Ag-Tech Career Exploration application deadline Nov. 1

By Mary Hightower
U of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture

LITTLE ROCK — In a field that’s increasingly data- and tech-dependent, there’s a new program that encourages youths to embrace the science and technology needed to grow food for a growing global population.

ACE, or Ag-Tech Career Exploration, is an intensive yearlong program that combines STEM skills as well as professional and leadership development for youth ages 16-19. The inaugural program will run from January to July 2025.

Nov. 1 is the application deadline for this U.S. Department of Agriculture-supported program.

Ag-Tech Career Exploration graphic. (U of A System Division of Agriculture image by Chris Meux)

“Agriculture is increasingly technology heavy,” said Jason Davis, extension application technologist for the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture. “We are soon to see more automated data collection, decision making and action taking systems in our production fields. It is important that Arkansas's next generation workforce understand these technologies and make early connections to the industry leaders that will bring these changes to fruition.”

Davis is among the researchers who will be working with youths in the program designed for high school juniors and seniors interested in pursuing careers utilizing agricultural technology such as drones, sensors, food genetics and robotics.

Julie Robinson, professor of community, professional and economic development for the Cooperative Extension Service, created ACE as part of her work in community leadership development.  

“The goal is to engage students and pique their interest in careers in agriculture before they reach college,” she said. “Students will be able to work with professionals and be exposed to avenues of science they might not have been aware of, or never considered because it was in agriculture.

“The most exciting component of this program is our international trip,” Robinson said. “There are plenty of studies showing the benefits of international study for youths, and we want to help young Arkansans have that opportunity to travel internationally.” 

There is no cost to participate in the program. Robinson said some financial assistance is available for students to obtain passports for travel aboard.

“I think Arkansas is a perfect place to be a hub for ag technology,” Robinson said. “We have so many incredibly smart people that we work with, not only here in the Division of Agriculture but also our industry and institute of higher education partners.

“Producing future experts will benefit Arkansas farmers and consumers,” she said.

Find additional information online, including an application link.

The program has been funded for three years by grant No. 2024-67038-42795 from the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, part of the USDA. The nearly $750,000 grant was part of NIFA’s $6.7 million investment in education and workforce development.

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. 

Arkansas Soybean Science Challenge: A new decade of students using their bean

By Mary Hightower
U of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture

LITTLE ROCK — For a decade, the Arkansas Soybean Science Challenge has been planting seeds for students contemplating a future in research.

The idea behind the program was simple: Pique the interest of students from grades 6-12  to consider a science fair project involving soybeans, and by extension, agriculture.

Alyssa Butler, was a 17-year-old senior at Carlisle High School in Carlisle, Arkansas, in 2021, when she won both her regional-level competition in the Arkansas Soybean Science Challenge. She is now pursuing a degree in agriculture, inspired by the competition. (Courtesy photo)

Karen Ballard, a now-retired extension professor who conceived the program, gained the Arkansas Soybean Promotion Board as a partner to help fund the outreach work of the Soybean Science Challenge.

“Many students, even those in cities near farming areas, have never thought of research in agriculture as a career,” said Julie Robinson, professor-community, professional and economic development for the Cooperative Extension Service. Robinson has administered the program for five years. “The humble soybean is more than just livestock feed. It’s the basis for biofuels. Its fibers are used in making fabrics and foam for seat cushions. Its oils replace petroleum bases in paints, candles and inks. Soybean meal can be used in making adhesives. 

“Over the decade, we’ve seen our student researchers put their own creativity and brainpower into creating plastics, computer climate models or evaluating the effects of radiation on soybean growth,” she said.

While the program offers cash prizes as an incentive, “even more importantly we’ve seen the program work. Many of the participants who have had their enthusiasm stoked by the Soybean Science Challenge have gone on to continue their research in college,” Robinson said.

Confidence and comfort zones

The challenge has been a career-builder for Alyssa Butler, who won five times at the regional and state levels. She is an undergraduate student working as an extension program associate in plant pathology.

 “The Soybean Science Challenge was the first time I ever pushed myself outside of my comfort zone and did any form of public speaking,” Butler said. “I was terrified and self-critical, but after knowing I did good enough to make it to state, I had more confidence in myself than ever.

