April 11 , 2007 |
1. Secretary of Agriculture to Speak on Campus -- Thursday
2. Dan Felton, Jr. Building Dedicated at LMCRS
3. Junior High Students Delve into Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences
4. Cooperative Extension Service Job Interviews -- Sign Up by April 20
5. Farm Credit Services Job/Internship Interviews - Sign up April 30
6. Livestock, Forage and Forestry Field Day - Tuesday
7. Hospitality Students Offer Dinner at Ella's - Mondays and Wednesdays
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1. Secretary of Agriculture Address Open to Public -- Thursday
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Mike Johanns |
U.S Secretary of Agriculture Mike Johanns will visit Division of Agriculture and USDA facilities on campus and the National Agricultural Law Center at the School of Law on Thursday.
The public is invited to an address by Secretary Johanns from 11:45 a.m.-12:15 p.m., Thursday, in the law school's E.J. Ball Courtroom, Room 240.
On Thursday morning, Johanns will tour Center of Excellence for Poultry Science facilities and the USDA's Poultry Production and Product Safety Research Unit. He will then have lunch with administrators, faculty and staff members and students of the Division of Agriculture, Bumpers College, the USDA research unit, and the Agricultural Law Center.
The USDA Agricultural Research Service unit housed in the Poultry Center is directed by Dr. Annie Donoghue. The unit is internationally recognized for research in collaboration with UA scientists on reducing pathogens in poultry that can cause food-borne illness in humans.
Dr. Walter Bottje, director of the Center of Excellence for Poultry Science, a unit of the U of A System's statewide Division of Agriculture, said the center is one of the nation's leading university programs for teaching, research and extension in poultry science.
Harrison Pittman, director of the National Agricultural Law Center, said the center is the only agricultural law research and information facility that is independent, national and international in scope and directly connected to the national agricultural information network. The center conducts a graduate program in agricultural and food law and recently inaugurated the Journal of Food Law & Policy.
On Thursday afternoon, Johanns will join a luncheon program on the Northwest Arkansas World Trade Center at the John Q. Hammons Center in Rogers.
At 2 p.m., Johanns will participate in a roundtable trade policy discussion with agricultural producers at the farm of Arthur Henderson near Bentonville. The meeting will include ambassadors from Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, the Dominican Republic and Nicaragua.
Johanns was born in Iowa and grew up on a dairy farm. He is a graduate of St. Mary's University of Minnesota and earned a law degree from Creighton University in Omaha. He was governor of Nebraska and in 2005 was named U.S. secretary of agriculture.
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2. Dan Felton, Jr. Building Dedicated at LMCRS
Eastern Arkansas was the focus of the University of Arkansas System April 6 with a morning meeting of the U of A Board of Trustees in the new Dan Felton, Jr. Building at the Lon Mann Cotton Research Station, followed by a dedication program for the Division of Agriculture facility.
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| The Dan Felton, Jr. Building replaces the original office building build in 1926 at the Cotton Branch Experiment Station, which is now the Lon Mann Cotton Research Station. | The U of A System Board of Trustees met in the auditorium of the building dedicated later that afternoon, which included a surprise announcement of the naming of the Milo J. Shult Auditorium. |
Formerly the Cotton Branch Experiment Station, the research station's name was changed in September 2005 to honor the late Lon Mann of Marianna, who was a leader in Arkansas and Mid-South agriculture.
Milo Shult, the U of A System's vice president for agriculture, said, "These improvements at the Marianna station illustrate a strong commitment by the U of A System and the Division of Agriculture to serving the people of eastern Arkansas."
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| The ribbon cutting ceremony featured two acts, with Counts Felton and Dan Felton III doing the honors for the Felton family (left photo) and June Mann wielding the big scissors for the Mann family (right photo). | ||
Other Division of Agriculture units in the region are the Northeast Research and Extension Center at Keiser, the Rice Research and Extension Center at Stuttgart, the Southeast Research and Extension Center at Monticello, the Arkansas Forest Resources Center at Monticello, the Lonoke Agricultural Center, and branch experiment stations in Jackson, St. Francis and Desha counties.
