News - June 2015

Rising Mississippi will likely flood thousands of farmland acres in eastern Arkansas

MARION, Ark. — As cattle ranchers and other growers continue to struggle with the fallout from weeks of flooding in central and southwest Arkansas, row crop farmers along the state’s eastern border brace for likely flooding and crop loss as the Mississippi River continues to swell toward flood stage this week.

Arkansas cotton acreage reaches record low, grain sorghum acres triple in 2015; some report numbers may be in doubt

LITTLE ROCK — In the wake of several major weather events throughout the spring, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service announced Tuesday that it will resurvey four states, including Arkansas, Texas, Kansas and Missouri in order to reassess acreage and forecasts for 2015.

Follow guidelines to manage flood debris effectively

NASHVILLE, Ark. -- Flooding can be dangerous, but once the water recedes, it can leave behind a multitude of problems in terms of debris and structural damage to buildings and utilities.  

Arkansas farmers face depressed commodity prices as stores peak

LITTLE ROCK — Producers in Arkansas and throughout the country are facing dropping commodity prices as abundant stores of rice, grains and other products saturate the market, economic experts with the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture said this week.

Flooded fields: Let’s do the rice walk again

STUTTGART, Ark. – Gliding through flooded fields with nary a wake, the pros make rice walking look easy. It’s anything but. 

Arkansas MarketMaker receives Innovation award for connecting farms, schools

AUSTIN, Texas – Students in some Arkansas school districts are getting fresh produce at lunchtime, plates laden with fruits and vegetables from the farms of their neighbors. 

Homeownership can be more than a dream

LITTLE ROCK -- Homeownership can be so much more than a dream with some careful planning, said Laura Connerly, assistant professor and family financial expert for the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture. 

Tips for keeping livestock comfortable in summer heat

PINE BLUFF, Ark. – Livestock do not need to live in air-conditioned comfort as they are well adapted to both Arkansas heat and cold, said David Fernandez, Cooperative Extension Program livestock specialist at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff. 

Ripe for the picking: Strawberry initiative seeks to expand nationwide production 

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Anyone who looked around Arkansas in recent years for strawberry production could find it only by looking hard enough. The state grew about 63 acres of strawberries in 2012, according to a federal agricultural census. The strawberries that Arkansas shoppers buy at the store are more likely to come from California, Florida or another country. Small wonder: California grew more than 40,000 acres and Florida grew more than 11,000 acres of the crop.

Nighttime temperatures affect rice post-harvest quality

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — For many years, rice companies experienced unexplained variability in the processing quality of Mid-South rice. Head rice yield — the number of kernels that remain intact during milling — would vary from one year to the next. 

Cotton acres hit bottom with weather delays, depressed prices

JONESBORO, Ark.– Arkansas’ cotton acres are expected to sink to a new low – below 200,000 acres – due to weather delays and depressed prices. 

Sugarcane aphids in 3 Arkansas counties

MONTICELLO, Ark. – Sugarcane aphids, a serious threat to sorghum, have been confirmed in Ashley, Chicot and Desha counties in the southeastern corner of Arkansas.  

Cattle rustling thriving in northwest Arkansas

LITTLE ROCK – Ranchers in Arkansas, Missouri and Texas are finding that cattle rustling isn’t just a crime of the Old West. 

Take it easy to stay safe in summer heat

LITTLE ROCK – The heat and humidity have arrived in Arkansas, and they are brutal, with temperatures in the 90s and heat indices in the triple digits. 

SW Arkansas flood recovery meeting set for July 2

TEXARKANA, Ark. -- Crop and livestock experts from the extension services in Arkansas and Texas will be on the agenda for a July 2 meeting to help provide flood recovery tactics for farmers and ranchers in the Red River basin.

Deadline July 31 to register in advance for rice centerpiece design contest

AUGUSTA, Ark.  -- Rice plants, with their grain-laden heads and graceful curves, offer many design possibilities for creative minds and are the anchor for the second annual Rice Tabletop Centerpiece Contest, part of the 2015 Arkansas Rice Expo. 

Goats, lambs in demand for Ramadan

PINE BLUFF, Ark. – Mid-June marks the beginning of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan and goat and lamb top the list of meats preferred for evening meals. “But most goat and sheep producers in Arkansas are not familiar with the customs associated with Ramadan and as a result many miss out on this important market,” said David Fernandez, Cooperative 

SWREC Horticulture Field Day still set despite rain forecast

HOPE, Ark. – Never mind Bill, the former tropical storm, Thursday’s Horticulture Field Day will continue with all events as scheduled at the Southwest Research and Extension Center.

