Laudies Brantley (right) We are excited to introduce Laudies Brantley as one of our speakers for the 2026 Arkansas Soil and Water Education Conference and Irrigation EXPO. He graduated from England High School in 1965. Following graduation, he attended Arkansas State University (A-State) and completed his Bachelor of Science degree. Laudies received his college diploma from Carl Reng in the Spring of 1969. Laudies was born in 1947 and the first year his parents made their fir

We are excited to introduce Dan Hooks as one of our speakers for the 2026 Arkansas Soil and Water Education Conference and Irrigation EXPO. Dan Hooks, current President of the White River Irrigation District, is a semi-retired American farmer managing approximately 1,200 acres of irrigated farmland in Prairie County near Slovak, Arkansas, alongside his brother and son. Their family operation primarily produces rice and soybeans, with some wheat cultivation, and has successful

We are excited to introduce Dr. Michele L. Reba as one of our speakers for the 2026 Arkansas Soil and Water Education Conference and Irrigation EXPO. Dr. Reba is a research hydrologist, lead scientist, and research leader (acting) at the USDA-ARS-Delta Water Management Research Unit in Jonesboro, Arkansas. The mission of the unit is to execute research related to agricultural water resources management at the multiple scales to further our knowledge base, evaluate technologic

We are excited to introduce Deborah Leslie as one of our speakers for the 2026 Arkansas Soil and Water Education Conference and Irrigation EXPO. Deborah Leslie is an Assistant Professor at the University of Memphis in the Department of Earth Sciences. She grew up in the Arkansas Delta and graduated with her PhD in Earth Sciences from the Ohio State University. She completed a postdoctoral research position with the USDA-ARS Delta Water Management Research before becoming an a

We are excited to introduce Dr. Gerson Drescher as one of our speakers for the 2026 Arkansas Soil and Water Education Conference and Irrigation EXPO. Dr. Drescher is an Assistant Professor of Applied Soil Fertility at the Department of Crop, Soil, and Environmental Sciences, University of Arkansas. His research is focused on developing best crop and nutrient management strategies to enhance crop production and environmental sustainability. Dr. Drescher’s research emphasizes s

We are excited to introduce Edward Swaim as one of our speakers for the 2026 Arkansas Soil and Water Education Conference and Irrigation EXPO. Edward Swaim has served as Executive Director of the Bayou Meto Water Management District since April 2019, overseeing a project that will provide irrigation water, flood reduction, and wildlife habitat in five Arkansas counties. Prior to this position, he served as chief of the Water Management Division at the Arkansas Natural Resourc

We are excited to introduce Dennis K. Carman as one of our speakers for the 2026 Arkansas Soil and Water Education Conference and Irrigation EXPO. He retired from NRCS in 2007 and is currently the Chief Engineer and Director for the White River Irrigation District charged with delivering Affordable Surface Water to the Grand Prairie Region. Dennis is lifetime member of the American Society of Biological and Agriculture Engineers. He gained experience with NRCS in Kentucky, P

We are excited to introduce Tate Wentz as one of our speakers for the 2026 Arkansas Soil and Water Education Conference and Irrigation EXPO. Tate is a native Arkansawyer. He received a Bachelor of Science from Arkansas Tech University in Fisheries and Wildlife Biology and a Master of Science from Arkansas State University in Aquatic Ecology. Tate has spent the last two decades studying Arkansas aquatic ecology and water quality. This included time at the Arkansas Department o

We are excited to introduce Dr. Ayush Joshi Gyawali as one of our speakers for the 2026 Arkansas Soil and Water Education Conference and Irrigation EXPO. Dr. Gyawali is a Research Soil Scientist specializing in quantifying and assessing soil health through proximal sensing and field-scale measurement. He has focused his research on answering questions ranging from field sampling design to developing novel, inexpensive devices to quantify soil health indicators. Specifically,

We are excited to introduce Mike Clay as one of our speakers for the 2026 Arkansas Soil and Water Education Conference and Irrigation EXPO. Mr. Clay has 20 years of water resources engineering experience. He has served as the Chief of the Hydraulics & Hydrology Branch in the Memphis District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers since 2018. His government service spans back to 2010 at both the Memphis and Walla Walla Districts working in the Mississippi River and Snake River basins.

We are excited to introduce Amanda Mathis as one of our speakers for the 2026 Arkansas Soil and Water Education Conference and Irrigation EXPO. Mathis began volunteering with the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) in 2004 and quickly learned the agency was a perfect fit for her agriculture and conservation passion. In 2005, she joined the agency full time and served as a soil conservationist and district conservationist in counties throughout Arkansas. In 2015, Mat

Online registration for the 28th Arkansas Soil and Water Education Conference and Irrigation EXPO is now available! Come join us at the Arkansas State University Student Union Auditorium on Jan. 14, 2026. You can also register in person on Jan. 14 at 7 A.M. Register Here

The 28th Arkansas Soil and Water Education Conference and Irrigation EXPO will be held at the Arkansas State University Student Union...

