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.
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.
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.
We talked to Dr. Karen Ballard, professor of program evaluation for the Cooperative Extension Service’s Community, Professional & Economic Development Department, and Dr. Julie Robinson, associate professor in the Community, Professional & Economic Development Department, about their work on virtual teaching and professional meetings and how use of this technology is expanding during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Kallem Hill grows broiler chickens for Wayne Farms in Perry. He has 18 poultry houses and, like other growers in the state, has suffered extended “out times” and other issues from the Covid-19 pandemic. In this update, Hill explains how Payment Protection Program assistance allowed him to pay his employees and says that things are slowly getting back to normal.
In this Video AgCast, UA Food Science Research Specialist Renee Threlfall talks about grapes in Arkansas and the new, grant-funded Arkansas Quality Wine Program.
Friday, Aug. 21, was the third and final session of the 2020 Arkansas Farm Bureau President's Leadership Council, and the focus was on public affairs and government relations. ArFB's Jennifer Craig provides a recap and talks to two participants, Lindsey Holtzclaw and Kisia Weeks, to get their thoughts on the session.
