News - October 2016

Grape growers gather Nov. 4 for state conference

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — The Arkansas Association of Grape Growers will hold its annual conference and trade show Nov. 4 at the Arkansas Tech University-Ozark campus. The one-day conference will be capped by a wine reception and banquet at the Fraternal Order of Eagles in Altus, at 5:30.

Benton County stormwater educator honored with 2016 Tatom Award

EUREKA SPRINGS, Ark.  – Her love of Arkansas and ability to work toward long term goals has helped earn Trish Ouei the 2016 Ginger Tatom Award from the Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality.

‘Ties to the Land’ program to help property owners think about the next generation

LITTLE ROCK – Preventing conflicts over how land passes to the next generation is the goal of the “Ties to the Land” workshop set for Dec. 6 in Texarkana, Texas.

Two sides of the warm weather coin: A rapid soybean harvest and a lot of dry forage

LITTLE ROCK — Over the course of his career, Jeremy Ross, extension soybean agronomist for the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture, has probably seen every disease known to afflict beans at the state at one time or another. In 2016, he may have managed to have seen them all at once.

‘Bumpers on the Road’ Brings the College to Stuttgart

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Lona Robertson, interim dean of the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences at the University of Arkansas, and other administrators are taking “Bumpers on the Road” for one-on-one conversations with anyone interested in learning more about the college. They will visit with high school students, alumni and supporters to talk about opportunities and growth at the college.

Fenceline weaning puts less stress on cows and calves

LITTLE ROCK — When its time to wean a calf from its mother, it can be a stressful situation for all involved — including the rancher. But some techniques make for a gentler road than others, according to University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture associate professor of forages Dirk Philipp.

Let’s keep it civil: Election cycle survival tips for families

LITTLE ROCK – There are ways to remain sane and civil during an election year, said Brittney Schrick, PhD, extension family life specialist for the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture.

Div of Ag conventional rice varieties Diamond, Titan look promising in preliminary rice trial data

STUTTGART, Ark.  — Diamond and Titan, conventional long- and medium-grain rice varieties developed by the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture, should offer strong yields and other advantages to growers, according to preliminary data from this year’s rice performance trials.  

National 4-H Month goes out with a bang with 4-H Fall Festival

FERNDALE, Ark. – National 4-H Month in Arkansas will go out with celebration: the 4-H Fall Festival, Oct. 29, in Ferndale.

4-H livestock programs help instill responsibility, camaraderie

LITTLE ROCK — As light rain and blustery winds lowered on the Arkansas State Fairgrounds this week, competitors and other participants in the fair’s cattle competition were undeterred, as a slow parade of heifers, steers and other cows were led through Barton Coliseum for a pre-competition weigh-in.

BCRET releases 2016 3Q report

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The team conducting research on water quality in the Big Creek tributary of the Buffalo River has posted its report for the second quarter of 2016, summarizing its work from July 1 to Sept. 30.

Plant cover crops in fall to protect, improve soil

PINE BLUFF, Ark. – As farmers finish harvesting their summer crops, they should consider planting cover crops to revitalize their soil’s nutrient content, Shaun Francis, Extension horticulture specialist for the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, said. When seeded in the fall and grown throughout the winter, crops such as grains, grasses or legumes can help ensure healthy, productive soil for the next growing season.

Planting leafy greens in early fall: good for the dinner table and garden

PINE BLUFF, Ark. – The benefits of growing greens in the early fall are twofold, says Shaun Francis, Extension horticulture specialist for the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff. Not only are greens good for human health, but they can also help ensure the soil health in a garden throughout the fall and winter.

2017 Tri-State Soybean Forum set for Jan. 6 at Dumas

DUMAS, Ark. – The 2017 edition of the Tri-State Soybean Forum is set for Jan. 6, in Dumas, said Chuck Capps, event chairman and Desha County extension staff chair for the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture.

Arkansas 4-H forestry team wins national championship, a first for state

(Newsrooms: With downloadable high-res art at https://flic.kr/p/NcQ65a ; RECASTS story; SUBS headline, lede, to reflect first-ever national title; SUBS dateline to CORRECT city name and state; subs 2^nd graf to CORRECT ‘Heritage’ to ‘Hermitage’; SUBs 1^st graf with three grafs adding details)

WESTON, W. Va. — A quartet of Arkansans from Bradley County has won the National 4-H Forestry Championship, bringing home the state’s first national title.

