2023 Arkansas Grown Magazine
The latest edition of the Arkansas Grown magazine is here! 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!
Over $13 Million Provided for Arkansas Water and Wastewater Projects
On January 18, 2023, the Arkansas Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Commission approved $13,244,307 for three water and wastewater projects serving more than 226,000 Arkansans. The projects are as follows:

  • Lonoke White Public Water Authority, Cleburne County, received a $12,970,441 loan from the Drinking Water State Revolving Loan Fund to construct a 1-million-gallon water storage tank. The current customer base for this project is 101,000.

  • Town of Imboden, Lawrence County, received a $170,866 loan from the Water, Sewer, and Solid Waste Fund to improve the wastewater treatment plant. The current customer base for this project is 340.

  • Central Arkansas Water, Pulaski County, received a $103,000 loan from the Water Development Fund for the CAW-Wrightsville project. The current customer base for this project is 125,000.

More information about the Natural Resource Division’s water and wastewater programs can be found here or by contacting Debby Dickson at debra.dickson@agriculture.arkansas.gov or 501-682-0548. 
2022-2023 Farm to School Grant Application Deadline Extended
The Arkansas Department of Agriculture has extended the deadline for applications to the Arkansas School Garden Grant Program and the Arkansas Taste Test Grant Program through January 25, 2023.

The Arkansas School Garden Grant Program is available to help schools start or expand gardens on school grounds. The Department will award $500 grants to 50 schools to purchase soil, specialty crop seeds and plants, and gardening equipment. More information about the Arkansas School Garden Grant Program can be found at agriculture.arkansas.gov/arkansas-department-of-agriculture-programs/farm-to-school/school-gardens/arkansas-school-garden-grant-program/ or by contacting Erica Benoit at erica.benoit@agriculture.arkansas.gov.

The Arkansas Taste Test Grant Program is available to help schools lead cafeteria taste tests of locally grown specialty crops. The Department will award $250 grants to 20 schools to purchase kitchen equipment and utensils, serving materials, and specialty crop seeds and plants.

“School gardens and taste tests have proven to be valuable tools in teaching children about agriculture, nutrition, and a variety of skills,” said Secretary of Agriculture Wes Ward. “The lessons learned through these programs can have a lasting impact on children, their families, and entire communities.”

More information about the Arkansas Taste Test Grant Program can be found at agriculture.arkansas.gov/arkansas-department-of-agriculture-programs/farm-to-school/local-procurement/arkansas-taste-test-grant-program/ or by contacting Lindsey Cartwright at lindsey.cartwright@agriculture.arkansas.gov.

The grant programs are available to public and private K-12 schools, early care facilities, and alternative learning environments. All eligible schools are encouraged to apply, whether they already have existing farm to school activities or they are just getting started with school gardens and local procurement. Technical assistance is available to all grantees.

The application for both programs can be found at https://bit.ly/3TlLT7d. Applicants are welcome to apply for one or both grant opportunities within the same application.

Both grant programs were developed with funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Specialty Crop Block Grant Program to increase the production and consumption of specialty crops in schools. Specialty crops as defined by the USDA are fruits, vegetables, tree nuts, dried fruits, horticulture, floriculture, and nursery crops.
Second Public Meeting for Illinois River Watershed Management Plan Set for January 24, 2023
The Arkansas Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Division (NRD), in partnership with the Oklahoma Conservation Commission (OCC), has scheduled the second in a series of public meetings to update the watershed-based management plan for the Illinois River Watershed. The meeting will be held January 24, 2023, in West Siloam Springs, Oklahoma.
 
The Illinois River and its tributaries have a variety of uses set forth by the Arkansas Pollution Control and Ecology Commission (APCEC), including fisheries, recreation, drinking water supply, and agricultural and industrial water supply. The goal of this watershed-based plan is to protect and improve water quality in streams and other waterbodies by addressing non-regulatory issues through voluntary activities or practices.
 
“The NRD and the OCC held the first stakeholder meeting in October 2022 and had over 60 attendees,” said Tate Wentz, NRD Water Quality Section Manager. “The second and third meetings will be focused on conservation practice implementation. We will also be requesting input from landowners about those practices, so it is critical for anyone interested to attend as it will help guide resource allocations to improve water quality into the future.”
 
The meeting is open to the public and will provide an overview of the watershed management planning process. Stakeholders will discuss water quality issues, conservation practices, the current state of the watershed, and the next steps in the development of the management plan.
 
The meeting is set for January 24 from 2 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. and will be held at the Cherokee Casino and Hotel located at 2416 US-412, West Siloam Springs, Oklahoma, 74338.
 
For more information about the meeting, contact Tate Wentz at tate.wentz@agriculture.arkansas.gov.
 
