Mark Bryles of Blytheville was inducted March 12 into the Arkansas Agriculture Hall of Fame.
Bryles helped lead the revival of cotton as the primary crop in Mississippi County. His career as an agent with the UA Division of Agriculture Cooperative Extension Service spanned 35 years, 22 of those in Mississippi County.
By helping growers adopt new technologies, cotton acreage increased from 34,500 acres in 1983 to 200,000 in 1997, with yields nearly tripling during the period.
He has received numerous awards for his leadership, innovation and service. A former president and active leader with Mississippi County Farm Bureau, Bryles has spent his life as an outspoken advocate for agriculture, recruiting and training volunteer farm leaders in the county.
The Agriculture Hall of Fame is sponsored by the Arkansas State Chamber of Commerce and Arkansas Farm Bureau. Arkansas Farm Bureau is a nonprofit, private farm and rural advocacy organization of more than 220,000 families throughout the state working to improve farm and rural life.