News - December 2018

31^st annual Arkansas Turfgrass Trade Show, Conference Jan. 10-11 in Hot Springs

HOT SPRINGS, Ark. –  Coaches, boosters, facilities managers and anyone else who cares for sports turf and has done so without any formal training can learn from the pros during the Arkansas Turfgrass Trade Show and Conference on Jan. 10-11 at the Hot Springs Convention Center.

2019 tax season explained

LITTLE ROCK – Taxes can be confusing for many Americans. but knowing your income, understanding state and local taxes, and getting ahead of the game can make tax season a breeze.

YEAREND: China trade issues dominate 2018 U.S. ag economy

JONESBORO, Ark. – If there was anything that seemed to sum up the 2018 production year for U.S. soybean growers, it’s a bar chart extension economist Scott Stiles created showing exports for the week of Nov. 30.

YEAREND: Peanuts top 20K acres in Arkansas for 3^rd straight year

LITTLE ROCK – Arkansas farmers planted more than 20,000 acres of peanuts for the third straight year, but this year were enduring a harvest that dragged into December.

YEAREND: Despite cool, wet start, corn ties 4th-highest yield, grain sorghum hits average

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — After a slow start because of weather, Arkansas’ corn crop tied its fourth-highest state average yield and grain sorghum crop yields are within the normal average range for recent years, said Jason Kelley, extension agronomist for wheat and feed grains.

YEAREND: Arkansas rice, soybean faced tough weather challenges in 2018

LITTLE ROCK — A year of weather extremes — from a hard-frozen winter to a summer of drought to seemingly endless rains in the fall — took its toll on both rice and soybean, two of Arkansas’s top crops. Rice, however, emerged from the fray in notably better shape.

Excellence Awards honor some of Cooperative Extension Service’s best and brightest

LITTLE ROCK — The people behind projects that introduced youth to essential life skills in the kitchen, fostered professional development among colleagues, and encouraged young ranchers at the beginning of their careers, were honored during the annual Extension Excellence Awards.

2019 row crop production meeting schedule

LITTLE ROCK – Here is a list of the 2019 row crop production meetings scheduled as of Dec.7. For start times and location details, contact your county extension office.

Division of Agriculture to launch ‘Shared Grounds’ kitchen incubators at three Arkansas locations

LITTLE ROCK – The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture’s Cooperative Extension Service is working to make locally grown food more available in several towns throughout the state.

Arkansas Plant Health Clinic sleuths solve thousands of mysteries each year

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – From hydrangeas to soybeans, lab workers at the Arkansas Plant Health Clinic see it all and know just what’s wrong with your plant.

Two multicounty regions in Arkansas chosen for pilot program designed to strengthen rural economies

LITTLE ROCK – University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture Extension Community and Economic Development announces the selection of two multicounty regions in the state for participation in CREATE BRIDGES, a program designed to build up rural economies. CREATE BRIDGES was recently launched in Oklahoma, Kentucky and Arkansas with the help of  a $2.7 million grant from Walmart to the Southern Rural Development Center. 

Getting perennial pastures back into shape

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Perennial pastures are valuable to any farm operation and they took a lot of time, effort and money to put in, said Dirk Philipp, associate professor of animal science and forage researcher for the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture.

Freshness, needle drop factor into Christmas tree selection

LITTLE ROCK – Americans selecting Christmas trees for the season’s biggest holiday aren’t only looking at shape and size, according to experts at the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture. Longevity counts, too.

Researchers find fertilizer choice can affect methanogen activity in soil

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture research in rice may lead to more sustainable crop production in Arkansas and around the world.