October 2025 Arkansas Ag Research Report

Big News

New Arkansas waterfowl research center poised for national impact

The Snowden Waterfowl Center of Excellence, a new University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture research center that aims to advance waterfowl and wetlands research, was founded this month at the University of Arkansas at Monticello.

The new center is based at UAM through the Arkansas Forest Resources Center. David Snowden, Arkansas waterfowl conservationist, and Merritt Dyke, chairman of Dyke Industries, led a group of donors, successfully raising $1 million in private funds for the endowed chair and an additional $5 million in private funds to create the center.

Douglas Osborne, a professor of wildlife ecology at UAM, will serve as the inaugural director of the center and the Dyke-Snowden Endowed Chair of Waterfowl and Wetlands. The Arkansas Forest Resources Center at UAM, directed by Michael Blazier, conducts research and extension activities through the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station and the Cooperative Extension Service, the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture’s research and outreach arms. Blazier is also a professor and dean of the College of Forestry, Agriculture and Natural Resources.

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Douglas Osborne, left, inaugural director of the Snowden Waterfowl Center of Excellence, stands with Michael Blazier, dean of the University of Arkansas at Monticello’s College of Forestry, Agriculture and Natural Resources; Jay Silveria, president of the UA System; Peggy Doss, chancellor of UA-Monticello; David Snowden; Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders; state Rep. Jeffrey Wardlaw; Deacue Fields, head of the UA System Division of Agriculture; and Merrit Dyke, chairman of Dyke Industries. (UA System photo courtesy of Kelsey Englert)

Center for Food Animal Wellbeing gets ‘Boots on the Ground’ with veterinarians

The Center for Food Animal Wellbeing held its 11^th annual symposium Oct. 2 at the Don Tyson Center for Agricultural Sciences with a focus on the impact veterinarians can have on improving farm animal welfare. Shawna Weimer, an assistant professor in the Poultry Science Department, is director of the center.

The symposium was themed “Boots on the Ground: Animal Welfare from the Veterinary Perspective” and featured presentations by Cole Crumpacker, staff veterinarian for Butterball and a University of Arkansas poultry science graduate; Kate Barger, principal veterinary consultant for KB Welfare Consulting; Brooke Kitting, senior veterinarian for Seaboard Foods; Laura Tensa, veterinarian for Wilcox Farms; and Jennifer Walker, chief animal welfare officer for Kinder Ground.

Speakers featured at the 11th annual Center for Food Animal Wellbeing Symposium included Cole Crumpacker, left; Laura Tensa, Brooke Kitting, Jennifer Walker and Kate Barger. Shawna Weimer, far right, is director of the center. (UADA photo by Lacie Bryles)

UAM forestry faculty earn top regional honors for leadership, excellence

Two forestry professors with the University of Arkansas at Monticello were recently recognized by their peers for their outstanding contributions to the profession at the 2025 Western Gulf States Society of American Foresters meeting.

Matthew Pelkki, a professor and economist with the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station through the Arkansas Forest Resources Center, received the Ted Chancey Career Award for his distinguished years of service and impact on the forestry industry. Pelkki is also the George Clippert Endowed Chair and director of the Arkansas Center for Forest Business, a part of UAM’s College of Forestry, Agriculture and Natural Resources.

Sagar Godar Chhetri, an assistant professor of forest economics with the College of Forestry, Agriculture and Natural Resources, received the Dr. Tim Ku Young Forester Award as a rising leader in the field.

Matthew Pelkki, left, receives the Ted Chancey Career Award from Jaret Rushing, chair for the Arkansas Division of the Ouachita Society of American Foresters at the 2025 Western Gulf States Society of American Foresters meeting. (UADA photo by Traci Rushing)

‘Pickle Man’ Buescher remembered as innovative and respected scientist

Internationally recognized as “The Pickle Man,” Ronald W. Buescher is remembered for more than just his fermented vegetable research.

Research by Buescher, who passed away Aug. 2 at the age of 82, resulted in many commercially available fermented food products with improved color stability and texture. He worked with the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station for 46 years, including several years as head of the Department of Food Science.

