Former Rohwer Station Director Larry Earnest Passes Away at 62
Larry Earnest was Rohwer Station director for 29 years
By the U of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture – Mar. 29, 2024
MONTICELLO, Ark. — Growing up on a farm in Lincoln County, Larry Earnest’s love of agriculture was firmly rooted in the soil of southeastern Arkansas.
Earnest, former director of the Rohwer Research Station for the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture’s Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station passed away March 16. He was 62.
Earnest was a 1980 graduate of Star City High School and attended the University of Arkansas at Monticello where he obtained a degree in agriculture business and a master’s in agronomy-weed science in 1991. He started as a research specialist at Rohwer in 1984 and was named station director in 1993. Rohwer is a 634-acre site in Desha County whose fields are primarily used for row crop research.
Earnest would spend 29 years as station director, managing its operations, coordinating research plots and field days and retaining close connections to the community.
“We were saddened to hear about Larry’s passing,” said Jean-François Meullenet, director of the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station. “Larry was a strong leader for our Rohwer station and did so much to facilitate row crop research and innovation in Arkansas. He will be greatly missed. We extend our deepest condolences to his family.”
“Larry had a genuine passion for agriculture and agricultural research which was a great fit for his role as research station director,“ said Nathan Slaton, assistant director of the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station.
In 2020, Earnest was recognized by the Research Center Administrators Society — an organization in which he was long associated — with its distinguished service award. In addition to the professional development, the organization offered, Earnest said, “I would say the lifelong friendships garnered are the grand prize.”
He also served on the National Sorghum Producer’s Board, appointed as a director in 2016. He was also the subject of a video profile by the Arkansas Soybean Promotion Board.
Earnest cherished time outdoors, and could be found hunting, fishing, gardening and camping. He also made time for sports including golf and softball. Music was an integral part of his life, and he could be often heard playing his guitar or singing.
Earnest treasured his nine grandchildren, and spending time with them was his greatest love.
Memorials may be sent to First Baptist Church of Monticello or Holly Springs Missionary Baptist Church. Other details of his life may be found online.
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 uada.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 five system campuses.
The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture offers all its Extension and Research programs and services 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.
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