Arkansas School Garden Grant Program, Arkansas Taste Test Grant Program Recipients Announced
The Arkansas Department of Agriculture is pleased to announce that a total of 88 grants have been approved for funding of $37,500 through the Arkansas School Garden Grant Program and the Arkansas Taste Test Grant Program. “School gardens and taste tests have proven to be valuable tools in teaching children about agriculture, nutrition, and a variety of skills. The lessons learned through these programs can have a lasting impact on children, their families, and entire communities,” said Secretary of Agriculture Wes Ward.

The Arkansas School Garden Grant Program was established to help schools start or expand gardens on school grounds. The Department will award $500 grants to the schools to purchase soil, specialty crop seeds and plants, and gardening equipment. The Arkansas Department of Agriculture recognized 62 schools as grantees of the Arkansas School Garden Grant Program

The Arkansas Taste Test Grant Program was established to help schools lead cafeteria taste tests of locally grown, specialty crops. The Department will award $250 grants to the schools to purchase kitchen equipment and utensils, serving materials, and specialty crop seeds and plants. The Arkansas Department of Agriculture recognized 26 schools as grantees of the Arkansas Taste Test.

The farm to school grant programs were available to public and private K-12 schools, early childhood education facilities, and alternative learning environments. In addition to the funding, the Department’s Farm to School and Early Childhood Education Program staff will provide technical assistance to grantees upon request. The grant programs were developed using funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Specialty Crop Block Grant Program to increase production and consumption of specialty crops in schools. Specialty crops, as defined by the USDA, are fruits, vegetables, tree nuts, dried fruits, horticulture, and nursery crops.

Click here to see the winners.
2022 Arkansas Century Farm Applications due May 31

The Arkansas Department of Agriculture (Department) is now accepting applications for the 2022 Arkansas Century Farm program. This program recognizes Arkansas families who have owned and farmed the same land for at least 100 years.

“Arkansas Century Farm families have persevered for at least ten decades and have contributed greatly in making Arkansas agriculture the success story that it is today,” said Arkansas Secretary of Agriculture Wes Ward. “As Arkansas’s largest industry, agriculture contributes $19.4 billion to the state’s economy annually and provides one in six jobs.”

To qualify, Arkansas farms must meet the following criteria:

  • The same family must have owned the farm for 100 years by Dec. 31, 2022. The line of ownership from the original settler or buyer may be through children, grandchildren, siblings, and nephews or nieces, including through marriage and adoption.

  • The farm must be at least ten acres of the original land acquisition and make a financial contribution to the overall farm income.

Online and printable applications are available here. Applications must be received via email or postmarked on or before May 31, 2022 to be eligible for designation as a 2022 inductee. There is no cost to apply for the program.

Qualifying Arkansas farms will receive a personalized Arkansas Century Farm certificate and metal sign listing the farm name and year established. Contact Beth Moore at 501-539-4027 or beth.moore@agriculture.arkansas.gov with questions.

Arkansas is home to more than 42,200 farms, of which 96 percent are family owned and operated. Since the program began in 2012, 526 farms have been certified. Find a list of previously inducted Arkansas Century Farm families here.
Soybean Yield Contest Winners Announced
The Arkansas Soybean Promotion Board and the Arkansas Soybean Association announced the winners of the 2021 Grow for the Green Soybean Yield Contest at the Annual Meeting held January 25. The contest divides state soybean producers into 9 groups, 7 geographic regions, one all state conventional (non-GMO) category, and a Champions Category consisting of all previous 100-bushel winners. Cash prizes were awarded to the top 3 in each division achieving a minimum of 60 Bu/A with the exception of the Champions.

Of the 82 soybean producers who entered the 2021 Grow for the Green Soybean Yield Contest, 10 of these producers reached and exceeded the 100 bushel/acre milestone in 2021. The Race for 100 Yield Contest began in 2007 and in 2013, the first three producers reached the goal. The newest members of the 100-bushel club are: Linwood Wells, Mike Hook, Blake & Kent Bennett, Tim Fisher, Bruce Catt, Davis Bell, David Petter, Neil Culp, Jill Culp, and Robb Dedman.  Matt Miles from Desha County achieved the 100-bushel mark for the 7th time with a yield of 121.318 bu/a by growing AgriGold G4620RX and winning the Champion Division. Neil Culp from Phillips County achieved a new state record with 130.784 bu/a growing Asgrow AG45X8.

