Agriculture & Timber

Tyson, beef industry applaud full access for exports to Japan

Japan is the largest market for U.S. beef by a long shot despite some restrictions to variety meats and age guidelines that have been relaxed over the years. This week,…

Arkansas arms sales jump nearly 500% in 2018, Saudi Arabia near the top of state export marketplace

Civilian aircraft parts, ammunitions and rice were the top Arkansas exports purchased by U.S. trade partners in 2018, representing more than 25% of the $6.5 billion in homemade goods shipped…

Tyson CEO sees opportunity amid African Swine Flu epidemic

African Swine Flu (ASF) has already killed more hogs in China than the U.S. will produce this year, according to Tyson Foods CEO Noel White. Speaking at the BMO Capital…

CDC: ‘Farm stress,’ suicides a rising rural health concern

U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention figures have shown that American workers in the farming, fishing and forestry industries have some of the highest suicide rates of any professional…

Cattle, beef prices move past spring peaks

Fed cattle prices continued to rally through April and surpassed seasonal peaks in March, according to Derrell Peel, agriculture extension specialist with Oklahoma State University. He said April looks to…

White House working on farmer aid to ease impact of retaliatory tariffs

In response to the latest round of retaliatory tariffs by China on U.S. goods, President Donald Trump said his administration is working on an aid package for farmers. The package…

Significant planting woes plague Arkansas farmers, especially those planting corn

Perpetual rains, the ongoing trade war with China, and low commodity prices are putting intense pressure on Arkansas farmers as the planting season unfolds, and one crop, corn is now…

Tyson Foods to invest $300 million in new beef plant in Salt Lake City

Tyson Foods announced Friday (May 10) an expansion to its Fresh Meats division, with plans to build a $300 million plant in Salt Lake City, Utah, for case-ready meat. The…

Tyson Foods adds former MLB exec to board of directors

Tyson Foods announced Friday (May 10) the expansion of its board of directors from 11 to 12 members with the addition of Jonathan D. Mariner. Mariner, 64, is a private…

Expanded internet access could add $47 billion to U.S. economy primarily in agriculture sector

Arkansas ranks last in the country in rural broadband access, and a newly released U.S. Department of Agriculture study shows expanded internet access could generate at least $47 billion in…

Farmers still rely on guesswork, gambling, gut instincts even with technology updates

As Tony Bradley of Jonesboro plants his 2019 crop, he reflects on the changes as well as the constants he’s observed in his four decades of farming in Craighead County….

Tyson Foods trades up on African Swine Flu fears, outperforms expectations

Tyson Foods outperformed Wall Street estimates in the second quarter ending March 30, with net income of $426 million, or $1.20 per share, on an adjusted basis and $1.17 on…

Jonesboro cut out of USDA’s national research HQ search

Jonesboro, Arkansas did not make the final short list for a possible relocation of one of two divisions of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Earlier this year, Trump administration officials…

Tyson Foods voluntarily expands chicken strips recall

Tyson Foods Inc. has voluntarily expanded a recall originally issued Mar. 21 of frozen, ready-to-eat chicken strips made between Oct. 1, 2018, and March 21. The products were produced at…

Tyson Foods expected to report lower second-quarter profits

Tyson Foods is expected to report lower earnings on Monday (May 6) ahead of the market opening. Wall Street analysts have pegged the second fiscal quarter profits at $1.14 per…

PotlatchDeltic 1Q earnings slide 55%, completes $93 million sale of Arkansas mill

In what the company’s top executive described as “challenging operating conditions,” West Coast timberland trust PotlatchDeltic Corp. reported Monday (April 29) that first quarter profits were down nearly 55% just…

Corn farmers struggle with worst planting season in more than a decade

Heavy spring rains have significantly impacted Arkansas corn farmers. Only about 47% of the state’s planned 830,000 acres of corn had been planted as of April 19, according to a…

U.S. Rep. Crawford to vie to chair Agriculture Committee

U.S. Rep. Rick Crawford, R-Jonesboro, will seek to become the Agriculture Committee Chairman when the 117th Congress convenes in 2021, his office has announced. Crawford, who is serving his fifth…

Greater Delta Region Conference opens in West Memphis

When Rex Nelson was named the Delta Regional Authority co-chairman more than 10 years ago, he noticed a significant problem in communities throughout the eight state DRA territory. When technological…

100 job expansion in Camden, 75 jobs in Helena-West Helena from two major economic development projects

After Tuesday’s announcement that 565 jobs would be coming to the Little Rock Port from Czech Republic gun maker CZ-USA, state economic officials announced two more big projects in Camden…

Agriculture & Timber

Talk Business & Politics staff

Wesley Brown