News - September 2021

Animal scientists pioneer new methods for culturing swine gut microbiomes

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station scientists have developed bacterial cultivation methods to isolate different bacteria from pigs. These methods could be used to culture beneficial bacteria in swine intestinal, or gut, microbiomes that can serve as probiotics to protect or improve the health of pigs.

‘Experience Arkansas Agriculture’ campaign aims to connect farmers and consumers

LITTLE ROCK — The Cooperative Extension Service has developed a series of videos intended to help growers develop stronger connections to both existing and potential customers.

Foreign ownership of U.S. farmland is focus of Oct. 20 webinar

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Several states have enacted laws or introduced legislation to limit foreign ownership of farmland in the United States. The National Agricultural Law Center will provide a status report on those laws during a webinar on Oct. 20.

Bobbitt names Division of Agriculture veteran Culver as interim chief

LITTLE ROCK (Tuesday, Sept. 27, 2021) — University of Arkansas System President Dr. Donald R. Bobbitt today named longtime Division of Agriculture executive Chuck Culver as interim vice president of the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture 

Phillips County soybean grower sets new yield record: 130 bushels per acre

LITTLE ROCK — Phillips County soybean producer Neil Culp has set a record for soybean yield, recording 130.784 bushels per acre in the annual Grow for the Green Soybean Yield Challenge.

As cool weather descends, cotton growers enter the ‘waiting game’ phase

LITTLE ROCK — As overnight low temperatures fell into the 50s throughout much of Arkansas this week, cotton growers began doing the math.

Researchers pursue best procedures to keep dine-in customers safe from COVID-19

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Arkansas researchers are working to answer one of the leading questions on Americans’ minds as the country struggles to recover from the ordeal of COVID-19: Is it safe to eat out?

Virtual Rice and Soybean Field Day scheduled for Oct. 7

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Research advancements in rice and soybeans, two of the top agricultural commodities in Arkansas, will be the focus of a virtual field day 6-8 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 7, presented by the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture.

Into the night: Shedding light on nocturnal pollinators

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — For millions of years, there has been a night shift at work pollinating flowering plants and fruit trees. But only recently have they started to get a little credit for their contributions to agriculture.

Cooperative Extension Service providing webinar to explain low-impact development approach

LITTLE ROCK — As cities, towns and other metropolitan areas in Arkansas continue to grow, the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture is working to help developers and planners keep water quality in mind.

Dollars and Sense webinars address cow-calf producers concerns

LITTLE ROCK — As cow-calf producers continue to face market volatility made worse by the COVID-19 pandemic, managing risk is more important than ever. Two upcoming webinars from the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture will shed some light on what cattle producers might expect in the coming fall marketing season and strategies for managing risk.

Former Cooperative Extension Service agent named to USDA pecan board

TEXARKANA, Ark. — The U.S. Department of Agriculture has appointed a retired Miller County extension agent to the newly-formed American Pecan Promotion Board.

Rainey appointed assistant VP, will aid economic development, broadband, diversity efforts for UA System Division of Agriculture

LITTLE ROCK — Ron Rainey, a professor and extension economist, has been appointed assistant vice president for the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture.

NIFA grant brings microscopic images into sharp focus for research, teaching

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Microscopic images will now be sharper without distracting and distorting out-of-focus light for researchers, scientists and students in multiple academic disciplines in the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station and the University of Arkansas’ Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences.

Five takeaways from the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture’s 2021 Hops Webinar

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — A three-year research and evaluation project has shown there are two varieties of hops that can be grown successfully in Arkansas, said Renee Threlfall, Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station research scientist, during the 2021 Arkansas Hops Webinar.

National, state champion persimmon tree returns to live another day

MONTICELLO, Ark. — A craftsman’s regret over an unfulfilled promise has given the remains of a one-time state and national champion persimmon tree a new life at the College of Forestry, Agriculture and Natural Resources on the University of Arkansas at Monticello campus.

Sharp increases in wheat inputs, falling futures markets complicate planting decisions

LITTLE ROCK — After reaching a $7.48 high in mid-August, the July wheat futures market fell to below $7 this week, and the outlook for the commodity’s profit margin is mixed at best.

Hammerhead worms found in multiple Arkansas counties

LITTLE ROCK — Hammerhead worms, an invasive species of terrestrial flatworms, have been confirmed in at least 10 counties in Arkansas. While gardeners who discover them should not hesitate to kill them, experts with the Division of Agriculture caution against cutting them with a trowel — the worms can reproduce by fragmentation, and this will only double your problems.

Arkansas entomologists publish book about the impacts of 5 insects on human history

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — If you’re happy about reading this story in English instead of French, thank a mosquito.

Farm School open house set for Sept. 13 at Center for Arkansas Farms and Food

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — The Center for Arkansas Farms and Food’s Farm School will host an open house for the 2022 session of its Farm School program on Monday, Sept. 13, from 4:30-6:30 p.m.

Erratic weather, multiple pathogens may lurk behind ‘overnight flagging of oaks’ LITTLE ROCK — 2021 has been tough on a lot of species, and Arkansas’ oaks are no exception, with leaves that have turned brown, look scorched and seemed to flag overnight.

Moving sheep frequently benefits animal health, cool-season forages

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — It doesn’t take a champion mutton buster to know that sheep graze differently from cattle, although the underlying forage base is typically the same.

Can an app teach children financial skills?

LITTLE ROCK — Can children learn to manage money with an app?

Arkansas rice moves toward harvest, escaping the worst of Ida’s potential

LITTLE ROCK — Despite a year featuring record flooding events, heavy insect pressure and a near brush with a recent hurricane, Arkansas rice is moving toward a harvest that may see near-record yields on par with the last several years.

Plan ahead for fall management of pastures

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — With autumn just around the corner, ranchers and pasture managers should consider a few actions that can extend the grazing season, making the best of the available forage base until next spring.

Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station meat researchers recognized by Arkansas Cattlemen's Association for education efforts

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Two animal science researchers with the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station were recognized by the Arkansas Cattlemen’s Association for their work to educate current and future ranchers on ways to improve meat quality.

National Ag Law Center welcomes two new staff attorneys

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — To further its mission and better serve stakeholders, the National Agricultural Law Center has hired two new staff attorneys, Jana Caracciolo and Samantha Mikolajczyk, both with backgrounds in agriculture.

Farmland preservation through conservation easements to be focus of Sept. 15 webinar

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — The nation’s farmland is facing constant and increasing pressure from development — especially in densely populated areas — with farm acreage declining by nearly 10 million acres from 2007-17, according to Census of Agriculture.

Cochran, head of UA System’s Division of Agriculture, announces retirement

LITTLE ROCK — After guiding the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture through a decade of growth, vice president for agriculture, Dr. Mark J. Cochran, will retire effective Sept. 30.