March 2025 Arkansas Ag Research Report

Top Notch

Marty Matlock recognized as a 2025 AAAS Fellow

Marty Matlock, professor of biological and agricultural engineering, has been named a 2025 Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, or AAAS. This honor recognizes his contributions to agricultural sustainability standards and expanding Indigenous STEM participation.

Becoming a Fellow of the association is a lifetime honor, a tradition dating back to 1874, according to AAAS. Matlock joins an elite group of scientists and engineers who are celebrated for advancing science and its application to address global challenges.

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Marty Matlock has been named a 2025 Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Rahman honored with Andersons Early-in-Career Award

Mahfuzur Rahman, a food scientist and grain processing engineer with the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station, is this year’s recipient of the Andersons Early-in-Career Award.

Mahfuzur Rahman, assistant professor of food science, was recently honored by NC-213 with this year’s Andersons Early-in-Career Award for his contributions to science.

The Andersons Early-in-Career award was presented by NC-213: The U.S. Quality Grains Research Consortium on Feb. 20 in Olathe, Kansas. The award recognizes individuals early in their careers whose work has “significantly contributed to improvements in science, innovation, technology implementation, policy formation, and/or education related to quality of cereals and oilseeds from processing to consumption, and who show outstanding promise of continuing those contributions into the future.”

“It is an honor to receive this Early-in-Career Award, and it will further motivate me to continue my research on cereals and oilseeds,” Rahman said.

Growth rates of broilers contribute to behavior differences, shed light on welfare impacts

As poultry companies weigh cost and efficiency with higher animal welfare standards, research comparing conventional and slow-growing broiler breeds showed that the slow-growing chickens displayed behaviors more closely associated with positive welfare.

Rosie Whittle, poultry science postdoctoral researcher with the Center for Food Animal Wellbeing and the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences at the University of Arkansas, recently joined Shawna Weimer, assistant professor of poultry science and director of the Center for Food Animal Wellbeing, in a study that offered revelations on the physiological differences in the two different breeds of broilers.

Their study was published in Poultry Science, an official journal of the Poultry Science Association. Observations included that a larger percentage of slow-growing broilers were observed standing, walking, and preening, which are signs of positive animal welfare. The effects of stocking density were minimal, so the number of birds in an area did not have a significant impact on broiler behavior.

Rosie Whittle, poultry science postdoctoral researcher, performed a study examining conventional and slow-growing broilers by tracking their behaviors to see how they exhibit positive welfare attributes. (Image courtesy of Rosie Whittle)

Precision agriculture research measures effectiveness of See & Spray technology

A three-year field trial in Arkansas soybeans showed proper use of John Deere’s See & Spray™ spot-spray technology can cut post-emergence herbicide use by half and could save millions of dollars in expenses.

Jason Norsworthy, Distinguished Professor of weed science for the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station, has evaluated the system in test plots at the Northeast Research and Extension Center in Keiser since 2017 as part of his broader research on weed management in Arkansas crops and the growing resistance of agricultural weeds to existing herbicide chemistries.

Results of the field trial indicate that the system can offer a short return on investment at the lowest sensitivity setting; however, operating at that setting increased pigweed population by 280 percent each year. At the highest sensitivity setting, targeted spray applications were generally comparable to the standard broadcast application but allowed for a 43-59 percent reduction in herbicide use compared to broadcast applications.

Jason Norsworthy, Distinguished Professor of weed science, has been evaluating the combination of image recognition software and machine learning that comprises targeted spraying technology like John Deere’s See & Spray™ Ultimate system.

Economists tackle estimating consumer effects following the loss of billions of birds and eggs due to avian influenza

Fewer and more expensive eggs in 2024 put an estimated $1.41 billion burden on consumers in 2024, according to study by a trio of researchers examining the impact of highly pathogenic avian influenza — HPAI — on the economy.

The study, “The Economic Impact of HPAI on U.S. Egg Consumers: Estimating a $1.41 Billion Loss in Consumer Surplus,” was published by the Fryar Price Risk Management Center.

The price of eggs has reached more than $9 for 18 eggs on March 10 in Little Rock. A recent study by economists with the Division of Agriculture estimated a $1.41 billion burden on consumers due to highly pathogenic avian influenza.

James Mitchell, assistant professor and extension economist, was the lead author of the study, which was written with Jada Thompson, associate professor, and Trey Malone, formerly a faculty member with the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture, but now at Purdue University.

Ashley Dowling – Tiny Creatures, Big Impact

If Ashley Dowling hopes to accomplish one thing as an educator, it would be to rekindle the appreciation for insects your 3-year-old self once had. Dowling’s research focuses on the mite world, which includes ticks and chiggers among many others. To Dowling, the best scientific discoveries come from careful observation and an openness to ask new questions. 

2024 Arkansas Soybean Performance Tests

The 2024 Arkansas Soybean Performance Tests are conducted each year to aid the Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service in formulating variety recommendations for soybean producers and to provide information to companies developing varieties and/or marketing seed within the state. This year’s publication includes data from six locations throughout Arkansas.