Arkansas Farm Bureau was on hand for the 100th Annual American Farm Bureau Federation Convention in New Orleans. Check out highlights from our coverage of the event.

Jessica Clowser has been hired as the Director of Commodity Activities and Economics for Aquaculture, Forestry and Specialty Crops at Arkansas Farm Bureau, where she is responsible for directing commodity-specific programs and activities. She will address legislative, regulatory and economic affairs important to Farm Bureau members and manage administrative functions for commodity check-off boards.

The Arkansas Agriculture Hall of Fame has announced plans to induct five individuals whose leadership and service have brought distinction to the state’s largest business sector. The newest class includes retired University of Arkansas educator Dr. L.B. (Bernie) Daniels of Fayetteville Ed Fryar of Rogers, the founder of Ozark Mountain Poultry; UA professor Dr. Donna Graham of Fayetteville; UA distinguished professor Dr. Terry Siebenmorgen of Fayetteville; and David Walt of Dumas, a retired soybean farmer.

From picking by hand to using harvesters and machinery to shake the trees, Davis Pecans has grown into a multi-generational family business success story in the Red River valley.

Lonoke County is rich with gold — goldfish, that is. Pool Fisheries in Lonoke, founded in 1959, produces around 175 million goldfish each year, about 80 percent of the total U.S. production. Listen as co-owner Ronnie Pool and general manager Rodney Elmore describe how this family business fulfills orders for these popular aquarium and bait fish throughout the year.

President Donald Trump signed the 2018 Farm Bill into law during a ceremony in the Old Executive Office Building near the White House. Arkansas Farm Bureau President Randy Veach and ArFB board member Terry Dabbs were on hand for the signing event, where they spoke to members of Arkansas's Congressional delegation, leaders from American Farm Bureau and Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue. See highlights and updates from the event.

Arkansas farmer Jim Carroll III of Monroe County was recently elected vice chair of the United Soybean Board. He sat down with us to discuss the challenges this year’s soybean crop presented and how he's humbled to be elected by his peers to serve agriculture.

Before it’s ready for making textiles and other goods, cotton must be ginned to remove seeds, clean fibers and prepare bales for shipping. Watch B. Lindsey of Lindsey Brothers Gin in Caldwell (St. Francis County) explain the process from field to fabric.

Recently, the restoration of the dam that created Lake Bennett was completed at Wooly Hollow State Park near Greenbrier. Lake Bennett is named after Hugh Hammond Bennett, the father of soil conservation, whose research in the Faulkner County watershed was critical to overcoming the critical soil erosion during the Dust Bowl days of the 1930s. Farmers today still follow Hugh Hammond Bennett's soil conservation practices to protect the soil we depend on to grow and raise our food, fiber and shelter. Learn more about the fascinating history behind this unique dam and its relationship to agriculture in the area.

In this issue: Advice and tips for preparing for the next planting season, a look at the UA Fruit Research Station in Johnson County and the rise of Indigo Ag, an emerging biotech company with Arkansas roots.