News - February 2019

Grant, Howard, Johnson county teams earn spots at international SeaPerch competition in June

BRYANT, Ark. – Teams from Grant, Howard and Johnson counties have earned a place at the international SeaPerch Competition at the University of Maryland on June 1-2 after placing in the top two spots in the junior and senior divisions of the regional SeaPerch competition.

March 1 application deadline for Janet Carson scholarship

LITTLE ROCK – High school seniors planning to pursue a degree in a plant science field have until March 1 to apply for a $1,000 scholarship named for Janet B. Carson, retired extension horticulture specialist for the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture.

As rains delay field prep, early planted rice looks increasingly less likely

LITTLE ROCK – Continuously wet conditions further delayed the work of field preparation throughout much of Arkansas this week, as intermittent rains continue to saturate soils in the state.

New digital innovation manager Watts to bring bright ideas to Division of Ag tech

LITTLE ROCK – There’s plenty of room for some of the world’s newest technologies to be used in one of humanity’s longest-lived innovations: farming. Karen Watts, the new digital and innovation manager for the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture, is on board to bring them together.

Feb. 25 kickoff planned for project to help cut obesity in St. Francis County

JONESBORO, Ark. – The walk to a healthier St. Francis County will take its first step on Feb. 25 during an organizational meeting of the Arkansas Delta Region Obesity Project, or ArDROP.

April 16 field day to improve odds for success in livestock operations

BATESVILLE, Ark. – Value-added calf marketing, cattle genetics and a hands-on livestock workshop top the agenda for the April 16, 2019, Improve Your Odds for ROI field day at the Livestock and Forestry Research Station.

Pest traps reduce unnecessary applications in non-GMO crops; growers may need to look at three-gene Bt cotton as bollworms persist

RECTOR, Ark. – Beyond the perennial threats of pigweed and plant bugs, many Arkansas growers may face new twists on old adversaries in 2019.

Arkansas APEX Accelerator helps 734 Arkansas businesses get more than $109 million in government contracts

LITTLE ROCK — The Arkansas Procurement Technical Assistance Center helped 734 small businesses in the state to earn more than $109 million in government procurement contracts in 2018.  

'Checkup on Checkoffs’ webinar to cover legal updates in commodity checkoff programs 

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Checkoff programs offer vital research and information for both producers and consumers of agricultural commodities. Over the past year, these programs have undergone a number of legal and policy changes relevant to their future operations.

More than 80 youth registered to compete in underwater robotics

LITTLE ROCK – The aquatic center pool at Bishop Park in Bryant will become the site of an underwater engineering battle Feb. 23 as Arkansas 4-H youth from around the state and their robotic submersibles from take part in the 2019 SeaPerch Challenge.

Save the Dates for America Saves Week: Feb. 25-March 2

LITTLE ROCK – Never seem to have any money? America Saves Week, Feb. 25-March 2, could be the beginning of the end for your empty piggy bank.

Division of Agriculture receives NRCS partnership award

NORTH LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – Research measuring nutrient loss in the Mississippi River Basin and training to help farmers irrigate crops and slow groundwater draws were among the reasons Natural Resources Conservation Service on Wednesday honored the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture with the 2018 State Conservationists Partnership Award.

Sea of green floods rotunda as 700 Arkansas youth attend 4-H Day at the Capitol

LITTLE ROCK — A sea of green borne by some 700 youth flooded the seat of Arkansas government at Tuesday’s 4-H Day at the Capitol event at which Gov. Asa Hutchinson and other state officials praised the members for their leadership now and potential for the future.

2018 Arkansas rice production marks recovery from 2017 flooding; hay and peanuts see sharp decline

LITTLE ROCK – Even if the fall of 2018 marked the “harvest that never ended,” Arkansas growers managed to pull enough rice from the land to mark a 30 percent increase over 2017’s disastrous numbers, which reflected the severe flooding of that year’s spring.

Row Rice Roundtables seek to reach consensus on production methods

LITTLE ROCK – Two upcoming production meetings aim to help growers and industry experts reach a consensus on the best approach to an increasingly popular method of agriculture in Arkansas: furrow irrigated rice, also known as row rice.

In 2019, the bottom line really is the bottom line

RECTOR, Ark. — Informal surveys of Arkansas growers’ top concerns at the beginning of each planting season typically yield a variety of answers, from the best use of available acreage to marketing strategies for every crop. But for 2019, the consensus among growers attending one of the year’s first row crop production meetings in northeast Arkansas boiled down to one word: Money.

River Valley Beef Cattle Conference set for Feb. 13 in Russellville

PARIS, Ark. – Cattle genetics will be at the top of the River Valley Beef Cattle Conference agenda, to be held Feb. 13 at the Hughes Center in Russellville.

Division of Agriculture to hold rural economic forums in Sevier, Little River and Howard counties

LITTLE ROCK – The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture Community and Economic Development Office, in cooperation with the 3Cs Create Bridges Regional Steering Committee, is hosting three community forums to gather information about community assets in the retail, tourism, entertainment and accommodations industries.

New poultry extension specialist has passion for “all things chickens”

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Sara Orlowski is ready to serve the needs of Arkansas’ poultry industry as assistant professor of poultry for the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture.

Nearly 800-strong, 4-H contingent set to turn Capitol Rotunda green on Feb. 12

LITTLE ROCK— For a few hours on Feb. 12, the polished white marble of the Arkansas State Capitol will turn green, thanks to a contingent of nearly 800 4-H members, parents, volunteers and others.

2019 Arkansas Pesticide Application Clinics scheduled

BATESVILLE, Ark. – Arkansas producers can learn to get the most out of their pest management dollars at one of six pesticide application clinics set for February and March across the state.  

Jefferson County Home and Garden Show to promote pollinators

PINE BLUFF, Ark. – Arkansas gardeners planning on making the most of their 2019 should mark their calendars for the upcoming Jefferson County Home and Garden Show, to be held on Feb. 8-9.

Rural Profile 2019: Arkansas economy grows; rural growth lags behind state average

LITTLE ROCK – Since the end of the Great Recession in 2010, both Arkansas’ and the national economy have grown; however, the state’s rural areas have “grown only slightly since 2010 and have not even come back to pre-recession levels,” according to Wayne Miller, an author of the “2019 Rural Profile of Arkansas.”

Kurz hired as new extension consumer horticulture specialist

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Berni Kurz, honored in Arkansas and nationally for his work as a county extension agent, has a new role to fill as consumer horticulture specialist for the Cooperative Extension Service.

Keeping herbicide sprayers ready during winter time.