The Arkansas Agriculture Hall of Fame has announced that its Aug. 20 induction ceremony will be postponed due to safety concerns surrounding the increase in COVID-19 cases in Arkansas.

The induction ceremony is now scheduled to occur March 4, 2022, effectively skipping a year between induction classes.

“I am sad, because this is such an important moment for Arkansas agriculture,” said Butch Calhoun of Des Arc, chairman of the Arkansas Agriculture Hall of Fame board. “But I believe our board of directors made the right decision to postpone this event. This ceremony is about celebrating those who have made Arkansas agriculture great and we were expecting a record crowd of around 700 people for the induction.

“This is a great class of inductees, and obviously, the safety of all involved in this program is our top priority. We hope to be able to gather safety and celebrate together in March 2022, and give these inductees the full courtesy they deserve.”

Refunds will be provided to those who have purchased tickets to the event.

Those set for induction include:

• retired Cooperative Extension Service Director Rick Cartwright of Fayetteville;
• long-time ag educator Joe Don Greenwood of Hermitage;
• the late Russell Roy Reynolds, director of the U.S. Forest Service Crossett Experimental Forest for 34 years;
• former Arkansas Farm Bureau President Randy Veach of Manila;
• Mark Waldrip of Moro, founder of Armor Seed Company;
• and Andrew Wargo III of Watson, farm manager for the 15,000-acre Baxter Land Company for more than 50 years.

There is a total of 170 who have previously been inducted into the Arkansas Agriculture Hall of Fame, which began in 1987.

The mission of the Arkansas Agriculture Hall of Fame is to build public awareness of agriculture and to formally recognize and honor individuals whose efforts have led to the prosperity of local communities and the state.