Click here to see the winners.
Celebrating Black History Month
Highlighting One of Arkansas's Oldest Minority-Owned Family Farms

Ellis Bell is a fourth generation farmer whose family farm was recognized as an Arkansas Century Farm in 2014. With Mr. Bell's family farm dating back to 1878, it is one of the oldest minority-owned family farms in the state. Mr. Bell's great-great-grandfather purchased the farm in Forrest City, Arkansas upon returning from the Civil War, and it has remained in his family since.

Ellis Bell has paved the way for minorities in agriculture, organizing a non-profit providing low-income students of color career guidance and placing them on a career success track in agricultural science. His non-profit, Bell AgriScience, is just one of Mr. Bell's many contributions to his state and to agriculture.

Learn more about Mr. Bell and Bell AgriScience here.
Arkansas Department of Agriculture's Minority Outreach Program

The success of minority land owners, foresters, and agriculturalists is important to the Arkansas Department of Agriculture. Through the Minority Outreach Program, the Department seeks to educate minority forest and landowners on the current programs and services available to them, and help minority youth explore forestry and/or agriculture related fields as a career.

The Minority Outreach Program partnered with the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff in an effort to clear heir property barriers for forestland owners. With a grant through the U.S. Endowment for Forestry & Communities, Sustainable Forestry African American Land Retention Program, Arkansas created the "Keeping it in the Family" (KIITF) program. KIITF offers assistance to landowners in Columbia, Hempstead, Howard, Little Rock, Ouachita, Nevada, and Union Counties.

Upcoming Outreach Events:

February 8, 2022, 9 a.m. to noon

February 24-25, 2022

February 24-25, 2022

March 3-5, 2022

March 15-16, 2022

Learn more about the Minority Outreach Program, its resources, and upcoming events here.
Wildfire Recap for January 2022

The Arkansas Department of Agriculture's Forestry Division is responsible for the protection of more than 16 million acres of non-federal forestland in Arkansas. Foresters and rangers in the seven districts are involved daily in one or more of the four key activities of wildfire protection: prevention, pre-suppression, detection, and suppression.

Because January was a dry month for Arkansas, foresters and rangers were kept busy with wildfires across the state. Last month, Forestry Division foresters and rangers suppressed 165 fires across the state of Arkansas. In those fires, 1,586 acres of forest land were burned and 2,293 total acres were affected.

Learn more about wildfire prevention and your county's current danger level here.

2022 Arkansas Grown

Arkansas is home to 15 wineries, with $20 million reported in wine retail sales across the state last year. In 2020, the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture developed the Arkansas Quality Wine (AQW) Program, a two-year program that aims to advance the Arkansas wine quality and wine industry. This program was developed using funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Specialty Crop Block Grant Program to increase production and consumption of specialty crops in schools. Specialty crops, as defined by the USDA, are fruits, vegetables, tree nuts, dried fruits, horticulture, and nursery crops.

Read about the the AQW Program in the latest edition of the Arkansas Grown magazine! With more than 25 features about Arkansas agriculture, there’s something for everyone. You can view the magazine online here, or find a physical copy at various locations around the state very soon!
Photo Features
Peyton Abbott, Miss Natural State Elementary 5th Grade, visited with State Forester Joe Fox and Emergency Services Director Robert Murphy to learn more about Arkansas Forestry. Peyton also picked up items such as pens, pencils, crayons, and rulers for Operation Christmas Child to be sent to children in need all over the world.
Arkansas Food Hall of Fame Finalist and Food of the Year Announced

