Research Agronomist Returns Home to Aid Rice and Row Crop Producers

By Maddie Johnson

Justin Chlapecka’s new role as assistant professor of agronomy comes with an office just about 35 miles from where he grew up  a return home he sees as an opportunity to give back to his community through recommendations for enhancing crop production.

Growing up in Newport  located in one of the state’s top rice-producing counties, Jackson County  Chlapecka went to a rural school and remembers being surrounded by agriculture.

Service to farmers

In his new role, Chlapecka will continue his close connection to farming by conducting research through the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station and offering guidance to rice and row crop farmers through the Cooperative Extension Service. He will be based at the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture’s Northeast Rice Research and Extension Center, or NERREC.

Located on 600 acres between Harrisburg and Jonesboro, NERREC’s mission focuses on researching rice production practices that strengthen farm income while promoting sustainability when it comes to resource use.

When he is not in the office writing manuscripts documenting his studies and drafting grant proposals, Chlapecka is in the field conducting rice trials aimed at answering farmers’ rice-related questions to help them optimize their production with research-backed recommendations.