Barber named interim AVP for agriculture, natural resources for extension service

LITTLE ROCK — Tom Barber has been named interim assistant vice president for agriculture and natural resources for the Cooperative Extension Service.

Barber, an extension weed scientist and director of the Jackson County Extension Center, will step into the role on Feb. 26. The position came open with the retirement of Vic Ford at the end of January. The extension service, the land-grant outreach arm of the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture, will conduct a nationwide search for a new assistant vice president.

Tom Barber will be interim assistant VP for agriculture and natural resources in the wake of Vic Ford's retirement. (U of A System Division of Agriculture file photo)

“I am excited to have Tom Barber joining the administrative team as interim agriculture and natural resources program leader,” said John Anderson, director of the Cooperative Extension Service. “Tom brings many years of experience as a highly effective and highly respected state extension specialist. He knows what it takes to develop and deliver quality, research-based, high-impact programs, and he is well-connected, not only to his research counterparts within the University of Arkansas System, but also around the country. 

“I am grateful that he is willing to step into this temporary role to provide program stability and continuity as we make a thorough search for our next ANR program leader,” Anderson said.

Barber earned his bachelor’s and master’s in weed science at the University of Arkansas and his doctorate in weed science at Mississippi State University.

Barber joined the Division of Agriculture in 2007 as an extension cotton specialist and assistant professor. He moved to extension weed scientist in 2012 and in 2016, Barber was promoted to full professor, adding a research appointment from the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station to his duties.

“All of us in extension’s agriculture and natural resources appreciate the hard work Vic did on our behalf,” said Barber. “I’m committed to working with my colleagues to ensure the continuity of the programs and outreach that are part of our land-grant mission. I’m looking forward to being able to serve our stakeholders and will be glad to work on a smooth transition once we have our new assistant vice president.”

To learn about extension programs in Arkansas, contact your local Cooperative Extension Service agent or visit www.uaex.uada.edu. Follow us on X and Instagram at @AR_Extension. To learn more about Division of Agriculture research, visit the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station website: https://aaes.uada.edu. Follow on X at @ArkAgResearch. To learn more about the Division of Agriculture, visit https://uada.edu/. Follow us on X at @AgInArk.

Longtime Cooperative Extension Service economist named Farm Foundation Round Table Fellow

By Rebekah Hall
U of A System Division of Agriculture

LITTLE ROCK — Ron Rainey, extension economist, professor and assistant vice president for the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture, was named a Farm Foundation Round Table Fellow.

RAINEY NAMED ROUND TABLE FELLOW — Ron Rainey, extension economist, professor and assistant vice president for the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture, will join the Farm Foundation's invitation-only discussion forum as a Round Table Fellow. "This selection means that my contributions to agriculture are relevant and noteworthy," Rainey said. (Division of Agriculture photo.) 

“I am honored to be invited into this select group made up of distinguished U.S. leaders across agriculture and the food value chain,” Rainey said. “The Round Table is part of the Farm Foundation’s programs focused on engaging agricultural stakeholders to navigate a successful future for the industry. This selection means that my contributions to agriculture are relevant and noteworthy.”

The Farm Foundation, founded in 1933, is a nonpartisan, nonprofit group that works to develop solutions to issues in agriculture, including farmer health and sustainability and to implement new technologies. The foundation’s Round Table is an invitation-only discussion forum comprised of leaders in the North American food and agriculture industries.

In addition to his administrative duties and outreach for the Cooperative Extension Service, Rainey is director of the Southern Risk Management Education Center, whose mission is to educate farmers and ranchers to manage the unique risks of producing food for the world's table. 

Rainey said he looks forward to providing his perspective as an “extension economist with 30 years of experience delivering technical assistance and promoting the value of the land-grant system’s three-pronged mission—research, teaching, extension.”

“I will highlight my expertise across risk management and outreach with public and private stakeholders from across the country,” he said. “I also look forward to providing a more diverse perspective to effectively serve all agricultural sectors and rural America.”

The Round Table meets twice a year for discussion and networking among its Fellows and other leaders in government, academic and agribusiness sectors. As a Fellow, Rainey said his role will be to share his expertise and experiences, support and raise awareness of the Farm Foundation and its programs and invite other leaders to take part in Round Table discussions and networking.

“We are pleased that Dr. Rainey has earned this honor and know that he will represent farmers in Arkansas and extension well,” said Bob Scott, senior associate vice president for the Division of Agriculture and director of the Cooperative Extension Service.

Rainey is the second Division of Agriculture faculty member to be involved with the Farm Foundation. Earlier in January, Trey Malone, an agricultural economist with the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station, was named Farm Foundation's 2023 Agricultural Economics Fellow. 

To learn more about the Farm Foundation, visit farmfoundation.org.

To learn about extension programs in Arkansas, contact your local Cooperative Extension Service agent or visit www.uaex.uada.edu. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram at @AR_Extension. To learn more about Division of Agriculture research, visit the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station website: https://aaes.uada.edu. Follow on Twitter at @ArkAgResearch. To learn more about the Division of Agriculture, visit https://uada.edu/. Follow us on Twitter at @AgInArk.