Aug. 22, 2007 |
1. Hospitality Chair Holder is Culinary Tourism Expert
2. NEREC to Observe 50th Anniversary at Field Day
3. Kent Rorie Joins Vice President's Staff
4. New Soybean Variety Described at Pine Tree Field Day
5. Vegetable Substation Hosts Southern Pea Field Day
6. Johnson Consults on Blackberries in Nanjing
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1. Hospitality Chair Holder is Culinary Tourism Expert
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| Dr. Robert Harrington with hospitality and restaurant managment students, from left, Libby Stanley, Paige Buchanan and Chris Cooper. |
Robert Harrington, a nationally recognized leader in the science and business of culinary tourism in the hospitality industry, has joined the Bumpers College faculty this fall as holder of the Twenty-First Century Endowed Chair in Hospitality in the School of Human Environmental Sciences.
Harrington said one of his goals is to help create culinary tourism opportunities in Arkansas. He said he has learned from professional experience and research that a region's food and culinary culture is often waiting to be discovered and promoted.
"What is there in the food culture, agriculture and other parts of the culture of Arkansas that we can work with to create culinary tourism opportunities in our state and communities? That's a question we will be working to answer," Harrington said.
Investment earnings from a $1.5 million endowment from the Walton Family Foundation will help support Harrington's teaching, research and service programs in restaurant and hospitality management. He will coordinate the program, which also includes three other faculty members, in the School of Human Environmental Sciences.
Hospitality and restaurant management is a concentration within the foods, nutrition and hospitality major. Student enrollment in the major has increased dramatically since the 2003 opening of The Inn at Carnall Hall and Ella's Restaurant. The campus hotel and restaurant furnish offices and a classroom for the program, and staff members participate in classes and projects.
"We will work with the industry, state agencies and faculty in other departments to develop a quality program to serve our students, the public and the industry," Harrington said. "I believe we have the pieces in place for a nationally recognized program." He and three other faculty members have a range of expertise in various facets of hospitality, tourism and food service.
Dean Greg Weidemann said, "Dr. Harrington has a multi-faceted background as an executive chef and as a teacher, scholar and consultant. I believe he and the other faculty members can develop a program that will be a tremendous asset to the state and our communities as well as to our students."
The most recent of two reference books by Harrington, "Food and Wine Pairing: A Sensory Experience," to be published in 2008 by John Wiley & Sons, suggests one area that the author said might have potential for further development of culinary tourism in Arkansas.
The 2007 Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Research Article of the Year Award, for "Strategy for Implementation Success: The Moderating Effects of Size and Environment Complexity and the Mediating Effects of Involvement," was presented to Harrington in July.
Harrington comes to Arkansas from the University of Guelph in Ontario, where he was associate professor of hospitality and tourism management in the College of Management and Economics. He also coordinated the master of business administration (MBA) degree program.
Previous positions include dean and professor of the Chef John Folse Culinary Institute at Nichols State University in Thibodaux, La., and lecturer in the School of Hospitality Business Management at Washington State University in Pullman.
Before enrolling in college, Harrington spent 18 years in the restaurant and hospitality industry, beginning as partner and operator of Casey's Dairy Deli & Sunrise Dairy in Washington. He was executive chef at three hotels, including the Crowne Plaza in Memphis, and executive sous chef with the Delta Queen Steamboat Company in New Orleans.
Harrington has a bachelor of business administration degree from Boise State University in Idaho and master's and Ph.D. degrees in business administration from Washington State University.
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2. NEREC to Observe 50th Anniversary at Field Day
The Northeast Research and Extension Center at Keiser will celebrate its 50th Anniversary with a field day Thursday, Aug. 23.
Center Director Fred Bourland said Division of Agriculture scientists in the University of Arkansas System will discuss changes over the past 50 years as they present results of current research in rice, soybeans, cotton, corn and wheat.
The field day begins with registration at 8:30 a.m., followed by field tours, an indoor program and a luncheon address by State Senator Steve Bryles of Blytheville.
The indoor program will include a historical perspective on “What it takes to make a living on cotton,” by agricultural economist Bruce Ahrendsen; “Wheat Varieties, Now and Then,” by plant breeder Robert Bacon; “The Future of Renewable Fuels in Arkansas,” by Mike Shook of Patriot Biofuels; and “Biofuels: A Perspective for Arkansas,” by agricultural economist Mike Popp,
Research plots include sunflower and switch grass for study as potential energy crops. A canola variety development program is being conducted at other Division of Agriculture locations.
The Northeast Branch Station was established on 655 acres at Keiser in 1957 as an expansion of the Alfalfa Substation established in 1948 at Osceola.