On January 3, Arkansas Heritage announced the Arkansas Food Hall of Fame finalists and the 2022 Arkansas Food of the Year. Chicken! Secretary Ward and Marvin Childers of The Poultry Federation joined Secretary Stacy Hurst, Department of Parks, Heritage and Tourism at the announcement event.
Paul Shell of the Plant Industries Division represented the Arkansas Department of Agriculture at the Arkansas Green Industry Conference and the Arkansas Turfgrass Association Conference held in Hot Springs last week.
Board and Commission Meetings
Numerous board and commission meetings were held at the Arkansas Department of Agriculture last week, including:

  • Arkansas Milk Stabilization Board
  • Arkansas State Plant Board Bureau of Standards Committee
  • Arkansas State Plant Board Pesticide Committee
  • Arkansas State Plant Board Hemp Committee
  • Arkansas State Plant Board Registration for Professional Soil Classifiers
  • Arkansas Water Well Construction Commission

Three of the board and commission meetings are pictured below.
New Resources, Trainings, & Opportunities
New Resources from the National Agricultural Law Center

A Legal Roundup of Glyphosate: History & Outlook:
The National Agricultural Law Center will be hosting a webinar providing an overview of glyphosate litigation as well as an in-depth look at the issue of preemption, a legal term used when a higher form of government reduces the authority of a lower level of government, and what it could mean for pesticide lawsuits.

NALC Staff Attorney Brigit Rollins will present at 11 a.m. on February 16. Those interested can register here.

Blog Posts:

Produce Safety Grower Training

The Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) Produce Safety Rule is the first federally regulated standard for growing, harvesting, packing, and holding fresh produce. If you grow produce, join the University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service's Produce Safety Team for a training with information on best practices, risk management, and regulatory requirements. Growers who attend the training will receive a certificate of completion. Registration is $35 per person, which includes the training, manual, materials, lunch, and snacks.

Those interested can register online here.
2022 Farmer Veteran Fellowship Fund

The Farmer Veteran Fellowship Fund of the Farmer Veteran Coalition is a small grant program that provides direct assistance to veterans who are in their beginning years of farming or ranching. Awards range from $1,000 to $5,000 to purchase equipment or supplies that will support your farm or business. Applications are due Monday, February 14.

For details on eligibility, or to apply, click here.
University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture Upcoming Production Meetings
  • Feb. 7 — Rice/Soybean/Corn — Jackson and Independence counties
  • Feb. 8 — Rice/Soybean — Phillips and Lee counties (Marianna)
  • Feb. 8 — Corn/Cotton — Southeast Arkansas (McGehee)
  • Feb. 9 — Rice/Soybean — Ashley and Chicot counties
  • Feb. 9 — Corn/Cotton — Mississippi and Crittenden counties
  • Feb. 10 — Rice/Soybean/Corn/Cotton — Four States Agri Expo (Texarkana)
  • Feb. 11 — Rice/Soybean/Corn — Arkansas County
  • Feb. 11 — Cotton — Jefferson County
  • Feb. 14 — Rice/Soybean/Corn — Randolph and Lawrence counties
  • Feb. 15 — Rice/Soybean/Corn — White County
  • Feb. 16 — Rice/Soybean/Corn — Jefferson County
  • Feb. 16 — Peanuts — Northeast Arkansas (Lake City)
  • Feb. 17 — Rice/Soybean — Crittenden and Mississippi counties
  • Feb. 18 — Rice/Soybean/Corn — Woodruff County
  • Feb. 28 — Rice/Soybean/Corn — Clark County
USDA Updates
Application Period Open for Two USDA Scholarship Programs

1890 National Scholars Program

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) 1890 National Scholars Program seeks to increase the number of minority students studying agriculture, food, natural resource sciences, and related disciplines. The USDA 1890 National Scholars Program combines classroom study with paid work experience that leads to employment at USDA.

High school and 1890 University students are eligible to apply for the USDA 1890 National Scholars which provides full tuition, fees, books, and a summer internship which may convert to full-time employment. The application deadline is February 15, 2022. Application information can be found here.

1994 Tribal Scholars Program

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) 1994 Tribal Scholars Program seeks to increase the number of American Indian and Alaska Native students studying agriculture, food, natural resource sciences, and related disciplines. The USDA 1994 Tribal Scholars Program combines classroom study with paid work experience that leads to employment at USDA.
 
