. Refreshments will be offered during registration, and lunch will be provided at noon following the field tours.
Mark Cochran, former Division of Agriculutre vice president for agriculture, will provide the keynote address during the catfish luncheon.
Industry exhibits will include representatives sharing information on rice and row crop production, breeding, pathology, weed science, remote sensing, drone technology and sustainability research.
The Northeast Rice Research and Extension Center, which opened in 2024, is located at 15327 Highway 1 in Harrisburg.
Red Tour details
- Stop 1 — “Rice nitrogen management demonstration with sensor and imagery approaches,” with Ana Morales-Ona Smith, extension soil fertility specialist and an assistant professor in the department of crop, soil and environmental sciences.
- Stop 2 — “New technology for rice weed control,” with Bob Scott, extension weed specialist
in the department of crop, soil and environmental sciences.
- Stop 3 — “Impact of water management and measurement technique on regenerative agricultural
metrics in rice production at the field scale,” with Michele Reba, a USDA research
hydrologist, and USDA research agronomists Arlene Adviento-Borbe and Joe Massey.
- Stop 4 — “Spray drones: Field trial performance and regulatory updates,” with Jason Davis, remote sensing and pesticide application extension specialist in the department of crop, soil and environmental sciences, and Terry Spurlock, professor and extension plant pathologist in the department of entomology and plant pathology.
Green Tour details
- Stop 1 — “Overview of the DD50 Management Program and planting-date studies,” with Jarrod Hardke, rice extension agronomist and professor
in the department of crop, soil and environmental sciences.
- Stop 2 — “Effect of planting date on different maturity groups in soybean behind rice,”
with Justin Chlapecka, assistant professor of agronomy in the department of crop,
soil and environmental sciences.
- Stop 3 — “Field preparation ideas and seeding rate in furrow-irrigated rice,” with
Chlapecka.
- Stop 4 — “Improving soybean genetics in Arkansas,” with Caio Vieira, assistant professor
of soybean breeding in the department of crop, soil and environmental sciences.
- Stop 5 — “Rice breeding updates on new jasmine and long grain varieties and pipelines,” with Xueyan Sha, senior rice breeder and professor, and Christian De Guzman, assistant professor of rice breeding and genetics, both in the department of crop, soil and environmental sciences.
Indoor seminar details
- “Best postharvest management practices for rice and soybean in Arkansas,” by Kaushik
Luthra, an assistant professor of postharvest grain processing in the department of
biological and agricultural engineering.
- “Plant parasitic nematodes in Arkansas row crops with a focus on rice,” by Lynhe Demesyeux, extension nematology educator for the Division of Agriculture.
To learn more about ag and food research in Arkansas, visit aaes.uada.edu. Follow the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station on LinkedIn and sign up for our monthly newsletter, the Arkansas Agricultural Research Report. To learn more about the Division of Agriculture, visit uada.edu. 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 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 22 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 Division of Agriculture is an equal opportunity institution. If you require a reasonable accommodation to participate or need materials in another format, please contact Tanjia Kraft at tkraft@uada.edu or (870) 738-9161 as soon as possible. Dial 711 for Arkansas Relay.
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Media Contact:
John Lovett
U of A Division of Agriculture
Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station
(479) 763-5929
jlovett@uada.edu