Livestock and hay producers impacted by drought should contact their USDA Farm Service Agency office to determine their eligibility for several livestock assistance programs, including the Livestock Forage Disaster Program; Livestock Indemnity Program; Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honeybees, and Farm-Raised Fish; and emergency loans. 

If any portion of a county has been declared by the U.S. Drought Monitor as D3 (extreme drought level) during the normal grazing period, producers in the entire county become eligible for FSA assistance. Areas designated as D2 drought level for at least eight consecutive weeks during the normal grazing period also become eligible for assistance.

The USDA has designated 20 counties as primary natural disaster areas due to drought conditions and is gathering information that may result in additional counties being designated.  Producers in counties designated as primary natural disaster areas and those counties contiguous to primary counties are eligible for emergency loans from FSA.

Find your county FSA office here. More information about FSA disaster programs can be found here.

The Arkansas Department of Agriculture and Farm Credit Associations of Arkansas are partnering to provide a $1,000 Homegrown by Heroes scholarship to military veterans and active military personnel to attend the Center for Arkansas Farm and Food’s Farm School, a comprehensive training program for new or beginning specialty crop producers. Funding for the scholarship is generously provided by Farm Credit. Applications are due September 1, 2022 and are available here.

The scholarships are affiliated with Homegrown By Heroes, an Arkansas Department of Agriculture program that helps farmer veterans market their local agricultural products by labeling them as veteran-produced. Learn more about Homegrown by Heroes and find products grown or made by military veterans here.

“We are proud to partner with Farm Credit to provide a scholarship for the men and women who have served our country in the military,” says Arkansas Agriculture Secretary Wes Ward. “Military service members have many skills that make them great candidates for successful careers in agriculture. It is an honor to provide this scholarship as a way of thanking them for their service to our country.”

“The Farm Credit Associations of Arkansas appreciate the service Arkansas veterans and current military personnel give our country. We are pleased to help service members pursue careers in the agricultural field by sponsoring these scholarships,” said Brandon Haberer, CEO and president of Farm Credit of Western Arkansas.

The Center for Arkansas Farms and Food’s Farm School is an 11-month program at the Milo Shult Ag Research and Extension Center on the University of Arkansas campus in Fayetteville. The Farm School combines hands-on specialty crop farming with classes in production, business, and legal issues through classroom instruction and hands-on field activities. This comprehensive approach is specifically designed for beginning farmers of fruit, vegetable, flowers, and herbs who are interested in selling to local and regional markets. The 2023 program starts in January, with classes and farm work scheduled for approximately 20 hours per week, Monday through Thursday. The total cost of the program is $2,500. More information about the Farm School can be found at LearnToFarm.org.

Selection of scholarship recipients will be based on career goals, goals for farm/ranch, experience, and financial need. Preference will be given to Arkansas Homegrown By Heroes members, but membership is not required.

The Arkansas Department of Agriculture’s Forestry Division is now accepting applications for Wildland Fire Suppression Kits through September 30, 2022. The application can be found here.

The Forestry Division received $293,600 through a U.S. Forest Service grant to provide 89 kits this year to rural volunteer fire departments across the state. Nearly 600 kits have been distributed since 2014.

Volunteer fire departments are the Forestry Division’s primary partner in wildfire response and suppression. The kits will provide these departments with specialized equipment needed for safe suppression, including up to ten wildfire-resistant coveralls, ten pairs of wildland gloves, two backpack leaf blowers, two collapsible backpack water pumps, six leaf rakes, and two McLeod rakes.

Rural volunteer fire departments interested in applying should apply online here. Paper applications are available upon request. Applications are scored according to specific criteria to include the population of the fire district, the number of square miles covered, the average number of wildfires a department responds to annually, and other factors.

The selected departments will be notified in October, and kits will be delivered in spring of 2023 or as soon as supplies are received.

Fire departments may contact Kathryn Mahan-Hooten at k[email protected] or (501)679-3183 with questions. More information about the program can be found here.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced it is awarding more than $10 million in Farm to School grants to 123 projects across the country. These grants increase the amount of locally produced foods served through child nutrition programs, while also educating children about how their foods are harvested and made.

Arkansas was the third-highest awarded state with a total of $796,593, coming only behind New York at $1.2 million and California at $813,978. The Arkansas grantees are:

Read more about the USDA Farm to School grants and their 2022 winners here.

The Arkansas Urban Forestry Council will offer an in-person training for anyone interested in becoming a certified arborist, or interested in receiving advanced arboriculture training.

Certified arborists often work for utility companies, golf courses, parks, universities, and landscape companies. Those already certified and seeking recertification can receive six continuing education units with the training.

The training will take place August 25 at the Washington County extension office in Fayetteville. Topics and presenters include:

Registration is $35 for members of the Arkansas Urban Forestry Council and $60 for non-members. Those interested can register online here. Read more about the training here.

