Agriculture & Timber

Rice research center to be built in Northeast Arkansas

The Arkansas Rice Research Promotion Board has dedicated $4 million toward the construction of a rice research center in Poinsett County, University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture spokesman Ryan…

Riceland Foods official assesses federal Farm Bill impasse

With Congress failing to pass a Farm Bill for the next five years, Arkansas farmers are teetering toward limbo with future farm policy. In mid-May, the U.S. House of Representatives…

Weekend storms damage Northeast Arkansas crop land

Powerful storms swept through Northeast Arkansas Saturday night (June 2) destroying crop land in several counties and causing extensive damage to the Delta Regional Airport in Colt. At 11:21 p.m….

Tyson Foods gets ‘Smart Chicken’ brand in acquisition of Tecumseh Poultry

The Tyson Foods buying spree continues. The Springdale-based company announced Monday (June 4) the acquisition of Tecumseh Poultry, a company that touts its humane methods of processing all organic “Smart…

Gov. Hutchinson, Arkansas industry officials concerned about new Trump trade tariffs

Gov. Asa Hutchinson and other Arkansas trade officials awoke Friday (June 1) to fears of a possible international trade war after President Donald Trump moved forward Thursday with his threat…

Water supply, stink bugs among potential issues as Arkansas’ planting season progresses

Despite an unusually cold spring, and inconsistent weather, Arkansas row crop farmers have planted nearly all of their corn, soybean, and rice crops, according to the University of Arkansas System…

What’s next in agriculture? Autonomous tractors, vertical farms and more drones

Dirt. Nutrient-rich, alluvial-plain soil. It’s the foundation of Arkansas’ row crop agri industry. Rice, soybeans, cotton and other profitable plants have for generations risen from millions of eastern Arkansas acres….

Record growth through 2019 predicted by Tyson Foods boss despite rising costs

Tyson Foods President and CEO Tom Hayes said while the company’s raw material costs will fluctuate the mission to achieve volume growth, margin expansion, more unit sales and year-over-year earnings…

Farmers hope to find field burn fix without legislative action

Farmers in Northeast Arkansas are working to finish planting this year’s crops, but the success of this year’s efforts won’t be known until harvest time several months down the road….

Cobb-Vantress buys former Allens Inc. corporate office in Siloam Springs

Siloam Springs-based broiler breeder Cobb-Vantress Inc., a company of Springdale-based meat giant Tyson Foods Inc., purchased the former corporate office of vegetable producer Allens Inc. in downtown Siloam Springs for…

Catfish, chicken and coffee part of Trade with Africa summit

Business and government dignitaries from more than a dozen African countries convened in Bentonville Thursday (May 10) at the state’s first Trade with Africa Summit — a two-day event spearheaded…

China not buying American soybeans; could hurt prices, reduce Arkansas acreage

Chinese soybean buyers have stopped buying U.S. produced soybeans, and at this point in the growing season it’s mildly concerning, University of Arkansas at Monticello agriculture economist Dr. Robert Stark…

Tyson Foods hopes new bill of rights will improve grower relationships

Tyson Foods recently issued a new bill of rights contract for its poultry growers in an effort to foster more transparency and better communication between the corporate giant and family…

Tyson Foods misses Wall Street expectations, second quarter income down 7.3%

Tyson Foods reported second quarter net income of $315 million for the quarter ending March 31, down 7.35% from the year-ago period thanks to rising labor and freight costs. The…

PotlatchDeltic reports 1Q profit of nearly $15 million, on target with post-merger savings

Nearly two months after joining operations with its Arkansas rival, PotlatchDeltic Corp. on Thursday (May 3) eked out a first quarter profit and reported its recent deal with El Dorado-based…

Higher freight costs, weaker chicken prices expected to trim Tyson profit

Tyson Foods is expected to report a second quarter profit of $1.32 per share, or roughly $485 million, up 42% from the year-ago period, according to the Wall Street consensus….

USDA under secretary visits Arkansas to learn about ag issues unique to the state

U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Under Secretary for Farm and Foreign Agriculture Services Bill Northey met with Arkansas government and agriculture leaders in Little Rock on Tuesday to acclimate himself with…

Planting back on track in Craighead County

Tractors have been running round the clock since Sunday afternoon in Craighead County row crop fields as farmers try to get back on schedule after weeks of rain and cold…

Farm Family county winners named, state winner to be named in December

County winners for the 71st annual Arkansas Farm Family of the Year Program have been selected, with the state farm family to be selected among the county winners and announced…

Gov. Hutchinson appoints two new state plant board members

Gov. Asa Hutchinson appointed the president of a cotton-oil mill and a lifelong farmer to Arkansas’s State Plant Board on Thursday (April 26). John Fricke of Bryant will represent fertilizer and…