The Arkansas Department of Agriculture, along with Governor Hutchinson and representatives from the Poultry Federation and Butterball, recognize Thanksgiving and the contributions turkey producers bring to the state’s agriculture industry. Jenny Higgs of ArFB went along to interview the turkeys that were being honored and the 4-H'ers who raised them.
This week, we learn about the development of the first Roundup-ready forage soybean from Eagle Seed and we talk to Pope County’s Sam Cecil, Arkansas’s representative at the U.S. Meat Export Federation. We also talk turkey with Poultry Federation head Marvin Childers.
Phil and Lesia Hamaker own Hamaker Farms, a family cattle, poultry and produce operation at Junction City, south of El Dorado. They were the 2015 Southwest District Farm Family of the Year. Their operation consists of four poultry houses, high tunnel produce houses that allow them to extend their season for squash, tomatoes, greens and other produce, and cross-bred angus and charolais cattle. They've also established their own Farmers Market on their produce farm in northern Louisiana that is attracting a number of loyal customers. This is their story.
In only 3 years Taylor Farms in Benton County has produced state-winning full blood buck and doe Boer goats. In the second part of this series we catch up with Lauren and Lexi of Taylor Farms to learn the ins and outs of showing award-winning goats.
Randy Skarda of Hazen has been saving old farm tractors, threshers and combines from decaying in the weeds around his farm for the past 30 years and restoring them for his family and so future generations will know how their ancestors farmed years ago. He and his sons Seth and Ross discussed his "hobby" and gave us a demonstration of a 1948 McCormick-Deering 125 Ricefield Special combine that took seven years for him to get "field ready."
The Farmer Veteran Coalition - Arkansas and Arkansas Department of Agriculture partnered to host a Veterans Day celebration in Searcy today, the first official meeting of the new Arkansas chapter of FVC.
Anna Mathis is a University of Arkansas agriculture communications major. She was recently honored by being named secretary of the National FFA Organization. The Boone County native will serve in that capacity during the next year.
EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler held a round table event at Terry Dabbs farm in Stuttgart. Wheeler announced a $3.2 million grant for the Arkansas Department of Agriculture and toured Dabbs' farm.
This week, we talk about the results of this year’s Arkansas Farm Bureau survey of the cost of traditional Thanksgiving dinner items and we learn about how the pandemic has affected the logging and timber industry in Arkansas. We also get a lesson on the history of soybeans in the state, along with details of a new survey of forest landowners and tips on battling bugs that cause problems for livestock.
