Amanda McWhirt, University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture Extension fruit and vegetable specialist and professor, talks about damages to specialty crops from weather and other challenges facing growers.
This week, we talk to Jara Settles of the Livestock Marketing Association in Kansas City about the importance of livestock auctions and we hear from Julia Fryer of the Cooperative Extension Service about produce safety. We also learn about a new website for local businesses and nonprofits called UpliftArkansas.
The spring planting season continues, despite challenges caused by the COVID-19 outbreak, storms and extreme cold snaps. Arkansas farmers and ranchers and agriculture industry leaders continue their work to provide us with reports and updates from their fields, workshops and offices. Here's a selection of recent videos.
The Farm Bureau Insurance companies announced Thursday a $500,000 gift to the six foodbanks that cover the state of Arkansas, anchored by the Arkansas Foodbank, which represents 33 counties in Central Arkansas. “Farm Bureau’s founding mission is to support the families that put food on our tables,” said Rich Hillman, Carlisle rice farmer and president of Arkansas Farm Bureau. “Providing relief to our communities in a time of need is a core value of the Farm Bureau. Offering a helping hand to our friends at the Arkansas Foodbank and their partners who provide similar services throughout Arkansas is critical at this time.”
This week, we talk to Dr. Matthew Pelkki, economist and professor at the University of Arkansas at Monticello, about the impact of the COVID-19 crisis on the timber industry. We also get an update from Arkansas Farm Bureau’s Jason Smedley on the new Farm Corps program that connects job-seeking National Guard and Reserve soldiers and other military veterans to jobs in agriculture. And we hear from Arkansas Farm Bureau’s specialty crops expert John McMinn about issues facing that sector of agriculture.
The Farm Bureau Insurance companies announced Thursday a $500,000 gift to the six foodbanks that cover the state of Arkansas, anchored by the Arkansas Foodbank, which represents 33 counties in Central Arkansas.
Severe thunderstorms with winds of more than 80 mph knocked down trees and power lines Sunday night in the eastern part of the state, causing widespread damage and power outages and leading to another delay in planting for delta farmers. Learn more from Arkansas County Farm Bureau agency manager Chuck Wallace and farmer and ArFB board member Terry Dabbs of Stuttgart.
This week, we talk to Dr. Amanda Perez, a professor and Food Safety Specialist with the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture about how produce and specialty crop farmers are adjusting their businesses during the COVID-19 crisis, and we catch up with UA Division of Agriculture Wheat and Feed Grains agronomist Jason Kelley to discuss how rainfall has delayed this year’s corn crop planting and the impact Covid-19 concerns are having on crop farmers. And we also hear from John Gavin, staff chair of the Bradley County Cooperative Extension Service about tomato production in southeast Arkansas.
