Animal Science Names Outstanding Alumni & Friend of the Department

The U of A Department of Animal Science has presented its Awards of Distinction for 2026 with Dean Scarbrough, Ben Williamson and Daniel McFarland receiving alumni honors and Farm Credit of Western Arkansas the friend award.  

Each awardee was recognized for contributions to the animal science industry and research, as well as to the Department of Animal Science in the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences and the U of A System Division of Agriculture.

Recipients were recognized at the department's annual Awards and Scholarship Banquet at the Don Tyson Center for Agricultural Sciences on April 21.

Dean Scarbrough

Scarbrough was raised on a family cow-calf and hay-production operation in eastern Oklahoma and came to the U of A in 1998 after earning his bachelor's degree in animal science at Oklahoma State University. He pursued an M.S. in ruminant nutrition while working as a graduate assistant for Wayne Coblentz. He earned a doctorate under the direction of Coblentz and Ken Coffey, engaging in research at the Milo J. Shult Agricultural Research and Extension Center and at the Livestock and Forestry Research Station in Batesville. He graduated in 2002 and accepted a faculty position in the Agriculture Department at Northwestern Oklahoma State University. Appointed department chair in 2010, he continues to teach and advise undergraduate students today. While at Northwestern, he has been awarded the NWOSU Outstanding Faculty Award (2009), the Oklahoma Honorary State FFA Degree (2013) and the John Barton Award for Distinguished Teaching and Service (2021). He and his wife, Cassandra (U of A class of 2000), have three grown children and recently became proud grandparents to twin granddaughters.

Ben Williamson

Williamson earned his M.S. in 2012 from the U of A after completing his B.S. at Morehead State (MSU) in 2009. He worked as an instructor for two years at MSU and 12 years as a teaching professor at Penn State University. Currently, he is a product manager for Premier Select Cooperative serving the Southeast, including Arkansas. With his wife, Jessica, and two children, they manage their family cow/calf operation in western Maryland.

Daniel McFarland

From Keithville, Louisiana, McFarland earned his B.S. in animal science from the U of A in 2015 and Master of Health Administration from the U of A for Medical Sciences in 2018. Shortly after completing didactic studies, he moved to Baltimore, Maryland, for an administrative fellowship at Johns Hopkins Medicine. He assumed a full-time role as the administrator of adult cardiothoracic surgery program and the Blalock-Taussig-Thomas Pediatric & Congenital Heart programs. McFarland then moved to Boston to serve as the service line administrator at the Brigham and Women's Hospital/Harvard Medical School overseeing digestive health, neuroscience and spine service lines. He now lives in Jersey City, New Jersey, and serves as the assistant vice president of operations at the Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital. McFarland is still an active member of the American Angus Association and remains engaged with the family operation of raising, breeding and exhibiting Angus cattle. He also serves on the U of A Alumni Board.

Farm Credit of Western Arkansas

For more than a century, Farm Credit has provided dependable financing and unwavering support to the people who feed and clothe the world. As a member-owned cooperative, its mission extends beyond lending. It is committed to strengthening rural communities, investing in the next generation of agricultural leaders and advancing the industries that sustain Arkansas. FCWA supports high-quality education, innovative research and hands-on learning opportunities, all essential to the future of the livestock and animal agriculture sectors. Through scholarships, student engagement, faculty support and event sponsorship, Farm Credit of Western Arkansas works to ensure students have resources and experiences needed to grow into skilled, passionate professionals who will lead the industry forward. Farm Credit of Western Arkansas remains committed to empowering students, strengthening agricultural education and supporting the mission of the Department of Animal Science for years to come.

Outstanding Students

In addition, the department also recognized outstanding students for the 2025-26 year: Robin Cheek, Outstanding Ph.D. Student; Jacy Riddle, Outstanding M.S. Student; Kate Henderson, Outstanding Undergraduate Student; and Braydon DeCounter, Outstanding Undergraduate Transfer Student.

Riddle (M.S.) and Cameron Catrett (Ph.D.) were honored as winners of the annual Paul Noland Graduate Student Awards.

Thanks to generous donors, the Department of Animal Science presented over $65,000 in scholarships to very talented and deserving students.

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 Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram and X 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 $3 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.