News - February

Cold plasma-treated seeds show potential to protect plants, reduce pesticide use

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — The same substance that paints the sky with the Northern Lights also appears to enhance plant growth and insect defense, according to a new study.

New cotton grading score app aims to improve yield stability

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Fred Bourland has another score to settle with cotton, and this time it’s coming with a technical punch.

J.O. Ware’s rare reference book on American upland cotton released online

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — A rare 77-page reference book on American upland cotton has been made available online by the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station.

Rice Technical Working Group honors Norsworthy with research, education award

NEW ORLEANS — The Rice Technical Working Group — RTWG — has bestowed a distinguished award on a distinguished professor.

Division of Agriculture to host HACCP food safety management training

LITTLE ROCK — The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture will host two training events in March to familiarize new food processing workers with Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points. The system is considered the foundational food safety system in the United States.

Cooperative Extension Service University Center launches new Labor Market Observatory tool

LITTLE ROCK — The Cooperative Extension Service has released a new data tool providing access to workforce indicators across the state.

Klass to lead Arkansas Plant Health Clinic

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Some people spend years trying to find a career that’s a perfect fit. For Taylor Klass, the new head plant pathologist and diagnostician at the Arkansas Plant Health Clinic, the pieces came together relatively early in her academic journey.

Greer remembered for mentorship, love of science, and good insect memes

HOPE, Ark. — Amanda Greer is being remembered for her love of family, science and a good insect meme. 

Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station researchers recognized as top-cited scientists

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Seventeen Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station researchers are among those ranked as the world’s most-cited scientists, an indication of their impact across multiple fields of inquiry.

Corporate Transparency Act is back, with new March 21 filing deadline

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — The Corporate Transparency Act, a law aimed at combating financial crime, is back in play with a new filing deadline after federal district judge lifted a stay he imposed last month.

Conference explores sensory cues beyond food preference

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — An international conference that explores the impact of sensory cues such as lighting and aroma will be hosted by the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture’s Sensory Science Center at the end of February.

Tax Time: Extension offers tips for filing, saving

LITTLE ROCK — With Tax Day just a few weeks away, the countdown is on to prepare and submit tax returns for 2024.

Machine learning maps animal feeding operations to improve sustainability

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Understanding where farm animals are raised is crucial for managing their environmental impacts and developing technological solutions, but gaps in data often make it challenging to get the full picture.

Back to the basics soil fertility training March 11 in Marianna

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Whether you’re new to soil science or been at it for years, there’s never a bad time to review the basics, and that’s what the March 11 soil fertility training workshop at Marianna is all about.

Registration opens Feb. 24 for spring edition of Walk Across Arkansas

LITTLE ROCK — For Arkansans looking to achieve their fitness goals or develop new healthy habits this spring, Walk Across Arkansas offers an eight-week, group-based exercise program that helps get people moving.

Fortune remembered as advocate for those with chronic illnesses

LITTLE ROCK — Despite lymphoma and kidney disease, Elizabeth Fortune turned her own sufferings into the power to advocate for others with cancer and chronic illnesses.

Extension expert offers spring pruning tips

LITTLE ROCK — Timing is key when it comes to pruning flowering and fruiting plants. Randy Forst, extension educator for consumer horticulture for the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture, said late February is an optimal time to prune plants that bloom in the summer.

Butterfly effect? NALC webinar will discuss impacts of listing monarch butterfly under Endangered Species Act

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — When a species is listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act, or ESA, it receives various protections — what impact could those protections have on agriculture?

Federal-private split estates: public lands and ag on Western conference agenda

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — You may own land, but does the federal government own what’s underneath? 

Learning in the Wild: 4-H members gain hands-on experience with Arkansas waterfowl

AUGUSTA, Ark. — Learning is better in the wild, and for Arkansas 4-H members the Cache River National Wildlife Refuge provided the perfect outdoor classroom.

