The week, we talk to Jeremy Bemis of Bemis Honey Bee Farm and Supplies and Bemis Tree Farm about his family’s growing business in southern Pulaski County, and we hear from this year’s Arkansas Tree Farmer of the Year. We also talk to Arkansas Farm Bureau’s Jessica Clowser Burkham about new regulations for industrial hemp production just released by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
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.
Dennis Martin of Hickory Ridge followed in his father’s and grandfather’s footsteps, farming row crops on land in Cross, Jackson and Woodruff counties. Now his daughter Jenna, fresh out of college, has decided she’ll continue the family tradition and work full-time on the farm alongside her dad. Watch as they share their story.
Peanut production has become more common in Arkansas. With a little help from Tommy Jumper and his vertically integrated business model at Delta Peanut LLC, cotton farmers in Lee and St. Francis counties have been adding peanuts to their rotation and harvesting better-than-expected yields. Jumper talked to us about his business and how he believes that the state will become a “major player” in the U.S. peanut industry when Arkansas’ first shelling facility begins operation near Jonesboro next year.
This week, we talk to Natural Resource Commission Executive Director Bruce Holland about the work of the state’s Levee Task Force and we hear from Tommy Jumper, chief executive officer of Delta Peanut LLC, who discusses the latest on the peanut industry in Arkansas. We also visit with participants in this year’s livestock shows at the Arkansas State Fair.
Jeff Edwards has been farming in the Sherrill-Pastoria community near Pine Bluff for most of his life. Like others in the Arkansas River valley, he lost cropland to the historic flooding earlier this year. He and his family have weathered challenges like this before, though, and Jeff plans to continue farming until, “the Lord calls him home.” Watch to learn more.
Southern Arkansas University in Magnolia has one of only two collegiate rodeo teams in the state. The Muleriders rodeo team has a proud history dating to the 1980s and recruits student-athletes from across the country. Coach Rusty Hayes was a member of the school's original team and has coached a number of national champion riders. The team will host their annual rodeo Oct. 31-Nov. 2, so we paid a visit to hear from members of this year's squad.
Arkansas Farm Bureau was once again one of the major sponsors of the Junior Livestock Auction at the Arkansas State Fair. During the premium livestock sale, we caught up with some of the young participants from around the state, who talked about the work involved in raising champion animals and their personal experience at this year’s Fair.
