Agriculture & Timber

Farmland investments take root

As Arkansans, most of us know someone who owns some farmland. Agriculture is the largest industry in the state and for many is part of their family’s heritage, yet almost…

Tyson Foods to rebuild beef slaughter plant in Kansas after recent fire

Tyson Foods experienced a devastating fire at its beef processing facility in Holcomb, Kan. on Friday (Aug. 9). The company said the plant was partially destroyed and requires complete shutdown…

USDA to undertake rare extra data collecting on crops

Arkansas’ weather-volatile planting season has been reflected in the recently released United States Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service acreage report, with the agency saying it would be collecting…

Tyson Foods beats quarterly income estimates, year-to-date sales up 4.8%

Tyson Foods outperformed Wall Street expectations for its fiscal third quarter with net income of $676 million, or $1.84 per share, up from $541 million, or $1.47 per share, in…

Tyson Foods, beef industry applaud new U.S. export deal with EU

The European Union has never been a large market for U.S. beef exports, but President Trump announced Friday (Aug. 2) an agreement that will allow sales of 35,000 tons of…

Analyst: Weak hide, product values dampen cattle prices

Prices for cow hides and beef by-product values have even eroding sharply in the last 18 months, according to Derrell Peel, extension livestock marketing specialist at Oklahoma State University. He…

African swine fever may decimate international soybean markets further; historic numbers of bushels in storage

The long-standing trade war with China seemingly has no end in sight and now Arkansas farmers are being advised to find new markets. They are also being told that the…

OK Foods raises base pay for Arkansas, Oklahoma plant workers

OK Foods will pay a 30-cent raise in base pay for hourly production workers in its Arkansas and Oklahoma facilities. The company declined to give the average base pay information…

Wall Street expects lower 3Q profits for Tyson Foods, but higher revenue

Tyson Foods is expected to report lower profits on Monday (Aug. 5) for the meat giant’s third-quarter ending June 30. Wall Street consensus is $1.47 per share, compared to $1.50…

Arkansas Rice, Downtown Little Rock Partnership launch ‘Downtown on the Farm’ event

Arkansas Rice and the Downtown Little Rock Partnership have announced a new event coming to Little Rock’s River Market this October called “Downtown on the Farm.” The purpose of the…

PotlatchDeltic 2Q profits slide 63%, Arkansas timberland sold for $20 million

PotlatchDeltic Corp. on Monday (July 29) reported that second quarter profits were down 63% from a year ago, even though the Spokane, Wash.-based real estate investment trust (REIT) benefitted from…

USDA outlines aid program to farmers impacted by trade wars

U.S. farmers have been devastated by erratic weather patterns and an ongoing trade war with China, one of the largest U.S. agriculture importers in the world. The federal government is…

Arkansas State University College of Agriculture appoints interim dean

Arkansas State University Provost Alan Utter appointed veteran College of Agriculture administrator Donald “Bud” Kennedy the college’s interim dean. “It is with great pleasure that I can announce that Dr….

AgLaunch Bootcamp kicks off

Seven startups have been selected to participate in the AgLaunch Bootcamp hosted this week in partnership with Arkansas State University and the Arkansas Department of Agriculture at the Delta Center…

Heavy rains, seed quality will impact soybean and rice yields

Hurricane Barry could have wrought more havoc on Arkansas farmers with its heavy winds and rains, but the storm still caused a lot of damage and yields could be impacted…

U.S. cattle inventory reaches a plateau

The July Cattle report shows the inventory of all cattle and calves in the U.S. was unchanged year-over-year at 103 million head as of July 1. The inventory of beef…

Arkansas Farm Bureau leader says farmers will rebound from tariffs, rains and floods

Arkansas Farm Bureau President Randy Veach announced earlier this month that he won’t seek a new term as the agriculture voice’s top leader. Veach said it is time for new…

Crop-eating insects may have ridden Barry into the Arkansas Delta

Tropical Storm Barry slung bands of rain in Arkansas on Saturday (July 13) and continued to inundate the state through Tuesday, dropping more than eight inches of rain in parts…

Federal judge consolidates cattle anti-trust cases

A federal judge in a U.S. District Court of Minnesota has consolidated three lawsuits filed against the nation’s beef packing industry into one case entitled “In re Cattle Antitrust Litigation.”…

Cotton planting expected to hit estimates despite weather, bollworm concerns

Bad weather has hampered cotton growers in 2019, the growing stages vary greatly from field to field, and bollworm problems loom. But, the state is on pace to hit its…