Horticulture Students Claim First Place Awards

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From left, John Clark, Derek Barchenger and Curt Rom.

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Several horticulture students from the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences at the University of Arkansas recently won first-place honors in competition at the Southern Region of the American Society for Horticulture Science meeting.

The meeting was held in conjunction with the Southern Association of Agricultural Scientists conference in Dallas.

Derek Barchenger competed in the graduate student oral and poster presentation competition. Barchenger, under the direction of professor John Clark, won first place in the regional competition.

In the undergraduate division, the team of Megan Lankford, Leah Malvar, Jack McCoy and Amon Ibrahim won first place in the Commodity (fruits, vegetables, nuts) judging competition.

From left, Jack McCoy, Amon Ibrahim, Leah Malvar and Megan Lankford are presented the team award by professor Curt Rom for winning the Commodity judging competition.

“The undergraduate competitions in the Southern Region are the largest in the U.S.,” said professor Curt Rom, who just concluded his term as the society president. “We are proud of the University of Arkansas and Bumpers College students who can put their classroom learning into practice through these competitions. They are all winners.”

Lankford, who is from Oxford, N.Y., was also elected by students in the region to serve as a representative to the Associated Collegiate Branch of the American Society for Horticulture Sciences, which is the national undergraduate horticulture student organization.