Living in a food desert doesn't automatically translate into childhood obesity, but there is evidence linking the two, a new study by University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture researchers has found.

The study by Mike Thomsen, professor of agricultural economics and agribusiness; Rodolfo Nayga, Tyson Chair of Food Policy Economics; Pedro Alviola, IV, associate professor at the University of the Philippines Mindanao, and Heather Rouse of the Arkansas Center for Health Improvement, explored some of the subtleties of the food desert concept, defined as an area where healthy food choices aren't readily available. 

The team looked at differences in how food deserts affect urban and rural households, whether the nearness of a grocery store is a factor and whether low-income neighborhoods are synonymous with food deserts. In the study, the researchers accounted for multiple factors including age, time lived in a food desert, whether the child had access to free or reduced cost school lunch, along with neighborhood measures of educational attainment, vehicle ownership and proximity to fast food.

"There's evidence that food deserts matter in ways that a low income level of a neighborhood doesn't," Thomsen, said. "However, there may be something about the community -- aside from lack of grocery stores -- that makes them more likely to be obesogenic, or foster obesity."

The good news is "we can do something about it," he said. Thomsen cited school interventions and educational programs like "SNAP-Ed with the Cooperative Extension Service or programs in 4-H that get kids more active." 

(See full article at http://uaex.edu/media-resources/news/september2105/09-11-2015-Ark-Food-Deserts.aspx.)

USS John C. Stennis (CVN-74) at sea.

Lionel Barton

Thomas Lionel Barton, 78, emeritus professor of poultry science at the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture, died Sept. 19, 2015, at his home in Fayetteville. He was known throughout the Arkansas poultry industry for his 28 years of service as a poultry specialist for the Cooperative Extension Service. 

Barton was "the perfect poultry extension specialist," said Michael Kidd, director of the Division of Agriculture Center of Excellence for Poultry Science. "He had a unique ability to relate scientific findings to practice and helped numerous farmers and the poultry industry throughout his career. His contributions to the Center of Excellence for Poultry Science after his retirement were invaluable. He was very engaged and I never saw him have a bad day."

"Dr. Lionel Barton was a well-known and highly respected colleague prior to my arrival at the University of Arkansas as the director and department head of the Center of Excellence for Poultry Science in 1992," said James Denton, who was director when Barton retired in 1995.

"The most impressive characteristic of Dr. Barton was his reputation within the poultry industry," Denton continued. "Having been a member of a team of five extension specialists at Texas A&M University with statewide responsibility, it was remarkable to me that he was the primary resource serving the industry of Arkansas. When the size and scope of the poultry industry in Arkansas is considered in comparison to the industry in Texas, his contributions to the industry were nothing short of magnificent. He was the perfect example of the team player, with his support and valuable counsel in our beginning years proving beneficial to any success we achieved. His contributions left a mark that will last for many years."  

(See full article at http://uaex.edu/media-resources/news/september2105/09-22-2015-Ark-Lionel-Barton-Obit.aspx.)

Andrew Sharpley, professor of crop, soil, and environmental sciences, was named a Fellow of the Soil and Water Conservation Society at its annual conference during the summer. The designation of Fellow is conferred upon society members who have performed exceptional service in advocating the conservation of soil, water and related natural resources.

The Society recognized Sharpley as a world authority on assessment, management and remediation of the impacts of agricultural management on water quality. "His 35-year research career focuses on soil chemistry, the fate of phosphorus applied in fertilizer and manure, subsequent phosphorus release to runoff water, and the impacts of agricultural management on those processes and water quality," the Society said. "He works to increase national and international awareness of the effects of agriculture on water quality and develop cost-efficient methods to protect water quality."

The society also noted that Sharpley pioneered the development of novel environmental risk assessment tools and simulation models that are used by regulatory and resource conservation agencies throughout the world. It said his research provides the scientific and technical framework for national nutrient management and water quality policies that have an important influence on nutrient management on farms. 

Sharpley is the leader of Big Creek Research and Extension Team currently studying the effects of a hog farm in the Buffalo River watershed. In 2012 he received the Distinguished Agriscientist Award from the Christopher Columbus Fellowship Foundation and American Farm Bureau Federation. He has also been inducted into the USDA Agricultural Research Service Hall of Fame.

Steven C. Ricke, director of the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture Center for Food Safety, received the Arkansas Association for Food Protection Fellow award during the AAFP's annual meeting in September. Ricke is a former president of the organization and served as one of its founding members in 2009.

"I am both deeply honored and humbled by this award as it is a reflection of how much this food industry organization has taken off over the years to become the premier food safety annual meeting for food industry professionals in the state of Arkansas," Ricke said. "AAFP does not achieve this without the dedication and volunteerism of the food safety industry and academic members who make this organization's continued growth and success possible." 

AAFP consists of food safety professionals from academics, industry, regulatory and retail backgrounds. As the Arkansas affiliate of the International Association for Food Protection, AAFP provides a forum for educational seminars and meetings on current trends and issues in food safety. AAFP through its educational conference provides its members with access to innovative scientific and technical information, as well as a connection to the food safety industry and some its top experts. AAFP's goal is to provide its members with practical information that they can take back to their workplace and apply.

Ricke holds the Donald C. "Buddy" Wray Chair in Food Safety at the university's Department of Food Science. His main research focus has been on virulence and pathogenic characteristics of foodborne salmonellae. Ricke holds B.S. and M.S. degrees from the University of Illinois and a Ph.D. degree from the University of Wisconsin. He was a professor at Texas A&M University until 2005 when he came to Arkansas to hold the endowed chair and to direct the Center for Food Safety. Over his professional career he has served as an editor for six books, co-authored more than 400 peer-reviewed research and review articles as well as more than 50 book chapters and has delivered more than 160 talks to a wide range of audiences.