We visited Vandiver’s Newcastle Farms near Forrest City, where owner Kevin Vandiver told us how he got his start growing Christmas trees and why he wants his customers to have a special experience that becomes a family tradition.
Randy Veach took the podium at Arkansas Farm Bureau’s 85th annual convention today to give his final address to members as the organization’s president. Veach, a third-generation farmer from Manila, is completing his 11th term as Arkansas Farm Bureau president, and has served on the board for 20 years.
The University of Arkansas Ranch Horse Team keeps alive the horsemanship skills that once ruled the iconic cattle drives of the Old West. Formed in 2016, the two-time national champions recruit skilled riders and compete several times during the school year. Watch these skilled riders and learn their story.
The kunekune is a small breed of domestic pigs originally from New Zealand. We visited Brenda Eldridge, president of the American Kunekune Pig Society, at her Piney Creek Farm in Calico Rock to learn more about these hairy, rotund pigs that produce well-larded meat.
We talk to Hermitage High School Ag Instructor Joe Don Greenwood, who is also the coach of the school's winning forestry team. He discussed his four decades in agriculture education and introduced us to members of this year's forestry team.
Don't ever downplay the importance of agriculture education in our public school system. As Adolph Vodrazka will tell you, it's absolutely necessary. The influence of this longtime ag education teacher on his students is multi-generational. Watch as the retired 92-year-old Pope County icon tells the farming story through the eyes of an educator.
Farm-to-table is the foodie rage and, in Hot Springs, there's an example of this trend that highlights how mutually beneficial the relationship between local farms and restaurants can be. In a unique relationship, JV Farms Homestead in Bismarck takes waste brewers grains from Superior Bathhouse Brewery in Hot Springs National Park, feeds their hogs with it, then sells the pork meat back to the brewery where it’s made into sausage for the brewery restaurant.
Before harvest season in Arkansas wraps up, we paid a visit to Jackson County farmer Bubba Sink to follow his pickers in the field. See for yourself how Sink brings in his soybean crop and learn more about soybeans in Arkansas.
We visited Jeremy Bemis on his family’s tree farm near the southern Pulaski County town of Wrightsville. A brief venture into growing pumpkins and Christmas trees led to development of Bemis Honeybee Farm, which Jeremy and his wife Emily operate. Established in 2012 the bee farm now features one of the largest stores for beekeeping equipment in the state and it has become a destination for beekeepers across Arkansas and neighboring states.
Earlier this year, 93-year-old cattle rancher Lloyd Reynolds of Lamar attended his last Johnson County Farm Bureau board meeting. Reynolds had served on the board for most of his adult life. He shared his thoughts about Arkansas Farm Bureau with us, along with stories from his full and fascinating life in agriculture.
