News - December 2021

W.C. Yearian Jr. left lasting impact on agriculture, next generation of entomologists

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Agriculture would not be the same today without the life of W.C. “Bill” Yearian Jr., the former University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture entomology professor and department head who pioneered research on pest management and guided many graduate students to success.

2022 crop enterprise budgets now available online

LITTLE ROCK — The 2022 crop enterprise budgets from the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture are now available online at http://bit.ly/2022-crop-budgets.

YEAREND: Most Arkansas fruit crops rally after shaky start to 2021

LITTLE ROCK – After floods in 2019 and unseasonably warm winter temperatures in 2020, Arkansas fruit growers faced a different extreme at the start of 2021: back-to-back freezes that put the state’s fruit crops in peril. Except for peaches, Arkansas’ strawberry, blackberry and blueberry crops survived, though, finishing the year with smaller but still successful harvests.

Food scientist Hettiarachchy named Fellow of American Oil Chemists' Society

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Navam Hettiarachchy, a professor and researcher with the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station, has been named a Fellow of the American Oil Chemists' Society (AOCS).

YEAREND: Pandemic uncertainties turn to relief as beef markets open up; challenges remain for 2022

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — An element of uncertainty for beef producers coming into 2021 turned to relief as retail markets reopened and people began eating out again after a year of lockdown because of COVID-19.

Extension’s ‘adulting’ podcast equips teens, young adults with Grown Up know-how

LITTLE ROCK — There are some things that high school just doesn’t teach. Though teens may feel academically prepared for college or ready to take on a job, they often find themselves unprepared for some of the responsibilities that accompany those big milestones.

YEAREND: Arkansas poultry stays strong in 2021. Division of Agriculture works to keep it that way with sustainability and animal well-being initiatives.

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture supports several initiatives to ensure the state’s poultry industry continues to grow with a forward-looking focus on environmental sustainability and animal well-being. 

YEAREND: Arkansas ag endures epic insect numbers, flooding, tornadoes, but ends with record rice, cotton yields

UNDATED — Arkansas row and field crops endured a 100-year flood and epic insect numbers but still ended the year with record cotton and rice yields and higher crop prices.

YEAREND: Markets in recovery mode, farmers see land values increase

UNDATED — A global economy loosened from a pandemic’s grip has bright spots in terms of farm income and land values, but COVID-19 is still influencing supply chain and consumer behavior, according to a report released Friday by the Fryar Risk Management Center of Excellence.

YEAREND: Arkansas soybean growers make the best of a challenging year

LITTLE ROCK — Now that nearly every last soybean has been harvested from the fields of Arkansas, Jeremy Ross, extension soybean agronomist for the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture, can put the harvest in perspective. “We had a good year,” Ross said. “But we could’ve had a really good year.”

YEAREND: Arkansas cotton yields hit record high despite unpredictable weather

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Unpredictable and spotty weather left some Arkansas cotton fields a soggy mess while other areas saw record yields in 2021.

YEAREND: Arkansas peanuts remain attractive

LITTLE ROCK — Peanuts proved to be a popular, if somewhat niche, investment for Arkansas growers in 2021. Andy Vangilder, agriculture and natural resources extension educator for the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture, said that as long as growers can get about 5,000 pounds in yield per acre, peanuts will remain an economically attractive crop for the foreseeable future.

YEAREND: Arkansas rice harvest sets new record despite milling challenges

STUTTGART, Ark. — A win is still a win, even with an asterisk. For several years now, Arkansas rice yields have been chasing the record, set in 2013 and then tied in 2014, of about 168 bushels per acre. After four years of hovering at 167, it looks as though the state’s growers are closing in on a new record, at or very near 169 bushels. The catch, however, comes after the harvest. 

Citizen committee to hear forest management plans, tour site at Pine Tree Station

Thirty-seven Arkansas 4-H members attend centennial National 4-H Congress in Atlanta

LITTLE ROCK – Thirty-seven Arkansas 4-H members are back from National 4-H Congress in Atlanta, where they were recognized for their achievements and continued learning about leadership, citizenship, global awareness and inclusion.

HOLIDAYS: Prepare early to make tax filing easier

LITTLE ROCK — As the year winds down, taxpayers can prepare early for the 2022 tax filing season.

YEAREND: Arkansas pumps up corn, grain sorghum and winter wheat production

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Despite severe flooding in southeast Arkansas this year, the state’s farmers produced a banner year of corn with a state average of 183 bushels per acre.

40^th Horticulture Industries Show brings sessions for growers, epicures to Fayetteville Jan. 13-14

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — The annual Horticulture Industries Show will mark its 40^th anniversary Jan. 13-14 at the Graduate Hotel in Fayetteville, with sessions appealing not only to growers of all types and levels, but also epicures, brewers and vintners.

High global fertilizer costs leave growers facing tough choices in 2022

LITTLE ROCK — Consumers are facing rising costs in many sectors, but American farmers, in particular, are seeing a financial squeeze several months down the road, with global fertilizer prices now two to three times what they were in 2020.

Five-year plan turned into 34 years at UA-Monticello for retiring professor, Paul Francis

MONTICELLO, Ark. — What started with a plan to move on in five years, turned into a three-plus-decade love affair between Professor Paul B. Francis and the University of Arkansas at Monticello. 

SIDEBAR: Retiring professor Francis builds scholarship to keep helping students

MONTICELLO, Ark. — Professor Paul Francis, who is bringing a 34-year career at the University of Arkansas at Monticello to a close, wants to continue to help students, even in retirement.

Cooperative Extension Service to return to in-person winter production meetings in 2022

LITTLE ROCK — Winter production meetings, a long-running staple of the Cooperative Extension Service’s efforts to help Arkansas growers succeed from field prep to harvest, will again be in-person throughout the state in 2022.

Extension Service honors excellence, service among peers

LITTLE ROCK — Cooperative Extension Service faculty and staff continued to find innovative ways to reach Arkansans throughout the COVID-19 pandemic that dominated much of 2021 — from creating virtual field trips and podcasts to offering virtual learning opportunities.

Poultry science researchers fine tune chicken sprinkler technology

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — It may sound counterintuitive, but chickens can stay cooler in hotter environments if it is a dry heat. They just need a little spritz of water every now and then, and a breeze to create a windchill effect.