Mysterious Crop Formations? No, University's 150th Spirit Is Growing

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The Petter family farm is located north of Stuttgart in eastern Arkansas.

For the first time in his life, David Petter, a third-generation Arkansas farmer, is proud to show off something he’s not growing this year. Soybeans and rice are growing on the family farm north of Stuttgart, but in the middle of one field, Petter sacrificed some of his prize beans for a crop design to help highlight the 150th anniversary of the founding of the U of A. 

“A crop duster in the area got a couple of photos of it, and it looks great,” Petter said. “I’m hoping Google will capture a satellite image of it too.” 

Razorback football fans got a sneak peek of the crop design before the Rice game last weekend. 

The U of A is developing a Short Takes video feature to debut later this fall about the crop design and another corn maze design near Mayflower that both celebrate the university’s 150th anniversary. 

Petter and his wife, Monica, are both graduates of the Sam M. Walton College of Business at the U of A. 

“My dad told us we had to have a college degree to farm, and he was right,” Petter said. “The University of Arkansas means a lot to us, and we’re happy to to help support the 150thin this way.”

Find out more about the university’s sesquicentennial at 150.uark.edu, including details about the ‘Come as You Arkansas’ event to be held on campus Sept. 10. 

About the University of Arkansas: As Arkansas' flagship institution, the U of A provides an internationally competitive education in more than 200 academic programs. Founded in 1871, the U of A contributes more than $2.2 billion to Arkansas’ economy through the teaching of new knowledge and skills, entrepreneurship and job development, discovery through research and creative activity while also providing training for professional disciplines. The Carnegie Foundation classifies the U of A among the top 3% of U.S. colleges and universities with the highest level of research activity. U.S. News & World Report ranks the U of A among the top public universities in the nation. See how the U of A works to build a better world at Arkansas Research News.