Most universities hold a homecoming during a big ball game. However, Greg Montgomery would like the University of Arkansas at Monticello to something a little more “ag” by welcoming alumni back during the spring Weevil Stampede Rodeo on April 21-23.
Montgomery, is the farm manager for UAM and event organizer, said the Aggie Comeback event is a tribute to the university’s agricultural education heritage and its many alumni.
Even though the university’s official mascot is the Boll Weevil, there is a pride among those who graduated from what was the Agriculture Department in calling themselves “Aggies.”
“I want this to be more than a traditional field day, more than just a rodeo,” Montgomery said. He sees this “event as an opportunity to tie into many things we do between alumni and current ag education.”
In 2018, the school’s Agriculture Department merged into the College Forestry, Agriculture and Natural Resources.
“We want to bring our ag alumni back and highlight some of the things going on here on campus,” he said.
“It’s a chance to rekindle some old relationships with people you might not have seen in a while and maybe meet some people you never met before,” he said. It’s an “opportunity to show that our department is not dead, and we are functioning quite well. We are doing a lot that our alumni and friends don’t necessarily know.”
The Aggie Comeback will work around the rodeo events of the Weevil Stampede and include tours of the farm facilities and cattle. There will also be seminars and a sale of the college’s premier bull and cow stock.
On Saturday evening, the Aggie Comeback will host a scholarship dinner. The UAM Agriculture Alumni Society established the scholarship to honor Robert C. Kirst, professor emeritus of agriculture after he retired from UAM in 1998. The scholarship is awarded to full-time students who are juniors or seniors majoring in any field of agriculture on the Monticello campus. Montgomery says money from the dinner will be added to that scholarship fund. As attendees might expect, beef will be showcased with a steak dinner.
UAM Alumni Aggie Comeback event rundown:
April 21-Thursday
• 6 p.m. — Weevil Stampede Collegiate Rodeo — Drew County Fairgrounds
April 22- Friday
• 4 p.m. — Farm Tour
• 5:30 p.m. — Drew/Desha Cattlemen’s meetings
April 23-Saturday
• 8-8:30 a.m. — Breakfast on campus
• 9-10:30 a.m. — Breakout sessions with speakers
• 11 a.m. — Cattle Production Sale
• Noon — Lunch
• 2- 4 p.m. — Weevil Stampede Finals
• 6 p.m. — Ag Alumni Scholarship Dinner and Auction atThe Ridge
Call 870-460-1052 for tickets to the dinner. For more Information, contact Greg Montgomery at [email protected] or Lonni Davis @ [email protected].
About the College of Forestry, Agriculture and Natural Resources and the Arkansas Forest Resources Center
The College of Forestry, Agriculture and Natural Resources, and the Arkansas Forest Resources Center, a University of Arkansas System Center of Excellence, brings together interdisciplinary expertise through a partnership between the University of Arkansas at Monticello and the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture. The College and Center are headquartered at the University of Arkansas at Monticello campus, but their programs range statewide with the mission of developing and delivering teaching, research, and extension programs that enhance and ensure the sustainability and productivity of forest-based natural resources and agricultural systems. Academic programs are delivered by the College of Forestry, Agriculture, and Natural Resources through the University of Arkansas at Monticello. Through the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture, research is administered by the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station, and extension and outreach activities are coordinated by the Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service.
The University of Arkansas at Monticello and the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture offer all of their programs to all eligible persons 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 are Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employers.
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.
