Agriculture & Timber

Riceland’s Carbon Ready Program wins USA Rice Sustainability Award

The Riceland Sustainability Team and its Carbon Ready Program received the 2024 USA Rice Sustainability Award on Tuesday (Dec. 10) at the USA Rice Outlook Conference in Little Rock. Adam…

Hunters asked to be alert for avian influenza symptoms in wild birds

An alert has been issued by the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission asking waterfowl hunters and wildlife watchers heading to the field to keep an eye out for any sick…

Gov. Sanders to seek waiver to eliminate ‘junk food’ purchases in federal SNAP program

Gov. Sarah Sanders on Wednesday (Dec. 11) disclosed that she will seek a waiver from the federal government in the new Trump administration to eliminate junk food from being purchased…

Melbourne to receive $5.4 million in grants, loans from USDA to improve water facilities

U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Tom Vilsack announced Tuesday (Dec. 10) that USDA will make loans and grants totaling $6.3 billion in rural and Tribal communities across 44 states…

Arkansas Farm Bureau elects leadership at annual conference

Dan Wright of Waldron was re-elected Friday (Dec. 6) as Arkansas Farm Bureau’s president and Mike Freeze of Little Rock will continue as vice president for the agriculture advocacy organization….

Major crops on pace for high yields; peanut acres set new record

Corn, soybeans, squash and other crops have been grown in the Arkansas Delta for at least a thousand years and yield numbers for some of those row crops could set…

Tyson Foods to shutter two more plants, cut 229 jobs

Two small Tyson Foods’ plants in Philadelphia are slated to close over the next two months. The Original Philly cook beef plant and the Original Philly raw plant acquired by…

Tyson Foods to shutter meat plant in Kansas, cut more than 800 jobs

More than 800 employees at Tyson Foods’ meat processing plant in Emporia, Kan., learned Monday (Dec. 2) they will lose their jobs when the plant there is shuttered in February…

Traditional Thanksgiving meal cost down 5% from 2023

Families celebrating Thanksgiving with a traditional turkey dinner could pay about 5% less than a year ago, with the cost averaging $58.50 for a group of 10. The 2024 estimated…

Crop enterprise budgets for 2025 now available online for farmers

The 2025 crop enterprise budgets for Arkansas farmers are now available online. This year, they feature enhanced access and customization, said author Breana Watkins, an economist and instructor for the…

Arkansas medical marijuana sales down almost 3%, but pounds sold up 23.2%

Arkansas medical marijuana sales through October total $227.8 million, down 2.65% compared with $234 million in the same period of 2023, according to information provided Wednesday (Nov. 20) by the…

Gov. Sanders releases $204 million in water funding

Gov. Sarah Sanders announced Wednesday (Nov. 20) an additional $204 million in financial assistance for water and wastewater projects for 45 entities. The projects provide water to more than 198,627…

Lyon College, City of Cabot finalize lease for veterinary school

Batesville-based Lyon College and the city of Cabot have finalized a lease agreement for the Lyon College School of Veterinary Medicine. The agreement was approved by the Lyon College Board…

Weyerhauser to build $500 million facility in south Arkansas, add 200 jobs

Weyerhaeuser Company, one of the world’s largest private owners of timberlands, announced Monday (Nov. 18) plans for a $500 million investment to build a new, state-of-the-art timber processing facility near…

Riceland Foods reports $1.3 billion in revenues

Riceland Foods reported more than $1.3 billion in revenues during its recent annual membership meeting in Stuttgart. The meeting highlighted the Riceland Foods Foundation, the cooperative’s government affairs work, and…

Arkansas State University System Board approves $30.6 million bond issue to build veterinary school

The Arkansas State University System Board of Trustees has approved a $30.6 million bond issue to finance construction for the new College of Veterinary Medicine at the A-State campus in…

Tyson Foods net income, revenue beat estimates; beef segment loses money

Tyson Foods beat analyst estimates in its fiscal fourth-quarter with net income of $357 million, reversing a loss of $450 million a year ago. Adjusted earnings per share was 92…

Arkansas Century Farm program adds 41 new members

The Arkansas Century Farm program recently added 41 more farms. The program recognizes Arkansas farms of 10 acres or more owned by the same family for at least 100 years….

The Supply Side: Natural State Beef seeks to place Arkansas beef in more stores

Harrison-based Natural State Beef is the brainchild of Mike Fountain who said in 2020 when he could not find ground beef at the grocery store amid the COVID-19 pandemic, he…

Tyson Foods expected to see 86% earnings growth in the fourth quarter

Springdale-based Tyson Foods is expected to post adjusted earnings per share of 69 cents, up 86% from a year ago, according to the consensus estimate. Net income is forecast at…