TS Bill: Arkansas farmers brace for weather double whammy

LONOKE, Ark. -- More loans and fewer farmers may be what’s left when floodwaters from the remnants of Tropical Storm Bill recede in Arkansas. 

Charcoal! Fire! Smoke! Food safety rules apply even for Father’s Day cookout

TEXARKANA, Ark. – Grilling outdoors doesn’t mean food safety rules stay inside, says Carla Haley-Hadley, Miller County extension agent for the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture. 

June 30 webinar to discuss legalities of drone use in U.S.

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. -- While having a remotely controlled eye in the sky has proven useful for the police and military and by private citizens for entertainment, developing regulations for use of these unmanned aerial systems in commercial settings has difficult at best. 

Death by Midnight: Nighttime temperatures affect rice post-harvest quality

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — For many years, rice companies experienced unexplained variability in the processing quality of Mid-South rice. Head rice yield — the number of kernels that remain intact during milling — would vary from one year to the next.

Arkansas wheat harvest comes in at 56 bushels per acre, drop from last year

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – The rainy weather of recent months had its impact on the 2015 what harvest in Arkansas, which came in at 340,000 acres, down from last year’s harvest of 395,000 acres, according to figures released this week by U.S. Department of Agriculture National Agricultural Statistics Service.  

UALR's McClendon earns Breakthrough Solutions award

LITTLE ROCK -- Twenty years ago, Terre McLendon recognized that the Internet could be a powerful force for change in communities, creating the Development Information Network of Arkansas, one of the first statewide economic development portals in the country. 

Food, plant health, fruits, veggies, beekeeping part of SWREC Horticulture Day June 18

 HOPE, Ark. -- Cooking demonstrations, fruit and vegetable research, butterflies and birds, a clinic with the plant doctor and a course for beekeeping beginners are part of the program for the June 18 Horticulture Field Day at the Southwest Research and Extension Center in Hope.    

It's farmers market season

LITTLE ROCK – For many Arkansans, the shortest route between the farm and the plate is their local farmers market, and in many places, farmers market season is open.

Heavy rains, flooding leave SW Arkansas counties wondering how to maintain cattle herds

LAFAYETTE COUNTY, Ark. — Wednesday morning, on a day when Clarence Brent might normally be heading into his second cutting of hay grass, the best he could hope for was to knock down the dead grass and weeds that were the only products of weeks of periodic rain and saturation.

Flood recovery meeting focuses on moving forward once waters drain 

MORRILTON, Ark. — Standing before a room of more than 40 producers from around central Arkansas, Hank Chaney, Faulkner County extension staff chair for the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture, began Monday’s morning on a frank note.

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Warm-season annual grasses are a good way to provide forage that’s relatively high in nutrients, said Dirk Philipp, assistant professor with the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture. 

Aquaponics offers opportunity for home gardeners to raise fish, fertilize plants

PINE BLUFF, Ark. — Inside a small greenhouse at the University of Arkansas Aquaculture Research Station, extension experts are refining semi-closed systems that allow sustenance farmers to symbiotically raise native fish and native plants, using waste products and root systems to simultaneously feed roots and purify water. 

AgrAbility helps disabled farmers, ranchers get back to work 

PINE BLUFF, Ark. – With farming and ranching ranked as one of the most dangerous occupations in the U.S., farmers are hard hit by disability, said Dr. David Fernandez, Cooperative Extension Program livestock specialist at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff.The production of crops, livestock and dairy products is ranked the eighth most dangerous occupation by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. 

 Study: Good financial decision-making skills linked to wealth accumulation

LITTLE ROCK – A study from the Center for Household Financial Stability reveals a correlation between healthy financial decision making skills and increased chance for wealth accumulation.

‘No potato left behind!’ the rallying cry for family salvaging garden crop

CONWAY, Ark. – In times of flood, farmers have to take extraordinary actions to salvage their crops. While flooding is serious business, this year’s high water had its lighter moments too. 

Above the flood: recovering your lawn from heavy rainfall

LITTLE ROCK -- As rivers and lakes around the Natural State crest above flood stage due to heavy rainfall this spring, many Arkansans are finding rising waters on their lawns as well. With some areas of the state measuring more than 20 inches of rain in May alone, the weather has left many homeowners trying to reverse the damage left behind.  

Deadline extended to June 19 for 2015 Rice Expo Recipe Contest

WYNNE, Ark.  -- The deadline for receipt of entries for the 2015 Arkansas Rice Expo Recipe Contest has been extended to June 19. 

June 8 meeting set at Morrilton for post-flood crop management

CONWAY, Ark. – Extension personnel with the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture are hosting a meeting June 8 in Morrilton to help farmers manage their crops once the floodwaters recede.