CSES Delta Scholarship Tourney Raises $27K; Eight Scholarships Awarded

The 24th Annual Delta Scholarship Golf Classic raised more than $27,000 and resulted in eight students receiving scholarships for 2024-25.

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 229 scholarships and raised $529,324.98, including this year's total of $27,374.81.

Held July 18 at The Ridges at Village Creek at Village Creek State Park in Wynne, the event is annually coordinated by friends, alumni, faculty and staff from the Department of Crop, Soil and Environmental Sciences, which houses the crop science program. Darrin Malone, southeast market development specialist with AMVAC in Paragould, served as tournament director, and Glenn Kernodle, sales representative with UPL (agrochemical company) in Wynne, served as co-director. Trent Roberts, interim head of the department, was also a co-director along with Dan Miller, Bumpers College director of development and external relations.

"The Delta Classic Scholarship Tournament is a wonderful example of how a simple idea can help change the lives of Arkansans," says Roberts. "Dr. Jim Barrentine set out with a mission to use his love for golf, eastern Arkansas and agriculture to help promote undergraduate student scholarships within the Department of Crop, Soil and Environmental Sciences. These freshman and sophomore scholarships help recruit and retain some of the best and brightest high school students in Arkansas to CSES and the Bumpers College."

Erin Harders, Rogers; Gabriela Magallon, Panama; Ana Lopez Medina, Memphis, Tennessee; and Gage Parker, Carlisle; were all awarded the Delta Classic Scholarship.

Jackson Cunningham, Carlisle; Gaston Fletcher, Scott; Alissa Foley, Allen, Texas; and Kelby Lassiter, West Memphis; were awarded the James L. Barrentine Endowed Scholarship. Barrentine is former head of the department, then the Department of Agronomy.

Corporate sponsors for the tournament were Arkansas Farm Bureau, BASF, Bayer Crop Science, CORTEVA agriscience and FMC (Food Machinery Corporation).

Winners of the 30-team tournament were:

• Flight A, Ag Council of Arkansas (Andrew Grobmyer, Little Rock; and Matt Hyneman, Bradshaw Lewis, Bryan Wagner, all of Jonesboro)
• Flight B, RiceTec (Matt Snow, Lonoke; Jay Birchfield, Cleveland, Mississippi; Whitney Jones, Carlisle; and Stewart Warner, West Memphis)
• Flight C, Pirani Farms (Dennis Pirani and Frank McCarty, Marion; Charlie Farr, Crawfordsville; and Jody Gilbert, Wynne)

Hole sponsors were Ag Council of Arkansas, Ag Heritage Farm Credit Services, AMVAC, Farm Credit Mid-America, Greenway Equipment, Producers Rice Mill, Riceland Foods Foundation and U of A's CSES department.

"I am always humbled by the Arkansas agricultural industry's support of the golf tournament and our CSES students," Roberts says. "It is great to know how much they value our students and department as evidenced by their growing and continual support of the tournament."

Team sponsors included Ag Heritage Farm Credit Services, Albaugh, Carlton Fisher with Nutrien Ag, Cross Bank, Darrin Malone, Jim Barrentine, Edward Jones, Gowan USA, Mid-South Ag Equipment, Pirani Farms, Progeny Ag Products, RiceTec, Syngenta, U of A's weed science program, United Phosphorous and USA Rice.

"We just completed our 24th year of the Delta Golf Classic, which has raised over $500,000 for students in crop, soil and environmental sciences," says Malone, one of the coordinators of the event. "However, we couldn't do it without our generous corporate, hole and team sponsors throughout the years. In addition, our volunteers continue to show up and make this tournament happen year in and year out. It's fun to be a part of this special event and be a small part of the student's careers, who are awarded year after year. We look forward to our 25th year on July 17, 2025, which means one whole quarter-century in the making, and kudos to all who have been a part of this LEGACY event. We look forward to seeing you again next year."

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 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.

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