Agriculture & Timber

Winter wheat acres up in Arkansas

Arkansas farmers planted about 180,000 acres of winter wheat in the fall of 2020, according to a report released Tuesday (Jan. 19) by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The acreage…

Tyson Foods to pay $221.5 million to settle antitrust suits on price-fixing

Springdale-based Tyson Foods will pay $221.5 million to settle all claims in antitrust litigation over decades-long collusion and price-fixing of broiler chicken. This is the largest settlement of all the…

Meat sector faces uncertain 2021

The nation’s meat-producing sector outlook for 2021 will depend on several factors, including feed costs and consumer demand, James Mitchell, economist for the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture,…

Higher grain and corn costs to challenge cattle and poultry industries

Rising grain prices will challenge the cattle market and chicken processors this year, according to Derrell Peel, livestock marketing specialist with Oklahoma State University, who said grain and oilseed prices…

ASU College of Agriculture receives $500,000 grant for meat processing safety

The College of Agriculture at Arkansas State University has received a $500,000 grant to expand and improve the laboratory space devoted to livestock research. The project will improve the current…

Arkansas grain farmers have a dismal 2020; higher prices in 2021 could portend crop growth

Arkansas corn farmers planted nearly 20% less corn than was projected at the start of the 2020 planting season, according to figures released by the United States Department of Agriculture….

Cobb completes first broiler delivery to Jordan in the Middle East

Siloam Springs-based broiler breeder Cobb-Vantress Inc. announced Wednesday (Jan. 13) the completion of its first shipment to Jordan last month after building a relationship with Saudi Arabia distributor Al-Watania Poultry….

Tyson Foods partners with Matrix Medical on vaccine access, education

Springdale-based Tyson Foods is partnering with Matrix Medical to ensure its more than 100,000 U.S. employees are educated about and have access to the COVID-19 vaccine. “Providing vaccine education and…

Soybean researchers exploring multiple disease defenses

The number of acres dedicated to soybeans — Arkansas’ top row crop — grew in 2020, and that number will probably remain the same or grow slightly, Arkansas Secretary of…

Tyson Foods to settle class-action price collusion lawsuit

Tyson Foods followed Pilgrim’s Pride in agreeing to settle a class-action price collusion lawsuit in the courts for the past four years. Tyson Foods said it reached an “agreement in…

Tyson Foods to invest $26 million in Texas bacon plant

Springdale-based Tyson Foods said Monday it will invest $26 million to expand its Wright Brand Bacon plant in Vernon, Texas. The expansion will add 32 jobs to the facility and…

Pilgrim’s Pride to pay $75 million to settle some price-collusion claims

Pilgrim’s Pride Corporation, a competitor to Tyson Foods, has agreed to a $75 million settlement to resolve all claims in the antitrust civil litigation around price-fixing claims known as Broiler…

Farmer sentiment improves on rising commodity prices, land values

Farmer sentiment improved in December as expectations were brighter on the heels of a record $46.5 billion in federal payments which buoyed net farm income to roughly $120 billion, according…

All Arkansas ag sectors hurt by COVID-19 pandemic; impacts may continue into 2021

The agriculture sector in Arkansas has faced many brutal challenges in recent years before the COVID-19 pandemic enveloped the world. Relatively low commodity prices fueled by a more than two-year…

Peco Foods to shutter some facilities, expand Pocahontas operations

Poultry processor Peco Foods will close processing and live operations in three Mississippi locations, the company announced Thursday (Jan. 7). Brooksville, Canton (Fulton Street) and Philadelphia (hatchery) will be shut…

Arkansas Agriculture Hall of Fame to add six members

The Arkansas Agriculture Hall of Fame will induct six new members during 2021 due to their leadership and service to the state’s largest business sector. The newest class represents agriculture…

Joel Sappenfield joins Simmons Foods as president of prepared foods division

Siloam Springs-based poultry producer Simmons Foods announced Monday (Jan. 4) Joel Sappenfield has joined the company as president of Simmons Prepared Foods after leaving his role as president of Siloam…

Tyson Foods appeals order sending COVID-19 death suit back to state court

Tyson Foods is appealing an order by Judge Linda Reade of the U.S. District Court of Northern District of Iowa. Reade’s order sends the ongoing negligence lawsuit filed by the…

Cattle markets face drought, high feed costs in 2021

The cattle industry, like the rest of the world, is ready to move beyond 2020, but there will be numerous factors shaping the industry in the first few months of…

Cobb-Vantress names Stan Reid interim president after Joel Sappenfield departs

Siloam Springs-based broiler breeder Cobb-Vantress Inc. recently announced that Stan Reid, vice president of North and South America, was named interim president after the recent departure of Joel Sappenfield, who…

Agriculture & Timber

Talk Business & Politics staff

Kim Souza