FERNDALE, Ark. — Forty-nine years ago, Glenn Nelson, a researcher and retired professor of agricultural engineering, became the first of a long line of honorees for an award named for John W. White to honor excellence in land-grant work.

White, who served as the first head of the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture, had set up a fund to recognize exceptional work in extension, research and teaching — the three land-grant missions. It wasn't just a plaque or trophy, but the honor also came with a modest honorarium.

Funding was a bit sparse in the beginning, so in 1976 and 1977, there was just one award. In 1978, the awards were expanded to four, honoring research, extension, teaching and a student.

"John W. White understood the importance of recognizing those who carry the land grant mission forward," said Deacue Fields, vice president-agriculture for the U of A System. "It wasn't just internal recognition either; it was a chance for the public to know and see the people who were making real improvements in our industry and world and understand that while our work may happen on campuses, its effects are much more far-reaching."

"We gladly carry on this tradition to celebrate excellence in extension, research and teaching — our land-grant mission," Fields said.

Today, those eponymous awards have been expanded to cover excellence in teamwork and extension educators.

Here are this year's winners:

• John W. White Award for Outstanding Research — Brandon McFadden, professor, agricultural economics and agribusiness.

• John W. White Award for Outstanding Teaching — Laura Herold, teaching associate professor, School of Human Environmental Sciences.

• John W. White Award for Outstanding Extension State Faculty — Amanda McWhirt, extension specialist - horticulture crops.

• John W. White Award for Outstanding County Extension Educator — Michelle Mobley, Independence County extension staff chair.

• John W. White Award for Outstanding Team — Feral Hog Control Program, composed of Jennifer Caraway, Miller County extension staff chair; Jason Davis, remote sensing and pesticide application extension specialist; Brittni Littlejohn, assistant professor of animal science; Michael Paskewitz, Izard County extension staff chair; Nana Tian, associate professor at UA-Monticello; and Don White, James White Endowed Professor at UA-Monticello. Rebecca McPeake, extension wildlife specialist, is honored posthumously.

The annual Agriculture Awards also recognize work done by support units.

• Division of Agriculture Outstanding Support Personnel Award, Program Area — Doug Galloway, program associate in animal science, and Lynn Lanthrip, a 4-H program assistant in Drew County.

• Division of Agriculture Outstanding Support Personnel Award, Support Function — Gib Ann Berryhill, senior grants pre-award officer, and Spring Sneed, project/program specialist based at the Northeast Rice Research and Extension Center.

• Division of Agriculture Outstanding Support Personnel Award, Support Staff — Dana Harris, project/program specialist for agricultural education, communications and technology, and Linda McCargo, administrative specialist in animal science.

"This award ceremony is always a special day to recognize the very best of our colleagues in the Division of Agriculture," said Jean-François Meullenet, senior associate vice president for agriculture research and director of the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station. "We were happy to recognize Brandon McFadden with the John W. White Award for Excellence in Research for his contributions in behavioral economics.

"It was also special for me to be able to present for the first time at this event the RoPE awards, recognizing early career staff and faculty for their contributions to the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station," he said.

"It is a real treat to be able to call attention to those who have really gone above and beyond in service to the organization and, more importantly, to our stakeholders around the state," said John Anderson, director of the Cooperative Extension Service. "It's a special privilege for me to be able to present awards to our outstanding state specialist, Amanda McWhirt, and county agent, Michelle Mobley. Both of these women have achieved at a very high level in their Extension careers so far, and it's nice to be able to recognize them for that."

Early career awards

New to this year's award ceremony are the RoPE, or Recognition of Professional Excellence Awards, honoring early career achievements by faculty and staff of the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station, the division's research arm.

• RoPE Award for Business and Administrative Support — John Lovett, science editor in the Communications Department.

• RoPE Award for Research Support Staff — Mike Gilbert, maintenance specialist at the Southwest Research and Extension Center, and Brandon Wodka, project/program specialist at the Rosen Pest Center.

• RoPE Award for Faculty — Caio Vieira, assistant professor of soybean breeding.

