Rip Weaver, program assistant with the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture Cooperative Extension Service, spoke with us about ways the COVID-19 pandemic has pushed state agencies into the digital age, with in-person meetings, trainings, farm tours and other activities taking a back seat to virtual get-togethers.
Drew and Laura Davis of Bono (Craighead County) and Monica Paskewitz of Melbourne (Izard County) earned the top two Young Farmers & Ranchers awards this month during Arkansas Farm Bureau’s annual Officers & Leaders Conference, which was held “virtually” for the first time in its 72-year history. The awards honor young farmers and ranchers ages 18-35 for the general excellence of their operations and their hard work and innovation.
We talked to Dr. Karen Ballard, professor of program evaluation for the Cooperative Extension Service’s Community, Professional & Economic Development Department, and Dr. Julie Robinson, associate professor in the Community, Professional & Economic Development Department, about their work on virtual teaching and professional meetings and how use of this technology is expanding during the COVID-19 pandemic.
This week, weather takes center stage. We hear from a National Weather Service Senior Forecaster John Lewis, Ag Extension Rice Agronomist Jarrod Hardke and Sevier County livestock and poultry grower Bruce Jackson about how excessive winds and rainfall from Hurricane Laura could impact Arkansas agriculture. We also get some tips and information for Arkansas small meat and poultry processors interested in the state’s new $5 million grant program for expanding processing capacity.
Kallem Hill grows broiler chickens for Wayne Farms in Perry. He has 18 poultry houses and, like other growers in the state, has suffered extended “out times” and other issues from the Covid-19 pandemic. In this update, Hill explains how Payment Protection Program assistance allowed him to pay his employees and says that things are slowly getting back to normal.
In this issue, we look at the challenges facing health care providers in rural Arkansas and we learn about a new state organization for veterans in agriculture. We also explore another Rural Road Trip destination and share the winning recipe from this year's Dairy Foods Contest.
In this Video AgCast, UA Food Science Research Specialist Renee Threlfall talks about grapes in Arkansas and the new, grant-funded Arkansas Quality Wine Program.
Friday, Aug. 21, was the third and final session of the 2020 Arkansas Farm Bureau President's Leadership Council, and the focus was on public affairs and government relations. ArFB's Jennifer Craig provides a recap and talks to two participants, Lindsey Holtzclaw and Kisia Weeks, to get their thoughts on the session.
Arkansas Farm Bureau on Friday praised Gov. Asa Hutchinson and members of the General Assembly after the body allocated $5 million from the federal CARES Act to create a grant program that will allow custom meat processors in Arkansas to expand and upgrade facilities.
