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Arkansas rice acres planted drop to lowest level in 50 years
Rice, one of the Natural State’s signature crops, has taken a massive acreage dip this growing season and if a plethora of dynamics don’t change, that dip could become permanent….
Tag: agriculture
by - June 29, 2026 12:00 pm
Why small airports matter to our state’s agriculture
Arkansas is the nation’s rice leader. We produce nearly half of all American rice and export more than $400 million worth of rice annually to markets across the globe. This…
by - June 29, 2026 9:00 am
Arkansas led country in farm bankruptcies in 2025
Arkansas led the entire country in Chapter 12 farm bankruptcies last year, and if projected net-income this year is an indicator that problem may only get worse. The state had…
by - June 28, 2026 12:00 pm
The farm crisis
If you haven’t figured it out yet, we have a farming crisis. We’ve had a farming crisis for years, and the Band-Aids and shortcuts and starts and stops and handouts…
by - June 28, 2026 8:00 am
Hallie Shoffner is racing against the odds for U.S. Senate
The number six has dominated Hallie Shoffner’s life. She was a sixth-generation farmer from Jackson County. During February of 2025 she had six spreadsheets each depicting different scenarios about how…
by - June 3, 2026 9:00 am
Research could help with state’s muscadine production
Genetics may help grape breeders determine what will be seedless and self-pollinating even years before vines bear fruit. The approach will save time and resources in the pursuit of creating…
by - January 26, 2026 3:57 am
Farmers increasing use of cover crops to protect soil
No one knows who first invented the idea of using cover crops to protect soil in agriculture fields, but by 6000 B.C. farmers in Italy and Greece were using legumes…
by - January 25, 2026 10:00 am
Hybar, ASU leadership change, Ridge Athletics Center among top stories of 2025
The steel industry continued to flourish during 2025 in Northeast Arkansas with mills opening and plans for more mills were announced. Record floods plagued farmers in the spring throughout the…
by - December 1, 2025 10:00 am
Arkansas farm income expected to drop 8% next year
Net farm income in Arkansas this year is projected to be down sharply when compared to 2024, but there are reasons — primarily new federal aid — to think net…
by - November 30, 2025 9:00 am
Studies point to benefit of rice as an ingredient in brewing beer
There is archeological evidence that humans were brewing beer in China almost 10,000 years ago. Other evidence points to beer brewing in Iraq 7,000 years ago, and the ancient Egyptians…
by - November 4, 2025 7:01 am
Arkansas Secretary of Agriculture Wes Ward: Bailouts, state creativity needed for farm survival
A late September national conference of agricultural leaders, including U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, was held in Arkansas and gave some hope to farmers across the state who…
by - July 30, 2025 12:00 pm
Communication is key for farmers in challenging times
It’s no secret that farmers are going through a tough time. Being an ag lender and relationship banker means supporting them during difficult moments, encouraging them not to lose hope…
by - July 29, 2025 12:00 pm
A-State College of Agriculture’s strategic vision for state workforce
Arkansas’ agricultural heritage is more than tradition — it’s the foundation of our economy, communities and higher education. In 1909, four agricultural schools were established across Arkansas. Arkansas State University,…
by - June 30, 2025 11:00 am
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…
by - June 4, 2025 10:00 am
Hallie Shoffner talks ‘farm crisis’ in her bid to unseat Sen. Tom Cotton
A.E. Shoffner decided to move from Orange County, N.C., to Jackson County in Arkansas in the 1860s to start a farm. He primarily grew cotton, and it wasn’t long before…
by - May 7, 2025 10:00 am
Savings noted with university testing of ‘See & Spray’ herbicide system
Precision agriculture or farming is a methodology within the industry that seeks new technologies to increase crop yields by lowering the levels of traditional inputs — land, water, fertilizer, herbicides…
by - March 24, 2025 9:00 am
Agriculture’s ‘perfect storm’
I find myself thinking about agriculture a lot lately. I’m not a farmer, but I know enough about farming from the stories I’ve heard over the years from friends and…
by - March 23, 2025 10:00 am
Riceland Foods COO on the urgency for a Farm Bill
It’s no secret that farmers across the nation face a number of challenges heading into the new planting season. From rising input costs, low commodity prices, inflation, tariffs, severe weather…
by - February 12, 2025 5:29 pm
Agriculture chief outlines farm issues at A-State conference
The farming community is facing a multitude of problems from weak commodity prices, higher input costs, potential trade wars, and other problems as the planting season creeps nearer. Arkansas Agriculture…
by - January 27, 2025 9:00 am
Plant scientists continue to study ‘phantom pathogens’
German agricultural chemist Adolf Eduard Mayer made a startling discovery in 1886. He was studying mosaic disease on tobacco leaves when he noticed that if sap from the leaves touched…