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Arena's passion for conservation is a boon for Mississippi farmers
When viewed on a map, the part of Louisiana where Jason Arena grew up is covered with blue, signifying lakes, rivers, swamps and wetlands that eventually recede into the Gulf of Mexico.
It's safe to say that Arena feels at home surrounded by water. And at Mississippi State University's Water Resources Research Institute, the graduate assistant is soaking up more water-based knowledge to help Mississippi crop producers improve irrigation strategies.
"It's been great working with farmers and helping them get better yields while using less water," said Arena, who started with WRRI in June 2025. "I've learned about planting cotton, corn, soybeans and rice, and I've gotten to interact directly with farmers. I'd never walked through a rice field before this job, and now I get to do that all the time."
While assisting farmers at WRRI, Arena is completing his master's degree in agronomy with a concentration in soil science at MSU. In addition to farms in the Mississippi Delta, he has access to two hands-on research facilities—the Delta Research and Extension Center in Stoneville and the Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station's Black Belt Branch near Brooksville.
For his rice project, Arena is studying nutrient levels in furrow-irrigated fields to help farmers conserve water while optimizing soil health and rice yields. For soybeans, his research helps growers know the best time to stop irrigating their fields to boost harvests and water use efficiency.
In February, Arena sought additional farming insights during the National Conservation Systems Cotton and Rice Conference in Jonesboro, Arkansas. He said the experience deepened his knowledge about agriculture and the people who rely on WRRI's research.
"A lot of farmers gave talks during the conference, and I got to hear their perspectives," Arena said. "I also got to interact directly with farmers. I think it's important to understand where they're coming from and their mindset so that we can support them better through our research."
Arena brought a soil science background to his work at WRRI. A native of River Ridge, Louisiana, he studied soil science while earning a bachelor's degree in environmental science from Louisiana Tech University. His undergraduate work included a soil conservationist internship with the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service.
He also has experience in wildlife conservation. For two summers after high school, he worked in a coastal restoration area in Port Fourchon, Louisiana, protecting bird nests from bulldozers and construction work. Ground-nesting species included common nighthawks, least terns and Wilson's plovers.
"That's when I knew I wanted to do something related to the environment," Arena said. "Being outdoors is what drew me to agriculture and soil science, and I enjoy collecting all the data from my research and seeing the results of my work. Knowing that it will be used to help farmers is the really cool part."
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