Worker suffers injured leg after backhoe pins him against fence

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – A University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture employee was treated and released from Washington Regional after sustaining an injury to his right leg on Tuesday.  

Arkansas 4-H forestry team takes top honors at national invitational

WESTON, VA — Hours of work and study, some of it up to the 11^th hour, went into the Arkansas 4-H Forestry Team’s 1^st Place victory at this year’s National 4-H Forestry Invitational.

UAPB uses aquaculture to bridge educational concepts in Arkansas classrooms

PINE BLUFF, Ark. – As an Extension specialist at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, Bauer Duke’s work takes him to middle school and high school classrooms across Arkansas teaching a very specialized subject with broad educational implications. In a mandate between the UAPB School of Agriculture, Fisheries and Human Sciences and the U.S. Department of Agriculture, his job is to provide technical support and science-based information to teachers introducing students to recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS).

Smart irrigation choices top research agenda as peanuts return to Arkansas

LAWRENCE COUNTY, ARK. — As Mike Andrews and Herb Ginn, agricultural agents for the Randolph and Lawrence County Cooperative Extension Service offices, respectively, clawed their way through bundles of harvested peanuts Wednesday morning, they admitted the work was not especially easy.

Fruit breeder brings advanced tools to division programs

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Dr. Margaret Worthington hopes to promote efforts to identify genetic markers associated with desirable fruit traits — flavor and texture, disease resistance, and other sought-after characteristics that can lead to improved fruit varieties.

October is National Cyber Security Awareness Month: Financial protection for online shopping

LITTLE ROCK – With more than $341 billion in online retail transactions in the U.S. in 2015, there’s always a chance something could go wrong, especially if consumers aren’t careful with their online information.

A honey of a schedule for beekeepers

LITTLE ROCK – Arkansans who want to learn to raise their own honeybees will have ample opportunity over the next year to learn these skills through a series of courses offered by the Cooperative Extension Service.

October is Farm to School Month in Arkansas

LITTLE ROCK – October is Farm to School Month, celebrating efforts to keep Arkansas’ families connected with the source of their lunches.

Cooperative Extension Service urges legal compliance when dealing with feral hogs

LITTLE ROCK — As feral hogs become an increasing nuisance in the northern counties of Arkansas, farmers, land owners and other residents need to be aware of any local trapping or baiting ordinances that may be in effect in their respective areas.

They’re ba-aack! Webworms decorate for Halloween; make unsightly mess, but no serious damage to trees

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Just in time for Halloween, fall webworms are cloaking Arkansas’ trees in a big, spooky mess. Not to worry — those web wrappings may look terrible, but University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture entomologists say the caterpillars aren’t causing any lasting damage to the trees.

In Arkansas forage, August rains result in high bale counts, but low protein and energy

LITTLE ROCK — The same summer rains that delayed rice harvest and triggered as much as $50 million in crop losses throughout Arkansas are having a different effect on forage producers, albeit in a different way.

Beekeeping for beginners: Classes set for Ash Flat in October

LITTLE ROCK – If the idea of raising your own bees and harvesting honey in your backyard sounds good, be sure to join Extension Apiculturist Jon Zawislak of the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture, for three once-weekly classes on beginner beekeeping.

Archives Month Celebrates the Digitization of Extension Circulars

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The University of Arkansas Libraries Special Collections Department will celebrate American Archives Month with an event highlighting the opening of the Arkansas Extension Circulars Digital Collection. The event will be at 1:30 pm. Thursday, Oct. 13, in the Special Collections Reading Room in Mullins Library.

Longer-lasting residuals give more economical fall armyworm management option

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Disappearing lawns, pastures and hay meadows are the calling card of grass-hungry fall armyworms and this year, a 10-county demonstration by the Cooperative Extension Service pointed to a more economical way to manage this annual pest.

Streamlined schedule, experienced instructors part of 2016 local tax schools

LITTLE ROCK – The annual Income Tax School, presented by the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture, will feature the same experienced instructors and continuing education credits, but with a streamlined schedule in 2016. 

Plant Board expands Emerald Ash Borer quarantine to include 33 counties in state

LITTLE ROCK — The Arkansas State Plant Board moved last week to expand the emerald ash borer quarantine to include 27 counties throughout the state. The expansion adds eight new counties to the quarantine list, including Randolph County, where the presence of the invasive pest was recently confirmed, as well as the five counties that border it within the state: Fulton, Sharp, Lawrence, Greene and Clay counties.