The station was expanded to 766 acres and a resident faculty was appointed when it became the Northeast Research and Extension Center in 1980. It is one of five regional Division of Agriculture centers with a resident faculty.
Bourland said the Keiser location was chosen primarily to provide for cotton research on its clay soils, which are typical of many soils found east of Crowley's Ridge.
In addition to Bourland, who is also a cotton breeder, the resident faculty at NEREC, all with doctoral degrees, includes Glenn Studebaker, entomology; Rob Hogan, agricultural economics; and Daniel Stephenson, agronomy.
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3. Kent Rorie Joins Vice President's Staff
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| Kent Rorie, Assistant to the Vice President |
Kent Rorie, former director of the Delta District for the Cooperative Extension Service, has been hired as assistant to Vice President for Agriculture Milo Shult.
“There are few people who know our organization and the people we serve as well as Kent Rorie,” Shult said. “With his experience, he will be a valued addition to our administrative team here at the university systems office.”
Rorie, 56, of Pine Bluff started his career with the extension service in 1979 as an agriculture agent in White County. He also served as an agent in Fulton County before being promoted to staff chairman in Prairie County in 1984. He also served as staff chairman in Jackson, Miller and Jefferson counties before being promoted to associate district director in 1997.
Rorie was named Delta District director in 2001, where he served until his retirement in March 2007. He rejoined the extension service the following month as employment manager.
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4. New Soybean Variety Described at Pine Tree Field Day
"Osage," a new University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture soybean variety introduced during a field day Aug. 16 at Pine Tree Branch Experiment Station at Colt, offers high yields and protein content.
More than 100 farmers, agricultural consultants and business representatives attended the field day. They toured test plots for soybeans, rice and grain sorghum, heard presentations about breeding programs, management practices and insect and weed control, and met face-to-face with U of A Division of Agriculture research and extension scientists.
Program technician Tina Hart said Osage is a maturity group 5.6 soybean that produced yields equal to or slightly higher than high-yield check cultivars in performance tests conducted in Arkansas and neighboring states.
Foundation seed will be available in 2008 for seed companies to produce certified seed for sale to farmers in 2009, Hart said.
Soybean breeder Pengyin Chen said Osage was evaluated in 130 field tests in Arkansas and several southern states from 1999 to 2006, where it exceeded commercial varieties, used as check cultivars, in both yield potential and protein content under most environmental conditions.
More at http://arkansasagnews.uark.edu/1830.htm
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5. Vegetable Substation Hosts Southern Pea Field Day
Southern pea producers and processors had a look at pea breeding and research plots during a field day Aug. 15 at the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture's Vegetable Substation near Alma.
Southern peas, also known as cowpeas or field peas, include blackeye peas, purple hull peas and other popular peas. They are grown commercially in the Arkansas River Valley, primarily for vegetable canning companies, and are also a popular garden vegetable.
UA breeder Teddy Morelock told field day visitors that the breeding program has released 19 southern pea varieties since it began in 1940. The most successful of these is "Early Scarlet," a pinkeye variety released in 1995 that has become a favorite of canning companies in Arkansas and neighboring states.
Weed scientist Nilda Burgos working with Morelock to find southern pea breeding lines with improved tolerance to Reflex, an alternative to Roundup, for which some weeds are developing tolerance.
More at http://arkansasagnews.uark.edu/1828.htm
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6. Johnson Consults on Blackberries in Nanjing
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| Donn Johnson, center, poses with Zhang Kai Long, Sr., agronomist of Nanjing Plant Protection and Quarantine Station, and Zhang Yong, vice director of the station. |
Donn Johnson, Entomology, was a guest of the Nanjing Plant Protection and Quarantine Station in China July 7-15 where he consulted on blackberry pest management practices that resulted in excessive residues on blackberries exported for processing.
He toured a 2,000 hectare blackberry planting in Lishui, which included a demonstration block of the 'Navaho' thornless variety released by the U of A Division of Agriculture.
Parts of this area were first planted in 1996. Since blackberries are a new crop in China, the scientists from the Nanjing Plant Protection and Quarantine Station were beginning to identify and describe the seasonal biology of the blackberry diseases and pests.
Johnson presented two seminars to the Nanjing Agriculture University Department of Entomology: “Insect and disease management program for blackberry In Arkansas" and "Pesticide safety and insect management program for peach and apple in Arkansas." He is arranging for one of the Nanjing scientists to visit the U.S. to learn more about our blackberry and rice production practices and about pesticide rules relative to plant product importation.
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