Donette Spann has been named administrator of the Arkansas Beef Council, the farmer-funded promotion agency that oversees and administers the Beef Checkoff Program in Arkansas. She replaces the recently the recently retired Travis Justice.

This week, we talk National Honey Month with Jeremy Bemis of Bemis Honey Bee Farm. We get the latest on cotton from agronomist Bill Robertson and we hear about the challenges facing agritourism businesses in Arkansas during the COVID-19 pandemic.

September is Rice Month and the harvest is well underway in Arkansas, the nation’s leading rice producing state. C.J. Parker began harvesting his 4,000 acres this week on his farm near Carlisle. Though he’s had some weather-related delays he still expects to have a good yield.

Ryan Pace, a retired colonel from the Army National Guard, runs and lives on Wholly Cow Farm in Judsonia with his wife and children. Pace served in the military for almost 29 years, and when he's not on the farm, he works for Greenway Equipment in central Arkansas. Pace tells us all about Wholly Cow and the meat he produces for local restaurants and consumers.

In this issue, we celebrate the career of Arkansas Farm Bureau's Travis Justice, who's retiring after almost 50 years of service. We also meet the winners of this year's top Young Farmer & Rancher awards and get to know Dr. Bob Scott, the new director of the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture Cooperative Extension Service.

The ArFB AgTech Training Lab recently made its first stop of the school year at Morrilton High School. The trailer holds three simulators that allow students to experience industrial equipment being used in the workforce and earn credit toward certifications. The trailer remains at each school for one week, allowing time for students to get some experience in the simulators. The schedule calls for the AgTech Training Lab to visit 36 other schools throughout the school year.

A number of issues during the past several years have compounded farm stress, and Farm Bureau has been working to address this critical issue. Rebecca Simon with the Cooperative Extension Service joined us to share some everyday ways farmers can cope when things aren't going as planned.

This week, we talk to Sen. John Boozman after one of his recent farm visits this week, and we hear from Cooperative Extension Service expert Julia Fryer on produce safety issues after Hurricane Laura. We also catch up with the Benton County Farm Bureau Women’s Leadership Committee's Brenda Patton about the challenges her group has faced during COVID-19.

Construction on a new poultry education center at Southern Arkansas University is nearing completion. The facility will add "hands on" poultry education to the growing agriculture program at Southern Arkansas University. Dr. Jeff Miller, chairman of the SAU Agriculture Department, explains why poultry education is needed to train future professionals for this important industry in Arkansas.

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.