News from ATA

My name is Wendell Hutchens. I am the new Assistant Professor of Turfgrass Science in the Department of Horticulture at the University of Arkansas. I am originally from the small town of Stuart tucked away in the Blue Ridge Mountains of southwest Virginia. I received my bachelor’s degree in turfgrass science and master’s degree in turfgrass pathology from North Carolina State University, and I recently completed my PhD in turfgrass pathology at Virginia Tech studying spring dead spot of bermudagrass. I hope to continue some of my work with spring dead spot at the University of Arkansas. I will be researching mainly turfgrass diseases in this position due to my expertise in turfgrass pathology, but I will also conduct research on the use of new technologies such as drones and GPS-guided sprayers in turfgrass management, winter survivability of warm-season turfgrasses, general agronomic practices to best manage both cool- and warm-season grasses, and implementation of low-input grasses and management strategies for turfgrass systems.

I look forward to meeting and working with the turfgrass professionals throughout the state of Arkansas and the surrounding region. I will be highly active in extension and consulting for these turfgrass professionals, and I hope to develop strong relationships with the stakeholders throughout Arkansas. My goal is to be available to the turfgrass professionals and help in any way I can. I am also excited to teach turfgrass science classes to the undergraduate students at the University of Arkansas. I hope to grow the numbers of the program through extensive recruiting and outreach efforts. •