2014 farm bill panel headlines Arkansas Rice Expo Aug. 1 in Stuttgart
Fast Facts:
- The 2014 Arkansas Rice Expo set for Friday, Aug. 1, at the Grand Prairie Center, 2807 Highway 165 South, in Stuttgart
- Farm Bill panel discussion, workshop on agenda
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STUTTGART, Ark. - The 2014 Farm Bill and a discussion and workshop on its potential effects on crop producers will take center stage at the Arkansas Rice Expo, Aug. 1 at the Grand Prairie Center.
“The 2014 Farm Bill, hands down, is the most complex Farm Bill ever written,” said Bobby Coats, extension economist for the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture. “First, implementation will take time; and second, robust decision aid software will be required to assist a producer in fully evaluating all combinations of farm program and crop insurance options.
“We will discuss Farm Bill implementation progress to date, and a realistic sign-up timeline, basic components of the bill,” he said.
The expo is hosted by the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture and will feature a swarm of activities for families and agriculture professionals. A panel of agricultural experts will discuss the features of the new farm bill, known formally as the Agriculture Act of 2014, and offer insights into the bill’s impact on Arkansas. The panel will begin at noon in the auditorium of the Grand Prairie Center on the campus of Phillips Community College of the University of Arkansas.
Visitors can tour research plots at the division’s Rice Research and Extension Center, or watch virtual tours in the comfort of the air-conditioned Grand Prairie Center.
Workshops will feature aids for making farm bill decisions, an agriculture markets outlook and horticulture seminars. There will be indoor and outdoor youth activities, including a hands-on science, technology, engineering and math event.
The expo will also feature cooking and food preservation demonstrations and a rice recipe contest. A walk-in plant disease clinic will be available to help farmers and gardeners diagnose problem plants. Vendors will display products and services, including Arkansas Farm Bureau’s combine simulator.
The 2014 Arkansas Rice Expo opens at 8 a.m. and concludes with lunch.
For more information about the Rice Expo, visit www.uaex.uada.edu/rice-expo/.
All meetings and activities announced in this news release are open to all eligible persons regardless of race, color, national origin, religion, gender, age, disability, marital or veteran status, or any other legally protected status. Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for communication of program information (large print, audiotapes, etc.) should notify the county Extension office as soon as possible prior to the activity.
By Fred Miller
U of A System Division of Agriculture
Media Contact: Mary Hightower
Dir. of Communication Services
U of A Division of Agriculture
Cooperative Extension Service
(501) 671-2126
mhightower@uada.edu
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