Arkansas Food Freedom Act focus of workshops for specialty crop producers
“These workshops are an opportunity for those across Arkansas to participate and learn important agricultural information in an interactive, engaging way." — Wes Ward
By Drew Viguet
National Agricultural Law Center
U of A System Division of Agriculture
April 14, 2023
Fast Facts
- Workshops in Arkansas will educate specialty crop producers on the Arkansas Food Freedom Act
- Workshops to be held April 24-May 31 and are located around the state.
- Register online.
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FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Plan. Produce. Profit. That’s the message from a series of spring
workshops, facilitated by the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture
and the National Agricultural Law Center, that will provide needed knowledge for Arkansas
specialty crop producers to operate within the Arkansas Food Freedom Act.
According to a fact sheet from the Division of Agriculture’s Public Policy Center, Act 1040 of 2021 — otherwise known as the Arkansas Food Freedom Act — allows Arkansas residents to sell more types of homemade food and drink products in more locations than before, allowing direct sales of certain homemade food and drink products that do not require time or temperature controls to remain safe. Some products, such as pickles, salsas, and canned vegetables, may require pH testing.
Information about the workshops, the agenda, and the registration link can be found online. There is a $10 registration cost and lunch is provided. Speakers may vary by workshop location. Workshop attendees will be eligible to receive a free pH meter.
There are five workshops:
- April 24 — Fayetteville — Don Tyson Center for Agricultural Sciences, 1371 W. Altheimer.
- May 10 — Little Rock — Cooperative Extension Service state office, 2301 S. University.
- May 23 — Hope — Southwest Research and Extension Center, 362 Hwy. 174 North.
- May 24 — Pine Bluff — UA-Pine Bluff 1890 extension auditorium, 1200 N. University Drive.
- May 31 — Jonesboro — Food Bank of Northeast Arkansas, 3414 One Place.
The workshops are funded by the Arkansas Department of Agriculture through the USDA Specialty Crop Block Grant Program.
“These workshops are an opportunity for those across Arkansas to participate and learn important agricultural information in an interactive, engaging way,” Wes Ward, Arkansas Secretary of Agriculture, said. “The Arkansas Department of Agriculture is proud to help fund these workshops.”
“The NALC is happy to be a part of the Plan. Produce. Profit. workshops,” Harrison Pittman, director of the NALC, said. “These events are both interesting and informative, and we look forward to attendees learning more about the Arkansas Food Freedom Act from talented presenters.”
Along with the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture and National Agricultural Law Center, the workshops are put on with support from Arkansas Department of Agriculture, Arkansas Department of Health, University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, Arkansas Food Innovation Center, and Share Grounds.
More information on the Arkansas Food Freedom Act is available online.
For information about the National Agricultural Law Center, visit nationalaglawcenter.org or follow @Nataglaw on Twitter. The National Agricultural Law Center is also on Facebook and LinkedIn.
For updates on agricultural law and policy developments, subscribe free of charge to The Feed, the NALC’s newsletter highlighting recent legal developments facing agriculture, which issues twice a month.
About the National Agricultural Law Center
The National Agricultural Law Center serves as the nation's leading source of agricultural and food law research and information. The NALC works with producers, state and federal policymakers, Congressional staffers, atorneys, land grant universities, and many others to provide objective, nonpartisan agricultural and food law research and information to the nation's agricultural community.
The NALC is a unit of the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture and works in close partnership with the USDA Agricultural Research Service, National Agricultural Library.
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. The Division of Agriculture conducts research and extension work within the nation's historic land grant system through the Agricultural Experiment Station and the Cooperative Extension Service.
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 is an equal opportunity/equal access/affirmative action institution. If you require a reasonable accomodation to participate or need materials in another format, please contact dviguet@uark.edu as soon as possible. Dial 711 for Arkansas Relay.
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Media contact: Drew Viguet
- Communications & Special Projects Coordinator
- National Agricultural Law Center
- dviguet@uark.edu