Read the latest edition of the Farm Bureau Press!

Students are home on their summer break, as schools in Arkansas anticipate reopening in August. Sarah Lane, Farm to School and Early Childhood Education Program coordinator for the Arkansas Department of Agriculture, provides an update on how school gardens are being maintained during the summer and how Farm to School is more important than ever during the Covid-19 pandemic, continuing to provide fresh, local produce for children and families in need.

This week, we have an in-depth conversation with Arkansas Farm Bureau experts about efforts to establish a state meat inspection program in Arkansas and we chat with Cooperative Extension Service entomologists about summer insect pests Arkansas farmers will be facing.

According to Logan Duvall of Me & McGee Market on Highway 70, business has been steady despite the ongoing pandemic. However, Duvall explains that somes small changes have been made to keep customers and employees safe, and masks are required for all visitors. The market, located east of Little Rock, is known for its fresh, local produce, floral arrangements and canned goods, along with food trucks that visit each week.

In this issue, we examine how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected the business of agriculture and various commodity markets. We also explore the details of government programs designed to help reduce the impact of the outbreak on farmers and ranchers.

The eight district winners in the 73rd annual Arkansas Farm Family of the Year Program have been selected, representing the diversity of Arkansas agriculture, the state’s largest industry.

Blair Griffin is a Extension County Agent for the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture Cooperative Extension Service. He's based in Clarksville and travels the state working with county agents and farmers wanting to control pasture weeds. He says it's time now to spray to control the initial outbreak of summer pastureland weeds.

This week, we are joined by Lou Jamison, owner of Jamison Orchard in Nashville, who tells us about her family’s peach orchard and how the COVID-19 outbreak has affected their business. We also talk to our own Brandy Carroll to get the facts on the recent 9th Circuit court ruling on dicamba and we chat with Michael Sparks of the new Arkansas Chapter of the Farmer Veteran Coalition and Karin Endy of the Northwest Arkansas Food Systems Program.

Arkansas timber production in March and April declined 480,000 tons, down 15% from a year ago. Family-owned logging and log trucking businesses are suffering from a reduction in wood fiber being sourced from our forests and industry organizations are seek assistance from Congress. We spoke to John McMinn, forestry division coordinator for Arkansas Farm Bureau, about the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on this vital sector of Arkansas agriculture and our state's economy.

Mark Lambert, director of Commodity Activities and Economics at Arkansas Farm Bureau, joined AgCast to discuss recent changes to the federal Paycheck Protection Program and Coronavirus Food Assistance Program, which can provide vital financial assistance to Arkansas farmers and ranchers impacted by the pandemic.