The newly elected State FFA officer team is hard at work preparing for the great things ahead in Arkansas FFA. State President, Brooke Bradford joined Ashlyn Ussery for a conversation about where her FFA journey began and to shine some light on what's in store for members throughout the coming year, despite COVID-19.

This week, we talk about Discovery Farms in Arkansas and dive into the issues facing the dairy industry. We also talk about China’s troubling reaction to COVID-19 infections at a Springdale poultry plant and learn about a deadly new virus strain in wild rabbits.

Valerie Lawson, a family and consumer science teacher at Clinton High School in Van Buren County, is Arkansas Farm Bureau’s 2020 Ag in the Classroom Outstanding Teacher.

Clyde Fenton, UA Extension county agent in Sebastian County, visited farmers at recently opened farmers markets in the west Arkansas River Valley. He took some time to give us a report on those markets that are just getting underway.

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Students are home on their summer break, as schools in Arkansas anticipate reopening in August. Sarah Lane, Farm to School and Early Childhood Education Program coordinator for the Arkansas Department of Agriculture, provides an update on how school gardens are being maintained during the summer and how Farm to School is more important than ever during the Covid-19 pandemic, continuing to provide fresh, local produce for children and families in need.

This week, we have an in-depth conversation with Arkansas Farm Bureau experts about efforts to establish a state meat inspection program in Arkansas and we chat with Cooperative Extension Service entomologists about summer insect pests Arkansas farmers will be facing.

According to Logan Duvall of Me & McGee Market on Highway 70, business has been steady despite the ongoing pandemic. However, Duvall explains that somes small changes have been made to keep customers and employees safe, and masks are required for all visitors. The market, located east of Little Rock, is known for its fresh, local produce, floral arrangements and canned goods, along with food trucks that visit each week.

In this issue, we examine how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected the business of agriculture and various commodity markets. We also explore the details of government programs designed to help reduce the impact of the outbreak on farmers and ranchers.

The eight district winners in the 73rd annual Arkansas Farm Family of the Year Program have been selected, representing the diversity of Arkansas agriculture, the state’s largest industry.