The 21st Annual Delta Scholarship Golf Classic raised more than $18,000 and resulted in five students receiving scholarships for 2021-22.

The students are all crop science majors in U of A's Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences.

Since 2000, the tournament has funded 205 scholarships and raised $457,507.38, including this year's total of $18,155.03.

Held July 15 at The Ridges at Village Creek at Village Creek State Park in Wynne, the event is annually coordinated by friends, alumni and staff from the Department of Crop, Soil and Environmental Sciences, which houses the crop science program.

"The Delta Scholarship Golf Classic is a great example of the agricultural industry giving back to help students attend college and make the cost of a college education less burdensome for them and their families," said Nathan Slaton, interim head of the Department of Crop, Soil and Environmental Sciences and assistant director of the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station. "The event shows how the agriculture industry is fully vested in providing opportunities to sustain a well-educated workforce. We are very appreciative of the donors and everyone involved with the tournament who make this event possible and support our department and our students."

Wesley Herrman of Webster Grove, Missouri, was awarded a Delta Classic Scholarship. Recipients of the James L. Barrentine Endowed Scholarship include Arkansans Rhet Baxley of Pocahontas, Alyssa Butler of Lonoke, William Fletcher of Scott and James Malone of Paragould.

"I want to thank everyone on the Delta Classic planning committee for making this year's event a success," said Glenn Kernodle, tournament director and sales representative with UPL-North America in Cabot. "Also thanks to our teams and sponsors. The goal has always been to support the future of the agriculture industry … helping students achieve knowledge they will need to be successful in their life-long careers."

Corporate sponsors for the tournament were Arkansas Farm Bureau, BASF and Corteva Agriscience.

Tournament winners were:

• First Flight, Ag Council of Arkansas (Andrew Grobmyer, Little Rock; Drew Higginbotham, Forrest City; Steven Rice, Palestine; and Bradshaw Lewis, Jonesboro)
• Second Flight, Greenway Equipment (Bill Midkiff, Jake Haralson and Carson Stewart, Wynne; and Coy Burns, Jonesboro)
• Third Flight, Riceland Foods (Zachary Borchert, Michael Borchert, Bradley Collier and Chancellor Jackson)

Twenty-one teams competed and enjoyed a barbeque lunch prepared by Jay Gahr of Wynne.

"BASF is proud to be a corporate sponsor of the Delta Classic, which has been a vital component for the Delta area of Arkansas," said BASF Delta Area IS Manager Brad Koen. "The money raised has been a lifeline for students from Southeast Arkansas, assuring that the ag industry remains strong. BASF has always been honored to sponsor such an event that benefits our industry and honors such a great man as Dr. James Barrentine."

"Corteva is proud to be involved with the University of Arkansas Department of Crop, Soil and Environmental Sciences in support of this event," said Darrin Malone, Mid-South Region district sales leader for Corteva Agriscience. "We understand your commitment to Arkansas students due to your long-standing tradition for 21 years, which has created a legacy for future students. It's always good to help support these young students and help prepare them for their future careers in agriculture. Giving back to them really makes a lot of sense since many could be future employees of our sponsors."

Hole sponsors were ADAMA, Ag Council of Arkansas, Ag Heritage Farm Credit Services, Bayer CropScience, Jim Barrentine, Farm Credit Midsouth, Greenway Equipment, Producers Rice Mill, Riceland Foods Foundation, U of A's CSES department and UPL-NA.

Team sponsors included Cross County Bank, FMC, Gowan USA, Mid-South Ag Equipment, Nutrien Ag Solutions, RiceTec, Syngenta, U of A Rice Agronomy and U of A Weed Science.

Arkansas Farm Bureau also provided balls and towels. Beverage donations were made by Kernodle, Slaton, Adam Compton, Matt Cordell, Josh Cunningham, Greenway Equipment, Brad Koen and Soybean Agronomy. 

Students wishing to apply for future scholarships should complete the Bumpers College scholarship application between Jan. 1 - Feb. 15.

About the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences: Bumpers College provides life-changing opportunities to position and prepare graduates who will be leaders in the businesses associated with foods, family, the environment, agriculture, sustainability and human quality of life; and who will be first-choice candidates of employers looking for leaders, innovators, policy makers and entrepreneurs. The college is named for Dale Bumpers, former Arkansas governor and longtime U.S. senator who made the state prominent in national and international agriculture. For more information about Bumpers College, visit our website, and follow us on Twitter at @BumpersCollege and Instagram at BumpersCollege.

About the University of Arkansas: As Arkansas' flagship institution, the U of A provides an internationally competitive education in more than 200 academic programs. Founded in 1871, the U of A contributes more than $2.2 billion to Arkansas' economy through the teaching of new knowledge and skills, entrepreneurship and job development, discovery through research and creative activity while also providing training for professional disciplines. The Carnegie Foundation classifies the U of A among the top 3% of U.S. colleges and universities with the highest level of research activity. U.S. News & World Report ranks the U of A among the top public universities in the nation. See how the U of A works to build a better world at Arkansas Research News.