The Dan Felton, Jr. Building, named for another state and regional leader from Lee County, replaces the station's headquarters facility built in 1926. The project was made possible by contributions of more than $500,000 from June Mann and family, Counts M. Felton and family, the Soil Test Review Board, Jim Lindsey, Arkansas Seed Dealers, Stanley and Charlene Reed, Southern Cotton Ginners, Bob and Barbara McGinnis, Dr. Jessamine Gist and Tom Gist, Clyde and Martha Hogan, and Larry and Betty Jo McClendon.
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| Milo Shult, vice president for agriculture, and his wife, Anne, with Bob McGinnis, chairman of the Arkansas Soil Test Review Board, following a surprise announcement that the auditorium in the Felton Building will be named the "Milo J. Shult Auditorium, Sponsored by the Arkansas Soil Test Review Board." | Members of the Mann and Felton families gathered for pictures at the Lon Mann Cotton Research Station sign on Hwy. 1 following the dedication program. |
In a surprise announcement, Bob McGinnis, chairman of the Arkansas Soil Test Review Board, said the auditorium in the Felton Building will be named the "Milo J. Shult Auditorium, Sponsored by the Arkansas Soil Test Review Board."
Other named rooms are the Arkansas Seed Dealers Association Conference Room and the Southern Ginner's Association Library.
The Felton Building is attached by a covered breezeway to the Eastern Arkansas Soil Testing and Research Laboratory building. The addition is 6,628 square feet and includes a 160-seat auditorium with kitchen in addition to offices, a laboratory and a library/conference room. The design is by Architecture Plus, Inc., of Fort Smith. Triple MC of Monticello was general contractor.
Lon Mann, who was inducted into the Arkansas Agricultural Hall of Fame, operated a cotton gin started by his father, which is now the McClendon, Mann and Felton Gin Co. He was president of the National Cotton Council of America, the National Cotton Ginners Association and Agricenter International. He received the 2000 Horace Hayden Cotton Ginner of the Year Award in recognition of outstanding leadership to the U.S. cotton industry, superior customer service and civic contributions.
Mann was president of the Mid-South Ginners Council, the forerunner of the Southern Ginners Association, and of the Agricultural Council of Arkansas. He received the University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service Cotton Achievement Award and the National Cotton Council Harry Baker Award.
Dan Felton, Jr., was a farmer, cotton ginner, merchant, and cattleman. He was a leader in both the livestock and row crop sectors of agriculture in Arkansas and the Mid-South, serving as president of the Arkansas Registered Angus Association and the Agricultural Council of Arkansas.
Felton was a member of the Arkansas State Board of Education, the Commission on Higher Educational Finance, and the board of the Marianna/Lee County School District. He was a member of the St. Francis Levee Board and the First National Bank at Marianna board of directors. He served as chairman of the Lee County Democratic Central Committee for 30 years.
The Cotton Branch Experiment Station was established in 1926 as one of the first three permanent branches of the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station. The Legislature appropriated $7,000 to purchase 160 acres of land and build a brick residence, brick office, mule barn, machine shed, shop and gin building.
The Eastern Arkansas Soil Testing and Research Laboratory was added in 1954 and now provides soil and plant analysis services statewide in addition to a soil fertility research program directed by Dr. Morteza Mozaffari.
The Lon Mann Cotton Research Station includes 653 acres of field research plots. Projects include annual tests of cotton, soybean, wheat and corn cultivars and breeding lines, as well as research and extension programs on cropping systems for eastern Arkansas.
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3. Junior High Students Delve into Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences
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| Entomology graduate student Robin Verble introduces junior high school students to the variety of insects found around the world. | Davin Hayes, Devon Turner and Kendell Arnold of Omaha Junior High School learn whether potatoes or lemons make better batteries in a biological and agricultural engineering session led by Dr. Julie Carrier. |
Students from 10 north-central Arkansas junior high schools probed the structure of DNA, built batteries from potatoes and tested the chemical foundations of foods with Bumpers College faculty, staff and students.
The Prospective Student Relations Committee sponsored the Bumpers College Science Day program "Exploring Your World Through Science" April 9 at North Arkansas College in Harrison.
