Ted McKinney, USDA Under Secretary for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs offers insight on current trade issues impacting farmers and ranchers.

The ongoing trade dispute with China, a record U.S. soybean crop in need of new export markets, and the new U.S.-Mexico-Canada Trade Agreement were some of the key issues addressed by Ted McKinney, Under Secretary for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs at USDA, during the Arkansas Farm Bureau’s annual convention. In this edition of Arkansas Agcast, McKinney discusses efforts to resolve the trade war with China and other trade issues facing agriculture as we approach the New Year.

We visited with members of the Grass Roots Farmers' Cooperative, a group of small-scale family Arkansas farmers raising chickens, turkeys, cattle and pigs. Learn more about their unique operation.

In this special edition of Arkansas AgCast, we talk with Terri McManus with the Farm Service Angency about the critical Dec. 7 deadline for producers who have generic seed cotton base who want to participate in the Agriculture Risk Coverage (ARC) or Price Loss Coverage (PLC) program for the 2018 crop.

The average cost of the traditional Thanksgiving meal this year is higher than in 2017, according to Arkansas Farm Bureau’s 33rd annual survey of food items typically included in the holiday feast. And, for the first time, the survey includes ham, russet potatoes and green beans. This year’s meal will cost $52.93 for a family of 10, up $8.35 from last year’s average of $44.58, but still a bargain at $5.29 per person.

The USDA releases the 2017 MYA for long- and medium-grain rice, while trade issues create more soybean challenges and a deadline is coming up for cotton farmers.

Thanksgiving is upon us. And that means turkeys. Wild turkey was the bird of choice for the Pilgrim’s first Thanksgiving feast shared with the local indians. Butterball is the choice of Logan County poultry grower Brian Weisenfels. Listen as he tells about raising turkeys in this edition of Arkansas Ag Cast.

O’Neil Wooten and his family are poultry farmers growing broiler chickens on their farm in Strong, Arkansas in Union County. Watch and learn their story of resilience in a difficult business that they happen to love.

The latest on rice and hog futures, trade and weather troubles for soybeans, and Hurricane Michael's devastating blow to Georgia cotton.

Derek Haigwood, a fourth-generation row-crop farmer from Newport, serves as a United Soybean Board director and chairman of the U.S. Soybean Export Council (USSEC). In this podcast, he discusses how many soybean farmers are facing a devastating hit to their bottom line this year due to low prices, trade issues, weather problems and more, and talks about USSEC efforts to create new markets and keep existing customers.