A celebration of life will be held from 2-4 p.m. on Nov. 9 at the Botanical Garden of the Ozarks in Fayetteville.

Ron Buescher, former head of the Department of Food Science, was internationally recognized as “The Pickle Man” for his fermented vegetable research. (Photo courtesy of the Buescher Family)

Water quality may impact microbial populations in poultry drinking water lines

A recently published study out of the Poultry Science Department indicates that different sulfur-iron content in water sources for poultry houses can impact the microbial populations in poultry drinking water lines and lead to the buildup of a biofilm that can harbor pathogenic bacteria like Salmonella.

Tomi Obe, an assistant professor of poultry science for the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station, joined researchers with the Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station on the study whose lead author, Tolulope Ogundipe, DVM, recently completed a master’s degree from the Poultry Science Department.

A study by researchers with the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station and the Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station examined the microbial makeup of biofilms in poultry house drinking water lines.

Organic weed control field trial pits no-till vs. conventional till in soybean

A multi-tiered field trial focusing on weed management in organic soybean production has been conducted by Nilda Burgos, professor of weed physiology and molecular biology in the Crop, Soil and Environmental Sciences Department.

While yield numbers are still needed to determine the best programs based on productivity and economic output, signs pointed to drill-seeded planting in no-till plots for offering broader, denser canopies compared to those in conventional-till plots. However, the soybeans grown in conventional-till rows offered easier access for physical weed management tools.

The experiment at the Vegetable Research Station is supported by grant funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute for Food and Agriculture through its Organic Agriculture Research and Extension Initiative.

Nilda Burgos explains termination and weed control treatments in a conventional-till test plot at the Vegetable Research Station on Oct. 7, 2025, during the No-Till & Organic Field Day.

UADA hosts international contingent of agriculture ambassadors

The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture hosted representatives from approximately 25 countries in September as part of a tour of Arkansas by the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture.

Sustainable farming, safe and nutritious food production, technological innovations and potential international research collaborations were discussed in a panel discussion at the Don Tyson Center for Agricultural Sciences amid tours of the Arkansas Food Innovation Center at the Market Center of the Ozarks, the Center for Arkansas Farms and Food at the Milo J. Shult Agricultural Research and Extension Center, and Marley Farms, an Arkansas Discovery Farms program participant.

Logan Moss, associate director of the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture, moderated a panel discussion with University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture leadership — Jean-François Meullenet, left, John Anderson, Jeff Edwards and Deacue Fields — for an international group of agricultural ambassadors on Sept. 18.

2025 Edition of Discovery: The Undergraduate Student Research Journal of Bumpers College

The 2025 edition of the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences undergraduate research journal is now available! This year’s articles include tick research, soybean genetics, lamb weaning methods and more! Learn more and find a link to download the publication by clicking the button below.

Organic weed control field trial pits no-till vs. conventional till in soybean

Nilda Burgos, Crop, Soil and Environmental Sciences
Farm Talk

Experts talk bear safety following possible second attack in Arkansas

Don White Jr., Arkansas Forest Resources Center
Yahoo! News (via KNWA Fatetteville)

Poultry growers: Have you checked your water lines lately?

Tomi Obe, Poultry Science and Food Science
Applied Microbiology International

Broken Rice Japanese Lager

Scott Lafontaine, Food Science
Basic Brewing Radio Podcast

Good seed rice quality directly influences crop success

Griffiths Atungulu, Food Science and Arkansas Rice Processing Program
Delta FarmPress

Feral swine program shows promising results for corn growers

Eunchun Park, Agricultural Economics & Agribusiness
AgriPulse

An increasingly high-tech career: farming

Jason Norsworthy, Crop, Soil and Environmental Sciences
Missouri Business Alert

UADA’s New HR Chief Planning to Hit the Road to Learn About Statewide Organization

Fryar Center Speaker Series Inspired by Alumnus, Ag Hall of Famer

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