Agriculture & Timber

Field day for rice research center planned

A field day will be held at the Northeast Rice Research and Extension Center on July 31 in Harrisburg. Two field tours will be held covering rice, soybeans and corn….

Game and Fish leaders dedicate $16 million renovated hatchery, launch new trophy bass program

The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission on Wednesday (July 16) dedicated its $16 million renovation of the nearly 100-year old Joe Hogan State Fish Hatchery in Lonoke. It is the…

Arkansas Department of Agriculture awards $1.4 million to fairs, livestock shows

Gov. Sarah Sanders and the Arkansas Department of Agriculture have announced more than $1.4 million in funding to support Arkansas’ local fairs and livestock shows. The funding, awarded through the…

Rice, soybean and lithium-ion battery researchers receive bonus grants from Arkansas Research Alliance

Four researchers with the University of Arkansas System were awarded bonus grants by the Arkansas Research Alliance (ARA) for projects to develop innovative applications of rice, soybeans and lithium-ion batteries….

High water levels, tariffs impact Arkansas River shipping numbers

High water levels and Trump’s tariffs are key factors in the almost 20% decline in Arkansas River tonnage in the first half of 2025. Commercial river tonnage in June was…

Wayne-Sanderson Farms opens new $43 million feed mill in Danville

Wayne-Sanderson Farms announced Thursday (July 10) the grand opening of its new mill at the company’s Danville complex in Arkansas. The $43 million facility is designed to produce more than…

Gov. Sanders appoints Jamie Anderson to Arkansas Game and Fish Commission

Gov. Sarah Sanders announced Wednesday (July 9) that she has appointed Jamie Anderson as the newest member of the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission. Anderson’s seven-year term will last until…

Farmers can now apply for $16 billion in aid through Supplemental Disaster Relief Program

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins announced Wednesday (July 9) that agricultural producers who suffered eligible crop losses due to natural disasters in 2023 and 2024 can now apply for…

Low Mississippi River levels cost soybean farmers up to $293 million

During the past several years, drought conditions have plagued the lower Mississippi Delta region and have had a dramatic impact on row crop farmers. The lack of rain caused river…

Medical marijuana sales up more than 6% through June

Arkansas’ 37 licensed medical marijuana dispensaries sold $144.217 million in the first six months of 2025, up 6.4% compared with sales with the same period of 2024, according to the…

Union members ratify new contract at large Tyson plant in Amarillo, avoid strike

There will be no strike at the large Tyson Foods’ beef processing plant in Amarillo, Texas, with 93% of union members there voting Wednesday (July 2) to approve a new…

Riceland’s conservation program distributed $4 million to farmers in 2024

Riceland Foods distributed more than $4 million to its farmers enrolled in the 2024 Riceland Carbon Ready Program. Since it launched in 2022, the program has paid out close to…

Digs restaurant to replace Mad Ox bar at the Bakery District

Destiney Cameron, a co-owner and manager of AJ’s Oyster House in downtown Fort Smith, plans to soon open Digs, a new restaurant just a few blocks away in the Bakery…

Farmers hoping reconciliation bill brings relief

Farmers in Arkansas have faced a daunting gauntlet of low commodity prices, higher input costs, wild weather patterns and tariffs. It’s led to a record number of farm bankruptcies in…

Strike underway at large Tyson beef processing plant in Amarillo

More than 3,000 workers at Tyson Foods’ large beef processing plant in Amarillo, Texas, are on strike in a push for more pay and to force the Springdale-based company to…

BRICS+ could negatively impact US, Arkansas agri industry

Goldman Sachs economist Jim O’Neill in 2001 wrote a research paper on the economies of four large countries — Brazil, Russia, India and China — that were not a part…

Arkansas GDP up 0.8% in the first quarter, ranks 5th in the nation

Arkansas’ real gross domestic product (GDP) was 0.8% in the first quarter, ranking the state fifth for growth among the 50 states. Personal income grew at an annual rate of…

Cotton crop planted; producers leery of future rains

Virtually all of the state’s cotton crop has been planted and now producers are in a waiting game to see if weather conditions will dry out. Since the beginning of…

Grow for Green soybean challenge open for applications

Arkansas soybean producers are invited to apply for the 15th annual Grow for the Green Soybean Yield Challenge (GFTG), a competition that rewards high yields, spotlights innovation and promotes best…

Fort Smith Farmers Market grows from a ‘yellow tent’ to planned solar roofs

The Fort Smith Farmers Market on Garrison Avenue began with one man’s vision, a yellow tent, and an “open” sign around 23 years ago. Now, the market has 72 vendors…