Bumpers College awards

The Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences, which conducts the land-grant teaching mission in Arkansas, also honored its employees.

• Outstanding Honors Thesis Mentor Award — Nathan Kemper, associate professor, agricultural economics and agribusiness.

• Outstanding International Educational Award — Laurie Apple, associate professor, School of Human Environmental Science.

• Alumni Society Outstanding Advising Award — Jill Rucker, associate professor, Department of Agricultural Education, Communications and Technology.

• Jack G. Justus Endowment for Teaching Excellence — Lance Cheramie, teaching assistant professor in the School of Human Environmental Sciences.

• Bumpers College Dean's Award of Excellence for Departmental Professional Staff Support — Katie Himes, office administrator in the School of Human Environmental Sciences.

• Bumpers College Dean's Award of Excellence for Professional Staff — Abbie Tanner, academic counselor in the dean's office.

• Spitze Land Grant University Faculty Award — Beth Kegley, professor of animal science.

Jeff Edwards, Bumpers College dean, said, "I'm continually impressed by the caliber and commitment of our faculty and staff. They are the heart of Bumpers College and play a vital role in advancing our land-grant mission.

"This ceremony is a wonderful opportunity to celebrate their achievements and the collaboration between Bumpers College and the Division of Agriculture that makes so much of our success possible," he said. "I'm proud to see our exceptional faculty and staff recognized alongside the other outstanding honorees."

Patents

Faculty who have been awarded patents during 2025 are also recognized.

Individual patents:

• Peter Rubinelli, program associate in food science — A Novel Bactericidal Protein for Control of Campylobacter and Listeria

• Karen Moldenhauer, retired rice breeder — Rice Cultivar RU2001093 — "CLL18"

• Xueyan Sha, professor and rice breeder — PVL04 RU2201021

Collaborative patents:

• Glufosinate Synergist for Improved Weed Control — Jason Norsworthy, Distinguished Professor and weed scientist, and Grant Priess, graduate student

• Tank-Mix Partners to Reduce Dicamba Volatility and Provide Plant Essential Nutrients —Norsworthy and Trenton Roberts, endowed professor and extension soil fertility specialist.

• Swine Origin Probiotics that Promote Health and Growth Performance in Pigs — Charles Maxwell, professor of animal science, posthumous recognition; TsungCheng Tsai, program associate in animal science; and Xiaofan Wang, former post-doctoral researcher.

• Preparation Methods for Crosslinking Collodial Cellulose Nanocrystals and Applications Thereof — Jin-Woo Kim, Distinguished Professor of biological and agricultural engineering, and Joseph Batta-Mpouma, Celludot.

Our fruit breeding program had two nectarine breeding patents:

• Nectarine named A-783CN by John Clark, retired distinguished professor of fruit breeding, and Margaret Worthington, associate professor and fruit breeder,

• Nectarine named A-662CN by Clark, Worthington and James Moore, Distinguished Professor, posthumous recognition.

​To learn more about the Division of Agriculture research, visit the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station website. Follow us on 𝕏 at @ArkAgResearch, subscribe to the Food, Farms and Forests podcast and sign up for our monthly newsletter, the Arkansas Agricultural Research Report. To learn more about the Division of Agriculture, visit uada.edu. Follow us on 𝕏 at @AgInArk. To learn about extension programs in Arkansas, contact your local Cooperative Extension Service agent or visit uaex.uada.edu.

About the Division of Agriculture: The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture's mission is to strengthen agriculture, communities, and families by connecting trusted research to the adoption of best practices. Through the Agricultural Experiment Station and the Cooperative Extension Service, the Division of Agriculture conducts research and extension work within the nation's historic land grant education system. The Division of Agriculture is one of 20 entities within the University of Arkansas System. It has offices in all 75 counties in Arkansas and faculty on three campuses. Pursuant to 7 CFR § 15.3, the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture offers all its Extension and Research programs and services (including employment) without regard to race, color, sex, national origin, religion, age, disability, marital or veteran status, genetic information, sexual preference, pregnancy or any other legally protected status, and is an equal opportunity institution.

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