"When I competed at the state level and won first place at Soybean Science Challenge, I was so proud of myself and all my research,” she said. “For me, it wasn't just about winning or the prize that came with it, it was about the fact that weeks of hard work, stepping out of my comfort zone, and pushing myself paid off.”

Butler said when she worked on her first experiment, looking at Southern root-knot nematode resistance, she gained a deeper appreciation for plant pathology and knew she wanted to continue research in that field.

“It is one of the best opportunities that high school has to offer,” she said.

Keith Harris, extension ag education program associate who coordinates the challenge, said he finds gratification in seeing the program fulfill its mission by “students showing an interest in research, specifically agricultural research, and them seeing agriculture as an industry with career options.”

The next decade

A decade later, “we are still focused on engaging student researchers through regional and state science fairs,” Robinson said.

The program has done some growing of its own over the decade.

“We have expanded the program to include teacher in-service, Grow Your Own Protein, and a variety of classroom curriculum available for free,” Robinson said.

The Grow Your Own Protein program provides edamame seeds for schools, community groups. 4-H clubs and others to grow edible soybeans in their own gardens. There’s also a “soybean store,” where those interested in taking part in the Soybean Science Challenge as a student researcher, can request a variety of soybean seeds, including conventional soybeans, soybeans tolerant to Roundup and tofu soybeans.

2023 winners

Last year, 15 students were named 2023 Soybean Scholars after their projects won the Soybean Science Challenge at district and state science fairs.

First-place went to Bennet Chen, 14, a freshman at Little Rock Central High, for his project, “Forecasting the future; a predictive modeling approach to deciphering climate change's impact on county level soybean yields.” Chen won the 2024 Soybean Science Challenge First Place Award at the State Science and Engineering Fair held at the University of Central Arkansas in Conway on March 30, and the Senior Division SSC Award at Central Arkansas Regional Science and Engineering Fair held at UA-Little Rock on March 1. 

How it works

The 2025 Soybean Science Challenge is now open for entries.

Students interested in participating are required to complete six online course modules before submitting their science project to their district science fair, the state science fair or the Arkansas FFA Agriscience Fair.

Each project submitted is assessed by judges from the Soybean Science Challenge. The project must focus on soybeans to qualify. Winners of the Soybean Science Challenge special award win a cash prize. The winning students’ teachers also win a cash prize if their student wins at a regional science fair.

“The Soybean Science Challenge allows us to engage young people and demonstrate the vast opportunities within the agricultural industry,” said Brad Doyle, Poinsett County soybean producer and chairman of Arkansas Soybean Promotion Board. “Their fresh perspectives, skills and innovative ideas are vital to the growth and sustainability of our industry.”

For additional information on the soybean science challenge, visit the Arkansas Soybean Promotion Board website at www. themiraclebean.com.

To learn more about the program, see its 10th anniversary video.

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. 

Registration for 2024 Future Ag Leaders program now open

By Mary Hightower
U of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture

LITTLE ROCK — Registration for the 2024 Arkansas Future Ag Leaders Tour is now open for college undergraduate juniors and seniors.

LEADING THE WAY — Julie Robinson, associate professor-community, professional and economic development for the Division of Agriculture, developed the Arkansas Future Ag Leaders Tour. (Division of Agriculture photo.)

This year’s tour, from May 13-17, will give participants an overview of the agriculture industry in Arkansas, plus an opportunity to make key connections with future employers or collaborators.

The program is open to undergraduate juniors and seniors enrolled in colleges of agriculture or pursuing agriculture-related majors within the state of Arkansas can register for one of 50 spots. There is no cost to participate. A full schedule of stops and sponsors will be released later this spring. Participants can register online.

The program was developed by Julie Robinson, associate professor-community, professional and economic development, for the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture.

Registration is now open for the Future Ag Leaders tour. (U of A System Division of Agriculture graphic).

“We wanted a program to help develop the next generation of leaders in Arkansas agriculture,” Robinson said. “During this week, our Future Ag Leaders will travel the state to see the various flavors of agriculture in Arkansas, better understand related regulations and policies, as well as meet the people who might become employers or collaborators their efforts to advance the industry.”

For more information, visit the Cooperative Extension Service’s Arkansas Future Ag Leaders page, or contact Julie Robinson at jrobinson@uada.edu.

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.

Division of Agriculture looks to make Arkansas healthier through DFEND program

By John Lovett
University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture
Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — It’s easier and cheaper than you may think to eat healthy, get exercise and de-stress. It just requires a little inspirational education, and maybe a little chair yoga after your taco bowl.

