Ben Thrash grew up on a family farm in Conway, Arkansas, that grows soybean, corn, and rice and raises cattle. He received a BS in crop management with a minor in pest management from the University of Arkansas. He also completed an MS in entomology at the University of Arkansas, working on the effects of stink bug damage on edamame soybean. Ben received his PhD from Mississippi State University, where he worked on the effects of compounding defoliation, planting date, and plant population on soybean defoliation thresholds. He is currently an Extension entomologist working primarily on row crops at the University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service.