Dr. Trenton L. Roberts is a Professor and Extension Soil Fertility Specialist in the Department of Crop, Soil and Environmental Sciences...

Chris Colclasure is the Director of the Natural Resources Division of the Arkansas Department of Agriculture. A position he has held...

Dr. Paul DeLaune is the Department Head of Crop, Soil, and Environmental Sciences (CSES) at the University of Arkansas. Prior to his...

Matt Miles, alongside his wife, son and daughter-in-law farm over 12,000 acres of farmland in the Arkansas Delta.    Matt began his...

Amanda Mathis began volunteering with Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) in 2004 and quickly learned the agency was a perfect...

Dr. Paul Counce is a professor in the Department of Crop, Soil and Environmental Sciences and Rice Research and Extension Center at the...

Dean Wall has been a grain farmer in Greene County, Arkansas for 40 years. He is a graduate of Arkansas State University (Agricultural...

Jerry Don Clark is a fourth generation rice and soybean farmer. He owns and operates a 2,500 acre farm in the Otwell/Valley View area...

Mr. Mike Clay serves as the Memphis District’s Chief of the Hydraulics & Hydrology Branch. In this role, he serves as consultant and...

Michael Klamm serves as the Deputy Regional Director for the Delta Region, encompassing Arkansas, Louisiana, and Mississippi, with the...

Sandi Rose has worked at the Arkansas chapter of The Nature Conservancy for five years. She currently works as the Program Manager for...

Online registration is now available for the 2025 Arkansas Soil and Water Education Conference and Irrigation EXPO -...

This year's Arkansas Soil and Water Education Conference and Irrigation EXPO will be held in Centennial Hall at the Arkansas State...

We are so excited to introduce some of our speakers for the 26th annual Arkansas Soil and Water Education Conference and Irrigation EXPO!...

The Arkansas Soil & Water Education Conference and Irrigation EXPO will be held at the First National Bank Arena in Jonesboro, Arkansas,...

Chris Colclasure is the Director of the Natural Resources Division of the Arkansas Department of Agriculture. A position he has held since...

Joel Riley has been working for the USACE Memphis District Hydraulics and Hydrology Branch since 2020. He graduated with a Civil...

Dr. Laura Ruhl-Whittle grew up in Monroe, Louisiana, and later moved to Ft. Myers, Florida. She received a BS and MS in Geological...

Amanda Mathis grew up on a cattle operation in northwest Arkansas, where her passion for agriculture began early in life. She boasts a...

Dr. Benjamine Runkle is an associate professor of Biological and Agricultural Engineering at the University of Arkansas. He started this...

Catherine M. Janasie is Research Counsel II (Sr.) with the National Sea Grant Law Center (NSGLC) at The University of Mississippi School...

Dr. Shannon Speir is the Assistant Professor of Water Quality in the Department of Crop, Soil, and Environmental Sciences at the...

Dr. Chris Delhom is a Research Engineer and Acting Research Leader with the Cotton Structure and Quality Research Unit of the USDA...

We are proud to announce that our 25th annual Arkansas Soil and Water Education Conference and Expo will be held in-person on January 25,...

Jennifer James is a fourth-generation rice, soybean and corn farmer from Newport, Arkansas. She is part owner of H&J Land Company, a...

Dr. Joe Massey is a research agronomist with the USDA ARS - Jonesboro. Most of his work is farm-based and designed to help sustain water...

Clay Smith currently serves on boards for the Greene County Farm Bureau and Greene County Conservation District. He is from Walcott,...

Jan Yingling is a University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Agent in White County. She has worked with Brandon Cain to enter the Most...

Brandon Cain is a North Central Arkansas farmer from White County that has been using IWM techniques like computerized hole design and...

The virtual 24th annual Arkansas Soil and Water Education Conference & Expo will officially be on January 26, 2022. Due to COVID-19, our...

Richard Pickett is a small business owner and accelerated master’s student at Arkansas State University. Richard Pickett was raised in...

Dr. Rigby is a Research Hydrologist and Acting Branch Chief with the Lower Mississippi-Gulf Water Science Center. Dr. Rigby has served as...

Dr. Jeannie Barlow will be unable to speak at the 23rd annual Arkansas Soil & Water Education Conference this year. Dr. James Rigby will...

Adam Chappell farms 8,000 acres in northeast Arkansas growing corn, cotton, rice, soybeans, and a mix of small grains. Along with his...

Dr. Jeannie Barlow, Deputy Director U.S. Geological Survey, Lower Mississippi-Gulf Water Science Center Jackson, Mississippi Jeannie...

The 23rd annual Arkansas Soil & Water Education Conference (ASWEC) is back this year with a new twist. This years conference will be the...