Agriculture & Timber

Research program brings new blackberry variety to Arkansas

Danish farmers were excavating a peat bog in 1835 when they found a woman’s body. It was so well preserved in the bog that initially it was believed she had…

Arkansas’ rice crop poised for back-to-back years of expansion

Arkansas’ rice crop rebounded in terms of acres in 2023, with farmers adding 327,000 more acres than they planted in 2022. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) reported that the…

AI and supercomputers to be used in animal health research

Supercomputers and artificial intelligence aren’t typically associated with animal science, but they are among the tools for a relatively new field of science called bioinformatics that can be used to improve animal health and productivity. Jumping…

Riceland Foods Carbon Ready Program promotes sustainability practices

Several years ago, a trend began to develop. Consumers wanted to know where their food was coming from and how it was produced. A lot of data would have to…

Three candidates interview for dean of A-State proposed veterinary college

Three highly-qualified individuals from veterinary schools in neighboring states have completed the interview process as finalist candidates to become the next dean for the proposed College of Veterinary Medicine (CVM)…

USDA to invest $4 million in Arkansas’ migratory bird resurgence

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) recently announced that it is now accepting applications from agricultural producers for enrollment in a special Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) sign-up. USDA’s Natural…

Arctic cold snap in January to have little impact on insects

Bitterly cold temperatures may reduce the number redbanded stinkbugs this year, but it will have minimal or no impact on other insects, said Ben Thrash, extension entomologist for the University…

We need more ‘FARM’ in the Farm Bill

As president of Arkansas Farm Bureau, I have the privilege of seeing Arkansas’s diverse agriculture industry from a front-row seat. I also understand many of the challenges facing our state’s largest industry,…

Supreme Court rules in favor of River Valley Relief in marijuana cultivation license dispute

The Arkansas Supreme Court has ruled in favor of Fort Smith-based River Valley Relief (RVR) in a medical marijuana cultivation license dispute. The court reversed and remanded a lower court’s…

BLS: Year-over-year inflation up 3.5% in March

Prices of goods and services were higher than expected in March with the Consumer Price Index (CPI) rising 0.4% for the month and 3.5% higher year over year, according to…

Forestry Division allocates $303,904 in fire suppression kits

The Rural Fire Protection Program (RFP), managed by the Arkansas Department of Agriculture’s Forestry Division, is awarding 87 wildland fire suppression kits to rural fire departments across 46 counties in…

State officials take steps to avoid spread of avian influenza in dairy cattle

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has confirmed highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in dairy herds in Texas, Kansas, Michigan, Idaho, and New Mexico….

Lyon College vet, dental schools still on track for ’25 start; Location close to finalized

Dr. Melissa Taverner, president of Lyon College in Batesville, said the timeline is still intact for a Little Rock campus for a dental and veterinarian school to receive its first…

Net farm incomes projected to drop in 2024

Net farm incomes in Arkansas are projected to drop by $500 million in 2024, according to an analysis from the Rural & Farm Finance Policy Analysis Center. The “Spring 2024…

Forbes: Arkansas’ richest families see wealth grow

Jim Walton, 75, and his family, which includes sons Tom and Steuart, ranked No. 18 on the Forbes Billionaire List for 2024 at $78.4 billion. Walton is the youngest son…

Department of Agriculture launches ‘Arkansas Agritourism’ website

The Arkansas Department of Agriculture has added Arkansas Agritourism to the multi-platform website that includes the Arkansas Grown and Arkansas Farm to School websites. This collaboration connects consumers to local…

Arkansas Rice scholarship application period open

High school juniors graduating in 2025 are eligible to apply for and win up to $17,500 in scholarship funding towards higher education. Arkansas Rice’s “Rice Reps” is a five-month program…

Pastureland owners advised to consider fertilizer recommendations

Arkansas has more than 4.5 million acres of pastureland and another 1.5 million hay land acres, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. For those who own or rent those…

FTC: Giant retailers, suppliers, wholesalers use pandemic to boost profits

A Federal Trade Commission (FTC) report finds that large food and beverage retailers posted income gains during the height of the pandemic and continue to do so, calling into question…

Record number of peanuts could be harvested in Arkansas this year

About 14 years ago, farmers in the Arkansas Delta began planting peanuts. Producers had grown the legume in years past, but it had been decades since the crop had been…