Cattle owned by Arkansas Tech University will soon have a new 250-acre property to roam.
The Duffield family of Russellville has signed an agreement that will provide the Arkansas Tech agriculture program with access to pasture land owned by the Duffields on the south side of Russellville. The 30-year agreement will be at no cost to Arkansas Tech. There is also an option to extend the agreement further into the future.
As part of the agreement, the Duffield family will prepare the property to accommodate the university’s cattle with an anticipated move date in spring 2027.
“Our family has a long history with Arkansas Tech,” said Luke Duffield. “This was an opportunity to give back to a university and a community that has been so good to our family over the years.”
The number of cattle necessary to provide for the learning laboratory needs of Arkansas Tech students will remain on the ATU farm on the north side of campus, and cattle will be routinely rotated in and out of the laboratory environment.
On-campus farm facilities at Arkansas Tech such as the ATU Greenhouses, the Dr. James “Jim” Collins Agriculture Classroom, the Farm Credit Agriculture Building and spaces for working with cattle and swine will continue to be the center of hands-on learning opportunities for ATU agriculture students.
Arkansas Tech pursued a new home for the majority of its cattle herd so the university can explore options for commercial development of the property it owns on the east side of North Arkansas Avenue.
“Our first priority was making sure we had a great place to locate our cattle,” said Dr. Russell Jones, ATU president. “We think this is a great opportunity for our university. We very much appreciate the Duffield family and them entrusting this land to us for the decades to come. We need additional revenue sources in order to keep tuition prices affordable for students. Developing the land on the east side of our campus will allow us to do that by creating a continuous source of revenue from businesses that lease land from the university. One additional benefit of the development of that land will be the possibility of providing readily accessible restaurant and retail options for our students, faculty and staff as well as citizens who live near campus.”
Learn more about the ATU agriculture program at www.atu.edu/agriculture.