GOOD MEDICINE — University of Arkansas Honors College students who took part in the first Good Medicine course led by associate professors Jamie Baum and Erin Howie Hickey, center, include Mariam Abboud, Samad Akhter, Madison Bremer, Carson Chappell, Mary Kate Cheek, Mary Cowen, Caleb Flores, Max Green, Breyuna Harris, Katelyn Helberg, Kennedy Hicks, Lily Hiegel, James Schnoes Jr., Samantha Stark and Bailey Wheeler. (U of A System Division of Agriculture photo)

In the coming year, toolkits that provide education on nutrition and physical activity will make their way out to Arkansans through the Cooperative Extension Service as part of a University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture program supported by a nearly $1 million grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture.

“The toolkits are tailored to specific counties based on demographics and the requests from the extension agents in those counties, but many of the toolkits can be adapted for any location to provide coaching that can improve physical and mental health, and physical fitness,” said Jamie Baum, director of the Division of Agriculture’s Center for Human Nutrition and an associate professor in the food science department.

The four-year grant supports an integrated multimedia approach for the DFEND program, which stands for “Delivering Food, Exercise, and Nutrition education for prevention of chronic Diseases.” Baum and Erin Howie Hickey, associate professor of exercise science with the University of Arkansas’ College of Education and Health Professions, lead the program out of the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station and serve as Dean’s Faculty Fellows for the University of Arkansas Honors College.

Bryan Mader, assistant professor and health specialist for the family and consumer sciences department with extension, is a co-investigator on project. Xinya Liang, associate professor in the College of Education and Health Professions, also serves as co-investigator and statistician for the project.

Obesity and chronic disease are complex problems in the United States and are the results of many factors including unhealthy eating patterns, lack of physical activity, food insecurity and low health literacy, Baum said. Goals of the DFEND project, she added, are to improve health literacy related to nutrition and physical activity in adults at risk for chronic disease, as well as future health care professionals.

Part of DFEND’s goals are being carried out through the Good Medicine course for undergraduate students. The course was sponsored by the Honors College this semester and will be offered again in the fall 2024 semester as part of the USDA-NIFA grant.

Howie Hickey said that most of her undergraduate exercise students are on track to enter health care professions including medical doctors, physician assistants or physical therapists but may end up taking only one nutrition class and no exercise science classes throughout their degree plan. The Good Medicine course offers a well-rounded education on nutrition and physical activity, while serving the public with creation of the health toolkits, she said.

Toolkit presentations

University of Arkansas Honors College students, whose majors include biology, engineering, marketing and political science, were chosen for the first year of educational toolkit development in the Good Medicine class, which was supported by the University of Arkansas Honors College. The students made final presentations on their toolkits to Baum, Howie Hickey and extension agents on Dec. 5.

Extension agents offered a list of subjects for the three-person student teams to work on and then had meetings with them over the course of the semester. While the students could design the toolkits based on their project focus, they all had the same requirements that included social media posts and educational sessions for the general public.

A common theme among the five presentations was showing how physical fitness is tied to both physical and mental wellness. Even when sitting at an office chair, there are exercises one can do to decrease stress and stretch muscles called “chair yoga,” as shown in the “Budgeting Wellness” toolkit developed for adults.

One group of students offered examples of healthy meals, such as a taco bowl, that can serve four people and be made for about $10. Other quick-and-easy healthy snack food options like hummus and vegetables, Greek yogurt and berries, and fruit and cottage cheese were also presented.

A health education toolkit designed by students for Hempstead County focused on “physical activity and nutrition for diabetics in Arkansas,” P.A.N.D.A. for short. About 14 percent of the southwestern Arkansas county’s residents over the age of 20 have diabetes. Along with fact sheets on quick snacks, common misconceptions about diabetes and exercises to get blood pumping, the toolkit offered turnkey social media material for extension agents to reach target audiences.

Other examples of toolkits created by the students included information on anti-inflammatory foods, physical activities for kids and adults, and a program that teaches eighth-grade students to mentor fourth-grade students on healthy lifestyle choices.

Making games out of learning, like a scavenger hunt, was a part of the program for many of the toolkits.