High school, current college students, and recent 1994 Tribal College and University students are eligible to apply for the USDA 1994 Tribal Scholars which provides full tuition, fees, books, and a summer internship which may convert to full-time employment with USDA after graduation. The scholarship is open to future, current, and recent graduates of the 1994 Land-Grant Institutions. The application deadline is February 15, 2022. Application information can be found here.
USDA Farm Service Agency 2022 Virtual Outreach Meetings

The U.S. Department of Agriculture Farm Service Agency (USDA-FSA) has finalized their virtual outreach meetings for 2022. These virtual trainings serve as a way for USDA-FSA to get vital program information, such as deadlines, eligibility requirements, and more into the hands of producers.

Thursday, February, 10 10:00 – 11:00 A.M. – FSA Loan Programs
Learn how you can obtain a Farm Operating Loan or Farm Storage Facility Loan and Farm Operating Loan Click. Virtual meeting here. For audio only call 202-650-0123 and enter code 972 505 082#.
Thursday, March 3, 10:00-11:00 A.M. – Safety Net and Disaster Programs
Agriculture Risk Coverage-County (ARC-CO), Price Loss Coverage (PLC), Non-Insured Crop Assistance Program (NAP). Virtual meeting here . For audio only call: 161 613 804#.
Thursday, May 26, 10:00-11:00 A.M. – Youth Loan Program
Special Speaker – Wes Ward, Secretary, Arkansas Dept. of Agriculture. Virtual meeting here . For audio only call 202-650-0123 and enter code: 307 597 909#.
Thursday, June 23, 10:00 – 11:00 A.M. – COC Election Overview
Special Speaker - Doris Washington, State Executive Director – Farm Service Agency. Committee members are a critical component of the day-to-day operations of FSA. Learn more about how you can participate. Virtual meeting here . For audio only call 202-650-0123 and enter code 783 560 535#. 
Thursday, August 25, 10:00 11:00 A.M. – Conservation Reserve Program
Special Speaker: Shane Booth, District Forester, Arkansas Department of Agriculture – 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#.
Thursday, September 29, 10:00 A.M. – 12:00 P.M. – Beginning Farmer and Heir Property Education
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
Annual Report is Available

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.
Reminders
Weekly Market Summary

Each Friday, the Arkansas Department of Agriculture publishes a comprehensive Weekly Market Summary, which includes the Arkansas Weekly Livestock Auction Summary and Related Individual Market Sale Summaries, National Weekly Rice Summary, Memphis Weekly Feed Report, Weekly Rice, Grain, Cotton, and Feed Futures Trends, Weekly Livestock and Milk Futures Trends, Bid Prices to Farmers, Arkansas Daily Grain Report, Heading Links for Historical Data, and news.

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.
Follow us on social media!

For the latest in Arkansas agriculture, be sure to follow us on social media! Links to our social media pages can be found here.
Find a career in Arkansas's largest industry!

Are you passionate about Arkansas agriculture? With many new and exciting career opportunities, the Arkansas Department of Agriculture is looking for highly motivated individuals to bring their passion for the Arkansas agriculture industry to the workplace. Check out our available positions today on the AR Careers website by searching for "agriculture" or "natural resources."
Arkansas AG Facts: Forestry
  • Arkansas is ranked #6 nationally in forestry products.
  • Arkansas has just under 19 million acres of forests.
  • More than 55% of the entire landmass of the State of Arkansas is forested.
  • Arkansas produces timber valued at more than $400 million each year.
  • 44 million tons of forestry-related products and timber were produced in 2020.
  • Baucum Nursery sold 5,072,875 hardwood and pine seedlings in 2021.
  • Arkansas has 43 Tree Cities benefiting more than 969,000 residents.
  • There are 15,189 volunteer firefighters and 106 Firewise communities across the state.
Upcoming Agriculture Events
Opt-in to receive email notifications (board meeting notices, newsletters, etc.)
from the Arkansas Department of Agriculture.