July 28, 2021
Ph.D. student receives American Society of Agronomy scholarship
By Robby Edwards, Director of Communications
Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences
Fast facts
- Carrie Ortel receives Nelson Yield-Limiting Factors Graduate Student Scholarship
- Conducts Agricultural Experiment Station soil fertility research
- Scholarship awarded by American Society of Agronomy
(335 words)
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FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Carrie Ortel, a doctoral candidate in the University of Arkansas' Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences, has been named recipient of the Nelson Yield-Limiting Factors Graduate Student Scholarship awarded by the American Society of Agronomy.
Ortel, a post-doctoral fellow, is working on her Ph.D. in crop, soil and environmental sciences with a focus on soil fertility. She is conducting soil fertility research in the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station, the research arm of the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture.
Her research, under graduate advisor Trent Roberts, associate professor of soil fertility and testing, evaluates late season potassium applications to Arkansas soybean, exploring ways to maximize yield and profit potential for producers.
According to data by Arkansas Farm Bureau, soybeans and soybean products are Arkansas's largest agricultural exports. Arkansas ranks 10th in the nation in soybean production, producing more than 150 million bushels annually, valued at more than $1.5 billion.
"Carrie epitomizes the hard work, dedication and passion for agriculture that every adviser hopes for in a graduate student," Roberts said. "Having graduate students like Carrie is great not only for the University of Arkansas, but for the farmers and agricultural industry across the state."
Ortel has placed first in oral presentation competitions at two different national professional meetings, and she serves as vice president of the CSES Graduate Student Club.
She earned her bachelor's degree from Virginia Tech University and master's degree from the U of A. She worked as an extension agent in North Carolina.
The scholarship was established to encourage students to pursue research and careers in support of the diagnosis of yield-limiting factors in agronomy. Its focus is on leadership and accomplishments, and on nominee's long-term personal goals to research and develop improved diagnostic techniques and solutions to yield-limiting factors in agronomy. It is provided through the Agronomic Science Foundation by the Werner L. Nelson Fund.
The American Society of Agronomy is a group of professional experts who help feed and sustain the world every day.
To learn more about Division of Agriculture research, visit the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station website: https://aaes.uada.edu/. Follow us on Twitter at @ArkAgResearch.
To learn more about the Division of Agriculture, visit https://uada.edu/. Follow us on Twitter at @AgInArk.
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 five system campuses.
The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture offers all its Extension and Research programs and services without regard to race, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, religion, age, disability, marital or veteran status, genetic information, or any other legally protected status, and is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer.
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.