News - September 2016

Extension garden guru Janet Carson joins 4-H Fall Festival lineup

FERNDALE, Ark. – Arkansas Extension gardening guru Janet Carson is joining the lineup for the Oct. 29 4-H Fall Festival, an event to help raise funds for education activities for Arkansas youth.

October is 4-H Month: Learning, doing, growing

YOUR CITY, Ark. – October is a big month for Arkansas’ more than 120,000 4-H members. Not only is a national 4-H month, but also it’s the Arkansas 4-H Month of Service and encompasses 4-H National Youth Science Day on Oct. 5.

Crape myrtle bark scale: Easy to spot, hard to control

LITTLE ROCK – Crape myrtle bark scale, a pest confirmed in Arkansas just two years ago, is easy to spot, but hard to control, according to extension experts with the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture.

All in the family: Wray family counts third 100-plus bushel soybean field

TRUMANN, Ark. – Good things come in threes – especially for the Wray family of Poinsett County.

Soybean yield records falling in 100-bushel contest

TRUMANN, Ark. – For the second time in as many weeks, a state record has fallen in Arkansas’ Grow for the Green Soybean Yield Challenge, said Jeremy Ross, extension soybean agronomist for the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture.

Arkansas crop losses approach $50 million 

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Heavy rains in August have cost Arkansas farmers more than $46 million according to preliminary estimates, with rice taking the hardest hit, said Brad Watkins, University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture economist.

Governor seeks disaster declaration for 12 counties as Arkansas rice growers continue to struggle through harvest

LITTLE ROCK — Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson has requested a federal declaration for 12 Arkansas counties, based on extensive crop loss due to weather damage.

Cattle deaths reflect need to control toxic pasture weeds

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Washington County beef producers have been reporting cattle deaths from grazing perilla mint, a toxic weed common throughout Arkansas, said Berni Kurz, staff chair of the Washington County Cooperative Extension Office.

Safe dating advice for adults in the digital age

LITTLE ROCK — As the fall semester moves into full swing at colleges across the state, men and women entering the dating scene with the help of the Internet are well-served to spare a thought toward safety, says Brittney Schrick, assistant professor and family life specialist for the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture.

Vote smart with ballot fact sheets from the Division of Agriculture

LITTLE ROCK – Term limits, medical marijuana and whether the governor still retains powers when he’s out of state are among the seven issues that voters will face when they go to the polls Nov. 8.

4-H Fall Festival is family fun for a good cause

FERNDALE, Ark. – A little family fun at the Oct. 29 4-H Fall Festival can go a long way toward supporting educational activities for Arkansas youth.

Division of Agriculture pesticide expert named as American Association of Pesticide Safety fellow

LITTLE ROCK — The American Association of Pesticide Safety Educators recently named Ples Spradley, extension pesticide assessment specialist for the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture, as a fellow of the association.

Fall edition of Walk Across Arkansas begins Sept. 26

LITTLE ROCK – Been slacking this summer? Need a little motivation before the calorie-laden holidays begin? Walk Across Arkansas may be just what you need.

Welch takes reins as Arkansas 4-H Foundation executive director

LITTLE ROCK – Ewell “Pete” Welch, former Arkansas Farm Bureau executive vice president, will bring his administrative skills to his new position as executive director of the Arkansas 4-H Foundation.

It’s never too early to start saving for college tuition

LITTLE ROCK — As we hit the mid-mark of September, many students around the country are settling into their fall semester routines, returning to the institutions of learning they left before summer vacation, or adjusting to new schools, including college.

USDA downgrades Arkansas harvest estimate for three row crops

LITTLE ROCK — In the wake of prolonged rainfall and flooding, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service on Monday lowered 2016 production estimates for Arkansas corn, grain sorghum and rice.

Kattan, 1st food science department head, dies at 91

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Ahmed A. Kattan, who was the first food science department head at the University of Arkansas, died Sept. 3 at age 91.

U of A System Div of Ag pegs flood, rain-caused row crop losses at $40-$50 million

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Heavy, sustained rainfall in August may cost Arkansas row crop farmers $40-50 million, according to a preliminary estimate released Thursday by the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture.

U of A System Division of Agriculture offering feral hog trap demo

LITTLE ROCK — Growers and residents concerned with encroaching feral hog populations in central Arkansas are invited to attend a free trap demonstration Friday, Set. 9, presented by the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture.

High-yield wheat variety now available to growers

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — A high-yielding wheat released by the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture is now available to growers.

Sept. 2, 2016 

Sunshine allows combines to roll; cotton growers sampling ahead of harvest

LITTLE ROCK – The combines are rolling in Arkansas’ rice and corn fields after wet weather set farmers back on their harvest plans, and cotton fields should be seeing pickers make their annual run in a couple of weeks.