News - January 2014 

Consider Other Business Structures to Aid in Estate Planning

PINE BLUFF, Ark. – Choosing the right business structure for a farm or ranch can help ensure that a farming heritage is a legacy for many generations to enjoy, says Dr. David Fernandez, University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff Cooperative Extension Program livestock specialist.

UAPB Experimental Kitchen to help farmers develop products 

PINE BLUFF, Ark. - Staff and students at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff are cooking sweet potato pies, bread, chips, fries and other dishes – all in the name of teaching, research and Extension. The university’s new Experimental Kitchen will help limited-resource farmers develop products from crops and offer experiential learning for students.

Feb. 28 later deadline for USDA/1890 National Scholars Program

PINE BLUFF, Ark. – As high school students weigh their options fully cognizant of potential student loan debt, they would be wise to consider being named a USDA/1890 National Scholar, says George Richardson, USDA 1890 program liaison. Scholars graduate debt free with a professional position available to them upon graduation.

‘Homegrown Profits’ workshop to help Arkansas growers connect with buyers 

LITTLE ROCK -- Arkansas farmers looking to expand the reach of their products into farmers markets, restaurants and other outlets will hear plenty of ideas at “Homegrown Profits,” an agricultural marketing workshops set for March 4 at the ASU-Beebe student center.

Selecting replacement heifers, cost management top agenda at Little Red River Beef Cattle conference

HEBER SPRINGS, Ark. – Replacement heifer selection, herd health, deworming update and cost management are on the agenda for the 2014 Little Red River Beef Cattle Conference on April 10 at the Cleburne County Livestock Auction in Heber Springs.

Spring Comes Early to Statehouse Convention Center with 23rd Annual Arkansas Flower and Garden Show 

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – Tickets are now on sale for the 2014 Arkansas Flower and Garden Show Feb. 21-23 at the Statehouse Convention Center in Little Rock. The show, which benefits educational scholarships to Arkansas horticulture students and beautification programs across the state, features more than 100 vendors, beautiful display gardens, demonstrations and how-to sessions. Dedicated to improving the lives of Arkansans through creating greener and cleaner surroundings, the Arkansas Flower and Garden Show is the premier horticultural event in the state, with nearly 12,000 visitors, 100 vendors and five beautiful display gardens. 

Rural Life Conference Feb. 28 features 11 workshops

PINE BLUFF, Ark. – The 58th annual Rural Life Conference is scheduled for Friday, Feb. 28, at the Pine Bluff Convention Center. Registration begins at 7:30 a.m. with the opening session at 8:45 a.m. 

Winter provides ideal conditions for wildfires in Arkansas

HOPE, Ark. – Winter winds, low humidity and dried vegetation are an ideal combination for wildfires, say extension foresters with the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture.

Tickets now available online for Arkansas Flower & Garden Show

LITTLE ROCK – Former Governor’s Mansion Executive Chef Don Bingham, and landscape designer and author C. Colston Burrell, are among the keynoters for the 2014 Arkansas Flower and Garden Show set for Feb. 21-23 at the Statehouse Convention Center in Little Rock

26th Annual Home & Garden Seminar & Show at Pine Bluff Feb. 8

PINE BLUFF, Ark. -- Media personality Chris Olsen and Garvan Woodland Gardens’ Bob Byers will be the keynote speakers Feb. 8 at the 26th annual Home & Garden Show & Seminar at the Pine Bluff Convention Center.

Voluntary farm food safety assessment training launches Jan. 24 

LITTLE ROCK - Ensuring food is safe from farm to table is the aim of a Jan. 24 training session for Arkansas farm-to-market producers.

ATV-related hospitalizations decline between 2005-2009 

LITTLE ROCK - Hospitalizations due to incidents involving all-terrain vehicles declined in Arkansas between 2005-2009, according to data from the Arkansas Department of Health.

Wiedenmann joins board of national science council 

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. - Rob Wiedenmann, entomology department head for the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture and the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences, has been elected to a two-year term as a member of the Executive Board of the Council of Scientific Society Presidents.

Keeping the family farm in the family 

PINE BLUFF, Ark. - Many farms in Arkansas are sitting idle because heirs cannot agree on who should farm the property, how the land should be farmed or what the financial return to heirs should be, says Dr. David Fernandez

Imported pest of crape myrtles spotted in Little Rock, Memphis

LITTLE ROCK – About a decade after being first spotted in Texas, an imported pest of crape myrtles has been found in Arkansas, extension entomologists for the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture said.

UpStreamArt at the convergence of public art and education 

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Artists will have a chance to spread a little paint with an eye to spreading a message about water quality as part of the 2014 Upstream Art project.

NASS final estimates: Ark shows records for all major crops

JONESBORO, Ark. – Arkansas’ farmers can’t be blamed if they seem optimistic going into the 2014 growing season, having set records in five crops, according to final figures released Friday by the National Agricultural Statistics Service.

 Deer, coyotes, birds, bear cubs are not outdoor pets 

LITTLE ROCK – We love to watch wildlife. According to U.S. Census Bureau, 96 percent of Arkansans love watching, feeding or photographing wildlife near our homes. However cute or compelling these animals may be, they should never be considered pets, said Becky McPeake, extension wildlife specialist for the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture. 

U of A System Division of Agriculture recognizes outstanding work by faculty, staff 

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – Research in molecular computation and engineering geospatial solutions for agriculture are among the outstanding faculty and staff projects honored Friday by the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture in partnership with the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences.

Hoping for fewer ticks, fire ants this summer? 

LITTLE ROCK -- Arkansas’s record-breaking cold may have seemed to last forever, but it still wasn't long enough to make a dent in the state’s pest populations, said John Hopkins, extension urban entomologist for the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture.

Check Goats and Sheep Body Condition to Gauge Nutrition Management 

PINE BLUFF, Ark. -- Looking at sheep or goats to tell if they are losing, maintaining or gaining weight is often difficult, says Dr. David Fernandez, Cooperative Extension Program livestock specialist at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff. Wool or winter coats of hair on sheep and goats can make eyeballing difficult and unreliable.

No snow days for Arkansas’ cattle ranchers

ASHDOWN, Ark. -- No matter how harsh winter is, there are no snow days for Arkansas’ cattle producers. 

Kudzu bugs in Arkansas not ‘if,’ but ‘when’

DUMAS, Ark. -- The arrival of kudzu bug to Arkansas is not “if,” but “when,” Jeremy Greene professor of entomology at Clemson University, told a crowd of around 250 on Friday at the Tri-State Soybean Forum.