March 17 is a great day for donating to 4-H

FERNDALE, Ark. — Even for a program symbolized by a four-leaf clover, “It takes more than luck to succeed,” says John Thomas, managing director of the Arkansas 4-H Foundation.

Chicken ‘woody breast’ detection improved with advanced machine learning model

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — It’s called “woody breast” and for consumers it can mean a chewier chicken sandwich, but for the industry it can mean up to $200 million annual yield loss.

Second generation land-grant poultry veteran Barton takes helm of UADA Veterinary Diagnostic Lab

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — A veterinarian with deep experience in poultry science, animal welfare and disease prevention was recently named the director of the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture Veterinary Diagnostic Lab. 

Navigating farm debt, ag bankruptcy focus at Mid-South conference

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Financial hardship hits agricultural producers in the Mid-South in a variety of ways — through increased costs, decreased commodity prices, natural disasters and more — and an upcoming conference session aims to shed light on what producers can do in the face of heavy debt and possible bankruptcy.

Cool-season annual grasses offer high-value hay, baleage, silage to Arkansas producers

LITTLE ROCK — Livestock producers who grow their own hay often find themselves playing “beat the clock” when it comes to harvest, knowing that once a seedhead appears, the forage quality declines.

Arkansas professor emeritus Goodwin honored with Lifetime Achievement Award from Southern Agricultural Economics Association

IRVING, Texas — H.L. Goodwin, Arkansas professor emeritus, was honored Tuesday by the Southern Agricultural Economics Association with its lifetime achievement award.

Arkansas to receive $286M in American Relief Act aid

COLUMBIA, Mo. — Arkansas agriculture will receive $286.2 million in assistance from the American Relief Act, with Mississippi County being the top recipient, according to an analysis by the Rural & Farm Finance Policy Analysis Center.

U.S. food, drug makers have 2 to 3 years to remove banned Red No. 3 from products

LITTLE ROCK — The Food and Drug Administration has revoked use of the synthetic dye Red No. 3 — approved to provide color in food and drugs since 1969 — but is giving U.S. food manufacturers and drug companies two to three years to remove it from their products.

Four States Ag Expo offers growers, producers latest research-based information

TEXARKANA, Ark. – The Four States Agricultural Expo returns Feb. 13, bringing together growers and producers from Arkansas, Texas, Louisiana and Oklahoma area to learn about the latest research and resources available for commercial horticulture, livestock and forages, integrated pest management, home gardening, lawn, pond management, and more.

More than demand driving Super Bowl chicken wing price increase this year

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — The nearly 1.5 billion chicken wings fans are expected to consumer during Sunday’s Super Bowl watch parties will cost more this year, and it is more than just the demand driving the increase.

Egg prices: What goes up usually comes down

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — That omelet is costing more again thanks to highly pathogenic avian influenza, but Jada Thompson says the egg price rollercoaster has a downhill side too.

Best Care program awarded thousands of professional development hours to Arkansas childcare providers in 2024

LITTLE ROCK — In 2024, the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture’s Best Care program awarded more than 22,000 hours of professional development to childcare providers in the state. Providers are required by the Arkansas Department of Education Office of Early Childhood to earn a minimum of 15 hours of professional development each year.

How flooding soybeans in early reproductive stages impacts yield, seed composition

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — With an increasing frequency and intensity of flooding events and an eye to capitalize on a common rice production technique, soybean breeders are on a quest to develop varieties with flood tolerance at any stage in the plant’s development.

Long before lab-made colors, cactus bugs put the red in ‘redcoats’

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Centuries before the now-banned red dye No. 3 was synthesized in a lab, humans turned to insects to bring a little scarlet, vermillion or burgundy into their foods, fabrics and artwork.

‘Western Water’ webinar will discuss Utah’s water law strategy, potential blueprint for other states

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — With drought, water scarcity, and disrupted water cycles affecting many parts of the U.S., how states adapt to meet changing water demands is crucial. States like Utah could serve as a working model in how to address these complex challenges.