Members of the U of A's Agricultural Systems and Technology Club recently spent a day at the Greenway Technology Farm in Newport to learn about the latest advances featured in John Deere tractors and machinery.

Jared Field, safety and training manager for Greenway, facilitated the program and visit on April 12. Cortne Young, recruitment manager, and Jeff Barnes, precision agriculture manager, and other employees also participated in the sessions.

The group focused on technology associated with large row-crop planters, see-and-spray field sprayers and John Deere 9 Series tractors with fully integrated precision agriculture technologies and capabilities.

Students making the trip included Henry Akwah, Kelly Duggins, Yihong Feng, Cason Frisby, Siavash Mahmoudi, Akwasi Tagoe, Zane Ward and Tyler Young.

University professor Don Johnson, coordinator of the ASTM concentration, and assistant professor Cengiz Koparan supervised the trip.

"The cooperation of industry partners like Greenway allows the ASTM program to stay current on the latest technology," Johnson said. "We hope to make the trip an annual event."

ASTM is part of the Department of Agricultural Education, Communications and Technology in the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences.

In addition, Greenway also funds a scholarship each year for a student in Bumpers College.

"The Greenway Agricultural Leadership Scholarship helps students in AECT with a concentration in agricultural leadership," said Dan Miller, the college's director of development and external relations. "They are helping to create new leaders in agriculture and fueling the workforce development of Arkansas' most important industry."

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 few 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 and Economic Development News.