Visit arcareers.arkansas.gov or check out our Facebook pages for open positions in Shared Services, Forestry, Livestock and Poultry, Plant Industries, and Natural Resources!

Although most vultures take advantage of already deceased animals, the black American vulture has proven to be more opportunistic. Livestock producers in the U.S. have reported black vultures attacking and killing their animals, most typically while giving birth. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the U.S. Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) stand prepared to help those affected by black vultures.

Read more about the threat black vultures pose and what the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and APHIS are doing to manage the population in the 2022 edition of Arkansas Grown. You can view the magazine online here, or find a physical copy at various locations around the state.

The 2023 edition of Arkansas Grown is in the works! If you're interested in purchasing advertising space, please contact Amy Lyman at [email protected].

The Arkansas Agriculture Board met this week and received updates from the U.S. National Weather Service - Little Rock on the current drought conditions across the state. Locally produced watermelon and catfish were provided by Johnson Brothers Watermelons, King Kat catering, U.S. Farm-Raised Catfish, and Catfish Farmers of Arkansas to celebrate Arkansas Catfish Month and National Watermelon Day.

Secretary Ward addressed Vietnam Ag Ambassadors at the U.S Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) office. The ambassadors, here as part of the USDA Cochran Fellowship Program, visited several Arkansas farms and learned NASS processes.

Upcoming Webinars:

Recent Blog Posts:

Last week, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Tom Vilsack launched a new $1 billion Community Wildfire Defense Grant program. This new, five-year program is designed to assist at-risk communities, including Tribal communities, non-profit organizations, state forestry agencies, and Alaska Native corporations with planning for and mitigating wildfire risks.

There will be a series of webinars to provide potential applicants with an overview of the grant program. A webinar dedicated to Southern states will be held August 9 at 9 a.m. central time.

Learn more about the grant and eligibility requirements here.

Researchers at the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture have been evaluating John Deere's See & Spray Ultimate^TM System. The system combines image recognition software and machine learning in an effort to improve weed management.

Division of Agriculture researchers are in the second year of testing for this system and will be showcasing their findings and the system itself on August 23 at the Northeast Research and Extension Center in Keiser. The field day opens at 9:30 a.m. with field tours going until 11:15 a.m. Those interested are asked to register in advance online. Read more about the field day and how to register here.

The second annual Sustainable Forestry and African American Land Retention Joint Regional Conference will be held virtually August 30-31. Attendees will learn about timely forestry and conservation topics and receive educational resources that can help solve heirs' property issues.

Guest speakers include U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) deputy assistant secretary for civil rights, USDA undersecretary for natural resources and environment, acting director for the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) Dr. Dionne Toombs, and more. Read more about the online conference and how to register here.

Researchers with the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture have seen a rise in broad mite populations in blackberry fields across the state. Because significant yield loss has been observed as a result of broad mites, it's important for growers to keep broad mite control in mind this summer.

A recent blog post from extension horticulture integrated pest management specialist, Aaron Cato outlines what broad mite damage looks like in blackberries, and steps growers can take to control populations. Find the blog post here.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture Farm Service Agency is increasing the amount of funding available for the Spot Market Hog Pandemic Program and expects to issue approximately $62.8 million in pandemic assistance payments to hog producers. The program assists eligible producers who sold hogs through a spot market sale from April 16, 2020 through September 1, 2020. Applications for this program closed on April 29, 2022.

Payments will be calculated by multiplying the number of head of eligible hogs, not to exceed 10,000 head, by the payment rate of $54 per head. Although the Farm Service Agency originally planned to apply a payment factor if calculated payments exceeded the previously allocated $50 million, payments are not expected to be factored due to the recent increase in funds. Read more about the changes here.

Read more about the program and its requirements here.

Special Speaker: Shane Booth, District Forester, Arkansas Department of Agriculture's Forestry Division. Find out how these programs work to address a large number of farming and ranching related conservation issues. Virtual meeting here.  For audio only call 202-650-0123 and enter code 980 012 680#.

Special Speaker: Rusty Rumley, Senior Staff Attorney, U of A Division of Agriculture. Learn how to obtain a farm number and Heir Property documentation needed. Virtual meeting here. For audio only call 202-650-0123 and enter code 740 167 816#.

The Arkansas Department of Agriculture’s Fiscal Year 2021 Annual Report provides information about the Department and how it served Arkansas agriculture, our state's largest industry, from July 1, 2020 to June 30, 2021. Click here to view the 2021 Annual Report.

The summary is available on the Arkansas Department of Agriculture's Market Reports webpage, as well as each Division's webpage and Facebook page, and you may sign-up to receive the summary by email at Subscribe To Notifications And Publications.

For the latest in Arkansas agriculture, be sure to follow us on social media! Links to our social media pages can be found here.