Jim Carroll of Brinkley is midway through his year as chair of the United Soybean Board. The board had an important meeting this week to fund priority projects and discuss marketing and export of their many products. In this Agcast Video Extra, Carroll spoke with Ken Moore about the importance of the meeting what it’s been like to serve as chair of this national commodity group.

This week, we get an update on cotton from Extension Cotton Agronomist Bill Robertson; we learn about the latest research on blackberries, peaches and grapes; and we talk to state Plant Industries Director Scott Bray about the mysterious seed packages some people have been receiving in the mail. We also hear from Dr. Nathan Slaton of the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station about the cancellation of the popular Arkansas Rice Expo event in Stuttgart.

Keith Sutton talks to ArFB's Chief Economist Travis Justice and Director of Public Affairs & Government Relations about the recent meat shortages in grocery stores and efforts to expand local meat inspections so growers can more efficiently sell their products directly to local consumers.

A wild ride for soybean futures, live cattle futures hit highs, hog futures stabilize, plus cotton, rice and more.

The Helena Harbor is an important component of economic development in Phillips County. Located a short distance south of Memphis on the Mississippi River the Port Authority there is undergoing a significant expansion. We spoke to John Edwards, manager of Helena Harbor in Phillips County, who explained the expansion project, the port's importance and long-range plans for future growth.

This week, we learn about a major donation by the Anheuser-Busch Foundation to support the Arkansas Discovery Farms Project and we get the latest on the federal Paycheck Protection Program. We also talk to Altus Mayor Veronica Post about the cancellation of three agriculture-related festivals in her community due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

A $10 million endowment was presented to the University of Arkansas System recently by the Fryar Family Charitable Foundation. The donation was to establish the Fryar Price Risk Management Center of Excellence. Dr. Ed Fryar sat down with us this week to discuss the idea behind the Center and the agricultural impact he hopes it will make not only in Arkansas but across the nation.

Following a delay of almost two months from its traditional opening date, the Little Rock Farmers Market welcomed the public to a smaller version of the popular weekend destination at the Little Rock River Market. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the market will be limited to fresh produce vendors and safety protocols must be followed by visitors.

Dr. Jeyam Subbiah heads the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture's Food Science Department and is also lead investigator for the UA Agricultural Experiment Station's portion of a USDA 5-year research project. The collaborative effort involves nine universities studying food safety in low moisture foods such as nuts, dried foods and cereals. In this Agcast Video Extra he explained the need for the $9.8 million project with ArFB's Ken Moore.

This week, we talk about a new multi-million dollar infrastructure project at the Little Rock Port, learn the importance of keeping written legal documents when leasing farmland, and hear the latest on LeadAR, the two-year leadership development program of the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture Cooperative Extension Service.