Tag: agriculture

Major crops on pace for high yields; peanut acres set new record

Corn, soybeans, squash and other crops have been grown in the Arkansas Delta for at least a thousand years and yield numbers for some of those row crops could set…

State of the State Mid-Year 2024: Arkansas farmers facing ‘pretty rough’ conditions

Financial viability for some farmers is becoming an increasing concern for agriculture stakeholders and public officials as the harvest season draws near, according to Arkansas Secretary of Agriculture Wes Ward….

Farm bills seek to steer younger Arkansans into agriculture

Rep. Julie Mayberry, R-Hensley, and Rep. Denise Garner, D-Fayetteville, have introduced a bill aimed at addressing the challenges young farmers face entering the profession. According to House Bill 1003, an…

Agri leaders point to specifics for optimism in 2021

Like nearly every other industry in 2020, the state’s agricultural community had a rough ride. The pandemic may have been the least of its worries. Weather conditions, low commodity prices…

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…

UA System Division of Agriculture makes changes to continue aid to farmers

Even as many private businesses and public spaces close their doors in an effort to slow the spread of COVID-19, staff and faculty with the University of Arkansas System Division…

Pakko, Ward among featured speakers for ASU’s annual Agribusiness Conference

Arkansas State University’s annual Agribusiness Conference, slated for Feb. 12, will provide information and agricultural policy education to farmers, agribusiness professionals, students and educators across the Mid-South. This year’s conference…

Carbon-friendly: Farmers adopt regenerative practices to save money and the environment

The agriculture sector can at times be the most volatile economic sector in the country. Prices for a broad range of crops can vary by wide margins each growing season,…

Farm Bureau’s Veach represents state, U.S. at the North American/EU ag conference

Randy Veach, president of the Arkansas Farm Bureau, was among the farm and ranch leaders representing the United States at the 39th biennial North American/European Union Agriculture Conference in Copenhagen,…

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…

Ag industry set to boom during the next century

The world’s rapidly growing population and the push of many people from the poverty ranks into the middle class will fuel significant growth in the agriculture industry, according to one…

USDA releases acreage estimates for Arkansas

The ongoing trade war with China is now impacting what Arkansas farmers will plant this spring. Corn and cotton acres are expected to increase, while soybean acres, the state’s top…

State rice and corn harvest numbers up; soybean and peanuts down

Arkansas farmers managed to pull enough rice from the land to mark a 30% increase over 2017’s lower numbers, which was a result of flooding during that year’s spring. Not…

Arkansas farmers hope to fare better in the coming year after brutal 2018

A perfect storm of problems ranging from the ongoing trade war with China, lower commodity prices, and bad weather plagued Arkansas farmers in 2018. Arkansas Agriculture Secretary Wes Ward told…

Trade, technology are topics to watch for state’s agri sector

Earlier this week, Gov. Asa Hutchinson signed a proclamation declaring Tuesday (March 20) as “Agriculture Day in Arkansas.” He met with state employees from the Arkansas Agriculture Department, which encompasses…

USDA Secretary Purdue says NAFTA pact will come, President focused on ‘America First’ deal

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue said Friday that he is confident that the U.S., Canada and Mexico will come to a resolution on a new North American Free Trade…

Farm Bureau president estimates flood damage will top $200 million, pledges fight to keep state tax exemptions

Arkansas Farm Bureau President Randy Veach fears flooding damage to the state’s agriculture sector will top $200 million and that’s one justification for keeping millions of dollars in tax exemptions…

Arkansas may have new ally in opening trade relations with Cuba

Arkansas could benefit economically if trade relations with Cuba are expanded, and several state political leaders including U.S. Sen. John Boozman, U.S. Rep. Rick Crawford, and Gov. Asa Hutchinson have…

Gov. Asa Hutchinson and other national lawmakers petition federal government for flood-related agricultural aid

The window for many rice farmers to replant crops lost in the recent floods is closing, and Gov. Asa Hutchinson has sent a letter to U.S. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue…

House plan OKs measure to merge State Plant board, six other agencies into Agriculture Department

Gov. Asa Hutchinson’s push to downsize state government continued Wednesday (March 15) when a House committee approved a measure to consolidate seven smaller farming-related boards and commissions into the State…