UADA Hosts International Contingent of Agriculture Ambassadors
Tour tied to National Association of State Departments of Agriculture
By John Lovett – Oct. 1, 2025
ARKANSAS AG PANEL — Jean-François Meullenet, second from left, John Anderson, Jeff Edwards and Deacue Fields, participate in a panel discussion about developing innovations for real-world agricultural applications. The panel was moderated by Logan Moss, left, associate director of public policy for the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture, during a tour of Arkansas for an international group of agricultural ambassadors. (U of A System Division of Agriculture photo)
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Sustainable farming, safe and nutritious food production, research collaborations and technological innovation were running themes for a group of international visitors taking part in the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture tour of Arkansas.
Arkansas Secretary of Agriculture Wes Ward, the outgoing president of the association, led the tour for the international delegates following NASDA’s annual meeting held in Rogers Sept. 14-17.
The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture hosted representatives from approximately 25 countries to northwest Arkansas on Sept. 18, with tours of Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station and Division of Agriculture facilities.
“Innovation is really at the core of our culture with the Division of Agriculture and the University of Arkansas,” Jean-François Meullenet, senior associate vice president for agriculture-research and director of the experiment station, told the international group during a panel discussion. “Being a part of northwest Arkansas, where there are Fortune 500 companies and many start-ups, has brought in that kind of culture to the institution as well.”
The panel also included Deacue Fields, head of the Division of Agriculture; John Anderson, senior associate vice president for agriculture-extension and director of the Cooperative Extension Service; and Jeff Edwards, dean of the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences at the University of Arkansas.
The experiment station and extension service are the research and outreach arms of the Division of Agriculture.
From animal nutrition to sustainability focused economic and ecological systems, the panel shared how Division of Agriculture faculty have developed many innovations for real-world agricultural applications.
FOOD FOCUS — Jean-François Meullenet, right, senior associate vice president for agriculture research and director of the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station, led a group during the first stop on the tour at the Arkansas Food Innovation Center at the Market Center of the Ozarks in Springdale. (U of A System Division of Agriculture photo by Paden Johnson)
Meullenet also called attention to how the Division of Agriculture’s Technology Commercialization Office helps commercialize intellectual property developed by faculty and research scientists, including probiotics, animal vaccines and new crop varieties.
With offices located in each of the state’s 75 counties, Anderson noted how extension offers a unique model for sharing research-backed recommendations and multiplying the impact of the university.
“The goal is that our lessons learned here — with the information, the innovation, the human capital that is developed here at the university or in northwest Arkansas — make it out to the rest of the state so that all Arkansans can benefit,” Anderson said. “We have the network in place to do that … and a lot of complementary programs that go on around the state.”
For example, Anderson highlighted the Arkansas Share Grounds program, which uses existing certified kitchen facilities to help Arkansans scale up their home-based food business or become a value-added food producer.
While creating impact in Arkansas is the primary focus for the Division of Agriculture, the panel also spoke of the benefits of international ties. Fields, who recently returned from a trade mission to Morocco with USA Rice, said expanding international relationships is a key part of the Division of Agriculture’s strategic plan.
“I think that for us to grow where we want to grow, we have to embrace the global community in terms of our work and our research,” Fields said. “We have a very diverse set of faculty members, and we want to be able to embrace the global economy as much as we can. That will benefit us as well as the global economy.”
Edwards said Bumpers College faculty help make students aware of broader issues outside of the state and nation, and study-abroad programs help students gain an international perspective.
The NASDA tour started at the Arkansas Food Innovation Center at the Market Center of the Ozarks in Springdale and was followed by the panel discussion at the Don Tyson Center for Agricultural Sciences in Fayetteville. After lunch, the attendees heard from the National Agricultural Law Center before touring the experiment station’s Center for Beverage Innovation and the Center for Arkansas Farms and Food at the Milo J. Shult Agricultural Research and Extension Center. The tour concluded with a visit to Marley Farms, a participating farm in the Arkansas Discovery Farms program.
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 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.
FOOD FOCUS — Jean-François Meullenet, right, senior associate vice president for agriculture research and director of the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station, led a group during the first stop on the tour at the Arkansas Food Innovation Center at the Market Center of the Ozarks in Springdale. (U of A System Division of Agriculture photo by Paden Johnson)
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