By HPJ Staff.

Jason Norsworthy’s origin story as a weed scientist began on a truck farm in south Arkansas, and it was told through the unnumbered long, hot hours spent at the end of a gooseneck hoe, chopping weeds from in between sweet potato and purple hull pea plants.

“We didn’t have a lot of herbicides to help with weed control,” he said. “And there were some long days spent chopping weeds, and I’m talking sunup to sundown.”

Norsworthy turned that feeling into a career in weed management. Now a distinguished professor and weed scientist for the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture and the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences, Norsworthy also holds the Elms Farming Chair of Weed Science.

On Dec. 10, USA Rice honored him with its Industry Award for his work combatting weeds in rice. Norsworthy was nominated by Ford Baldwin, a retired Arkansas Extension weed scientist and later consultant.

Published Date: January 7, 2025