May 13, 2022
Upcoming workshop, field day to offer tips & tools for pond managers, gardeners
By Ryan McGeeney
U of A System Division of Agriculture
Fast Facts:
- Pond management workshop, May 27; call 870-777-5771 to register
- Fruit and vegetable field day, June 7; register at https://uada.formstack.com/forms/horticulture_field_day_2022
- Southwest Research and Extension Center located in Hope, Ark.
(730 words)
(Newsrooms: With pond management flyer at https://flic.kr/p/2nkjA7K, and horticulture field day flyer at https://flic.kr/p/2nkkRwr)
HOPE, Ark. — With summer fast approaching, the Cooperative Extension Service’s Southwest Research and Extension Center is offering two events aimed at giving Arkansans insight into pond management and horticultural production.
On Friday, May 27, the center will host a half-day pond management workshop from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Experts with the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture will provide instruction on pond weed identification and management, fish stocking and the impacts of ponds on cattle health.
The instructional sessions will be followed by a Q&A with extension pond and fish specialists from the Division of Agriculture and the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff.
There is no cost to attend the workshop, but registration is required. A catfish lunch will also be served free of charge. To register, call the Hempstead County extension office at 870-777-5771 no later than May 20.
Daniel Rivera, director of the Southwest Research and Extension Center, said pond management is imperative, whether the water is intended for business or recreation.
“You really want to establish the right conditions for fish to thrive,” Rivera said. “We’ll also look at how ponds may fit into livestock operations — both the good and the bad.”
On Tuesday, June 7, the center will host a horticulture field day, focusing on fruit and vegetable production. Registration will begin at 8:30 a.m., with a welcome from Rivera at 9 a.m.
The three-hour event will include presentations on horticultural resources, blackberry trellising and pest management, maximizing watermelon yields, tomato and squash pest management tools and an insect trapping demonstration. The event will also include a mobile plant health clinic with Sherrie Smith, extension plant pathologist for the Division of Agriculture, and a tomato grafting workshop with Bradley County agricultural agent John Gavin.
“This is really our signature field day,” Rivera said. “We get a lot of buy-in from the local area, with both commercial producers and hobbyists wanting to see our research. For us, this is our chance to show off all the studies we’ve got going.”
The cost to attend the horticulture field day is $20 per person. To register, go to https://uada.formstack.com/forms/horticulture_field_day_2022, call the center at 870-777-9702 or print the flyer and mail it along with a check for $20 to the Southwest Research and Extension Center, 362 Highway 174 North, Hope, AR, 71801. The registration deadline is June 3.
Lunch is included in the price and will be served at noon.
To learn about extension programs in Arkansas, contact your local Cooperative Extension Service agent or visit www.uaex.uada.edu. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram at @AR_Extension. To learn more about Division of Agriculture research, visit the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station website: https://aaes.uark.edu. Follow on Twitter at @ArkAgResearch. To learn more about the Division of Agriculture, visit https://uada.edu/. Follow us on Twitter at @AgInArk.
About the Division of Agriculture
The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture’s mission is to strengthen agriculture, communities, and families by connecting trusted research to the adoption of best practices. Through the Agricultural Experiment Station and the Cooperative Extension Service, the Division of Agriculture conducts research and extension work within the nation’s historic land grant education system.
The Division of Agriculture is one of 20 entities within the University of Arkansas System. It has offices in all 75 counties in Arkansas and faculty on five system campuses.
The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture offers all its Extension and Research programs to all eligible persons without regard to race, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, religion, age, disability, marital or veteran status, genetic information, or any other legally protected status, and is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer.
The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture is an equal opportunity/equal access/affirmative action institution. If you require a reasonable accommodation to participate or need materials in another format, please contact 479-575-4607 as soon as possible. Dial 711 for Arkansas Relay.
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Media Contact:
Ryan McGeeney
rmcgeeney@uada.edu
@Ryan_McG44
501-671-2120