Diana Bisbee, coordinator of off-campus education, said the outreach program was aimed at building interest in Bumpers College majors for ninth grade students. Bumpers College faculty members, graduate students and staff introduced the students to various areas of science important to agricultural, food and life sciences.
The students were led through hands-on activities that delved into such diverse topics as Kirchoff's voltage laws, the language of DNA, the difference between bacterial and fungal diseases in plants, textiles used in the space vehicles and clothing, plant breeding and other sciences.
Gary Davis, student recruiter for poultry science and a member of the PSRC, said the outreach was also for the junior high school science teachers.
"Science teachers often don't know the science involved in agricultural and related areas," Davis said. "We need to continually tell the story to get the students and to inform and involve the science teachers."
Bisbee said the PSRC hopes to expand the outreach to other areas of the state. A follow-up for students interested in what Bumpers College has to offer will be to bring them to campus during their junior or senior year in high school.
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4. Cooperative Extension Service Job Interviews -- Sign Up by April 20
On Thursday, April 26, Quinton Hornsby, district extension director, and Sharon Reynolds and Alberta James, associate district extension directors, will be on campus to conduct interviews with graduating seniors and master's students interested in a career with the Cooperative Extension Service. Thirty minute interviews will be conducted in Room 207 of the Agriculture Building.
Interested students should sign up for an interview time and drop off an updated resume in AGRI 205 (Department of Agricultural and Extension Education) no later than Friday, April 20.
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5. Farm Credit Services Job/Internship Interviews - Sign up April 30
Farm Credit Services of Western Arkansas is seeking students with majors related to agriculture or business with an agricultural background to fill three Summer Intern positions and one full-time Credit Trainee position.
To schedule an interview for May 1st, attend orientation at 6:00 p.m. on April 30th in the Agriculture Building, Room 115 or e-mail ginger.tippit@farmcredit.com.
Bring your resume and a copy of your college transcript.
Candidates must have a minimum 2.5 GPA, possess a valid driver's license and have transportation. Travel required. Interns are to have no
more than one year remaining to complete their degree.
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6. Livestock, Forage and Forestry Field Day - Tuesday
A Livestock, Forage and Forestry Field Day will be held Tuesday, April 17, at the Livestock and Forestry Branch Station near Batesville.
The program, "Management Based on Research," begins at 9 a.m. It will feature a barbecue lunch and conclude about 3 p.m., according to Don Hubbell, resident director of the station.
The morning sessions are devoted to livestock and forage production, Hubbell said. Topics will include managing weeds in Bermudagrass, feed supplements, grazing options, managing over-seeded pastures and Bermudagrass varieties. The morning will wrap up with "10 things you can take home to use now."
Richard Bell, Arkansas' Secretary of Agriculture, will speak about current issues in Arkansas.
Afternoon sessions will focus on forestry. Topics will include managing pine stands, harvesting and marketing timber, and basic tree measurements.
The Livestock and Forestry Branch Station is located 10 miles north of Batesville on Hwy. 69. Take Hwy. 106 west two miles to the entrance.
For more information about the field day, call 870-793-7432 or check the Livestock and Forestry Branch Station Website: www.batesvillestation.org.
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7. Hospitality Students Offer Dinner at Ella's - Mondays and Wednesdays
Students in the Restaurant and Hospitality concentration of the Food, Human Nutrition and Hospitality major, are planning, preparing and serving dinner each Monday and Wednesday through April 28 at Ella's Restaurant in The Inn at Carnall Hall. Instructor Allen Powell, Chef Josh Byers and Ella's management assists the students in preparing the dinner.
The cost of the dinner is $12 plus tax and will be served at 5 p.m. For reservations, call Nola at 575-3245 or e-mail at nmagee@uark.edu. Reservations will be accepted on a first-come, first-serve availability with limited seating.
Ella's Restaurant is open to the public for breakfast Monday-Sunday 7 a.m.-10a.m., lunch Monday-Friday 11 a.m.-2 p.m., and dinner Monday-Saturday 5 p.m.-10p.m. Ella's also serves Sunday Brunch from 11 a.m. - 2 p.m. The Lambeth Lounge opens daily at 4 p.m.
AAES and Bumpers College Web sites:
http://aaes.uark.edu/
http://bumperscollege.uark.edu/