Jason Braziel is a vo-ag instructor at Mountain Pine High School in Garland County. But, he also has a cow-calf and hay operation in the Sunshine community. Like other ranchers, he has been baling hay and tending to his cattle when the weather allows. He provided this update from his farm last week during a recent dry spell.
Les Miller is a firefighter with the Arkansas Department of Agriculture's Forestry Division and was crew boss of the 20-member "Razorback" team that just returned from Oregon where they assisted in fighting one of the many wildfires there. Miller says the fire they experienced was unlike anything he has ever seen, and that he and his crew members train to be ready when the call comes to help protect lives, homes and property in other states.
Producers of corn & soy beans can now apply for a second wave of assistance through the USDA's Coronavirus Food Assistance Program. Brandy Carroll, ArFB's Director of Commodity Activities & Market Information joined us to share important information about this program.
Kevin and Rebekah Hicks own Hicks Family Farms between Lonoke and Cabot. Their annual fall Pumpkin Patch and Corn Maze opened October 3. But, because of Covid-19 they are only open on weekends and visitors must follow health department safety protocols. The Hicks have been welcoming families to their farm for the past 10 years, many of them repeat visitors. Though the experience will be different this year, they did not want the pandemic to prevent them from sharing this family-friendly experience with their neighbors and the public.
Robert Stobaugh farms rice, soybeans, wheat and corn with his brother Barry and nephew Bart on 6,000 acres in Conway County. We caught up to him as they were harvesting their first crop of row rice and asked him to share some thoughts on this year's harvest.
Chad Russell has been farming near Marianna since the mid-90s and grows cotton, corn and soybeans. Last year he joined other local farmers and added peanuts to his cotton rotation. For the third year in a row, persistent rainfall is slowing harvest, but as Russell says they will get the crops out and he expects good yields.
Producers of beef cattle, swine, sheep and dairy cattle can now apply for a second wave of assistance through the USDA's Coronavirus Food Assistance Program. Brandy Carroll, ArFB's Director of Commodity Activities & Market Information joined us to share important information about this program.
John "Bubba" Sink farms rice, soybeans, corn and wheat in Jackson County. He took a few minutes out of his busy schedule to tell us how the fall harvest is going so far.
Amanda Perez is a food systems and food safety expert with the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture. September is National Food Safety Education Month, and she gives us some advice about food safety during a pandemic.
The Arkansas rice industry donated 153,500 pounds of rice to the Arkansas Foodbank in honor of National Rice Month yesterday. The donation from seven mills will provide over 1.5 million servings of rice to help feed families, children and seniors across the state. We caught up with Kelly Robbins, new executive director of the Arkansas Rice Federation to hear all about it.