The Honors College students who took part in the first Good Medicine course include Mariam Abboud, Samad Akhter, Madison Bremer, Carson Chappell, Mary Kate Cheek, Mary Cowen, Caleb Flores, Max Green, Breyuna Harris, Katelyn Helberg, Kennedy Hicks, Lily Hiegel, James Schnoes Jr., Samantha Stark and Bailey Wheeler.

Land-grant mission hat trick

Julie Robinson, associate professor of community, professional and economic development with the Cooperative Extension Service, noted the DFEND projects’ unique quality of incorporating all three land-grant missions: teaching, research and extension.

“The Good Medicine Honors Course is a great combination of all three missions of the land-grant system,” Robinson said. “The students take what they learn in class, the teaching mission, combined with research and information obtained through the research mission. The students then developed the content and materials presented during their final session, which fulfills the extension mission of the land grant mission — extending knowledge and information to all Arkansans to help them improve their quality of life.”

Working with the county extension agents to develop instructional materials was a “real-world experience” for students, Robinson added, providing the students with learning opportunities and challenges with community education.

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. To learn about extension programs in Arkansas, contact your local Cooperative Extension Service agent or visit www.uaex.uada.edu.

Cooperative Extension Service to offer Experiential Scholars Program internship in Summer 2024

By Rebekah Hall
U of A System Division of Agriculture

LITTLE ROCK — For college students, internships provide important hands-on training in their field of study. In 2024, students at Arkansas colleges and universities will have the opportunity to dive deep into three focus areas and work with mentors as part of the Cooperative Extension Service’s new Experiential Scholars Program.

SEEKING SCHOLARS — The Cooperative Extension Service will offer a new internship opportunity in Summer 2024 for college students looking for hands-on training in water/soil conservation, food safety/nutrition and health and community and economic development. (Division of Agriculture flyer.) 

“Internships have been shown over and over again to provide many different benefits for participants and organizations,” said Julie Robinson, extension associate professor of leadership for the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture. “It helps participants gain real-life work experiences, it helps them decide if they want to work for the organization, and it helps organizations provide those experiences and hopefully onboard some potential future employees.”

Robinson said the program is funded through a $750,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture.

Experiential Scholars Program interns will focus on one of three areas: water/soil conservation, food safety/nutrition and health, or community and economic development. The inaugural program will begin May 20, 2024, and end July 19, 2024. Students can apply at bit.ly/ces-esp-app.

During the nine-week paid summer internship, participants will work with extension mentors. Robinson said faculty in family and consumer sciences, crop, soil and environmental science and community, professional and economic development will serve as the primary mentors for the program, though others may be included in the future.

“Students will work alongside subject matter faculty members and specialists,” Robinson said. “They’ll get to travel around the state, deliver educational programming, plan research and demonstrations, and really shadow and learn from their mentors. They’ll learn more about that specific area of research and focus.”

Recruiting from 1890 institutions

The $750,000 in funding for the program, which covers a five-year grant cycle, will include the cost of interns’ salaries, travel and lodging. Robinson said the goal is to recruit seven students for each year of the grant cycle. Students will be based in or near central Arkansas because they will be traveling often with their extension mentors, whose offices are housed at the extension Little Rock State Office.

The program will recruit applicants from Arkansas colleges and universities and those from surrounding areas, with an emphasis on historically black institutions included in the 1890 land-grant system, which were established under the Second Morrill Act of 1890.

“We will definitely be trying to heavily recruit from the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, potentially even in other states with 1890 institutions,” Robinson said.

Robinson said that in addition to providing scholars with career readiness and leadership skills, the Experiential Scholars Program will also help raise awareness of extension’s mission in the state and develop the next generation of future employees or volunteers.

“Even if the interns who come into this program decide that extension or the Division of Agriculture is not for them, we’ve at least trained people who will understand the programming that we offer,” Robinson said. “They may be future volunteers through Master Gardeners, 4-H, or our Extension Homemakers program, or they may participate in the LeadAR program in the future.

“I love the idea that we will have advocates for the division who understand what we do and can share with those in their community about what a great resource extension is,” she said.

Applications for the program are open, and students can apply at bit.ly/ces-esp-app. For more information about the Experiential Scholars Program, visit the program’s page on the Cooperative Extension Service website or contact Robinson at jrobinson@uada.edu.

The Cooperative Extension Service is the outreach and education arm of the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture.

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.