On this weeks episode we hear about Arkansas Cicades from Dr. Aaron Cato and we also talk to Marianna farmer Nathan Reed about his restoration of abandoned tractors. Finally we hear from Arkansas Farm Bureau's Mark Lambert on the agricultural impacts of the Memphis Mississippi River bridge closure.

In 1996, Arkansas Farm Bureau Women's Leadership Committee began a partnership with the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Arkansas that continues today. This month, the committee and staff at Ronald McDonald House commemorated the 25th anniversary of the partnership with a special event, during which the women's committee made its annual $4,000 donation. The donation will be used to purchase food and supplies to feed families staying at Ronald McDonald House to be near seriously ill children receiving treatment at Arkansas Children's Hospital.

Our second VLOG in the series "A Day In The Life" is up and this time we follow Bill Jackson at Jackson Farm in Lawrence County. Follow Bill around as he shows us his orchard, cattle and even meet Kuzco the llama.

Arkansas Farm Bureau (ArFB) has promoted Bryan Pistole to creative director. Pistole has more than 30 years of experience in graphic design, video production, web services and event management. He has been at ArFB for more than six years and previously served as assistant director of public relations, visual communications.

Madison Felts and Josey Webb have been hired as summer interns for Arkansas Farm Bureau.

Read the latest edition of the Farm Bureau Press.

On this week’s edition, we hear about recent Arkansas Supreme Court rulings related to the state Plant Board, get the latest on cotton planting in Arkansas and get to know Lauren McCullough, one of the hosts of Good Roots, the new Arkansas PBS segment sponsored by Arkansas Farm Bureau.

Thanks to some generous donations from Rocking F Ranch in Patterson, 13 students in Woodruff, Cross and Jackson counties will be able to show pigs in the Three County Fair this fall. Ranch owner Wes Fairchild and his son Tucker talked about the benefits of owning and showing animals like these.

Justin Reynolds has been promoted to vice president of the Organization and Member Programs (OMP) department at the Arkansas Farm Bureau Federation. In his new role, Reynolds will be responsible for coordinating and implementing all Farm Bureau programs and activities related directly to county Farm Bureaus throughout Arkansas. Jeremy Wesson has been promoted to director of OMP, and he will be responsible for the effective coordination of all work with county Farm Bureaus to launch and improve programs offered to members.

More than 20 years since its inception, construction on the final phases of the White River Irrigation District surface water project is about to begin. State officials gathered recently to announce that construction of canals to deliver water from the river to area farms has been funded, signaling completion of the project within the next two to three years.