For more information about the Illinois River Watershed, visit www.irwp.org/.
Recognizing our Law Enforcement Officers
The Arkansas Department of Agriculture celebrated National Law Enforcement Appreciation Day on January 9 by recognizing our law enforcement officers and all they do to protect Arkansas citizens and agriculture! Pictured (from left): Russ Lancaster (Northeast Arkansas), 20 years of service; Keith Dedmon (Northwest Arkansas), 8 years of service; Law Enforcement Chief Billy Black, 24 years of service; Justin Smith (Southwest Arkansas), 23 years of service; Kendall Rawls (Southeast Arkansas), 9 years of service.

Learn more about the Arkansas Department of Agriculture Law Enforcement here.
Arkansas Farmer Talks Technology in Agriculture
In an NBC Nightly News segment, John Deere CEO John May talks about how technology is revolutionizing the agriculture industry at the Consumer Electronic Show. The segment highlights the struggles that farmers face every day and Arkansas farmer, Travis Senter, shared his insight from the Natural State on how technology can help solve those issues. Watch the full segment here.
Confinement Notification for Poultry Producers
Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) continues to threaten Arkansas poultry owners. HPAI is an airborne respiratory virus that spreads easily among chickens through nasal and eye secretions, as well as manure. The virus can be spread in various ways from flock to flock, including by wild birds, through contact with infected poultry, by equipment, and on the clothing and shoes of caretakers. There is no public health concern, and avian influenza does not affect poultry meat or egg products, which remain safe to eat.

To mitigate the disease risk from contact with the birds or their droppings, the Arkansas Department of Agriculture’s Livestock and Poultry Division strongly recommends taking the following steps for the next 30 days:

  • Keep your birds indoors or covered to prevent exposure to wild or migratory birds.
  • Restrict access to any source of water that may have been contaminated by wild birds.
  • Implement strict biosecurity on the premises. Alert all farm personnel of the increased risk of HPAI. Especially focusing on biosecurity methods to prevent exposure to wild waterfowl or their droppings.
  • Monitor all flocks for increased mortality or clinical signs and report any concerns to your veterinarian, the Arkansas Livestock and Poultry Division at 501-225-1598, or your local Arkansas Cooperative Extension County Agent. You can find your county office here: https://www.uaex.uada.edu/counties/.

Read the full confinement notification here. Find more information on HPAI here.
USDA Announces Appointments for National Peanut Board
Earlier this month, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced the appointment of four members and four alternates to serve on the National Peanut Board. The appointees will serve three-year terms, effective immediately, through Dec. 31, 2025. Gregory L. Baltz was appointed as the producer for Arkansas and Allen Donner was named as an alternate.

Visit here to read the full announcement.
Photo Features
Wes Ward was reappointed by Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders as Secretary of Agriculture for the State of Arkansas. Secretary Ward has served in this role since he was first appointed in March 2015. He was sworn in on January 11.
The Arkansas Livestock and Poultry Commission held its first meeting of 2023 during the Arkansas Fair Managers Association Convention in Hot Springs on January 12. Updates on the state meat inspection program, highly pathogenic avian influenza, the Arkansas Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, and more were given by Department staff.
If you watch Channel 7 often, you probably saw a familiar face earlier this month! Secretary Wes Ward caught up with Ansley Watson to talk about the upcoming Arkansas Grown Conference and Expo and what attendees can expect at the 4-day event. If you missed it, you can watch the interview here. Learn more about the Arkansas Grown Conference and Expo here.
The Arkansas Natural Resources Commission (ANRC) met on January 18 for its first meeting of 2023. During the meeting, Department staff discussed Water Plan Compliance and Permitting and Water Project Accounting and Oversight. The ANRC also heard updates from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service and Arkansas Association of Conservation Districts.



This month, Leah Johannes, program fiscal manger, and Amy Theriac, program outreach coordinator, represented the Arkansas Department of Agriculture's Natural Resources Division at the Municipal League 2023 Winter Conference at the Statehouse Convention Center.

Pictured left, Johannes speaks to Altus Mayor Veronica Post about loan options available through the Division.
New Resources, Trainings, & Opportunities
New Resources from the National Agricultural Law Center

Recent Webinars:

 
Recent Blog Posts:

Upcoming Events:
University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture 2023 Winter Row Crop Production Meetings

Winter production meetings begin in January. Dates and locations for specific meetings may be subject to change. For specific production meetings, contact your county extension office.


January Meetings

  • Jan. 24, Lafayette/Miller/Little River: River Bend VFD, Bradley, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. (Cotton, Corn, Soybean, Rice)
  • Jan. 25, Ashley/Chicot: Delta Men's Center, Eudora, from 8 a.m. to lunch (Rice, Soybean)
  • Jan. 26, River Valley: County Fairgrounds Multi-purpose Building, Morrilton, from 8:30 a.m. to lunch (Soybean)
  • Jan. 27, Clay/Greene: Rector Community Center, Rector, from 8:30 a.m. to lunch (Corn, Cotton)

February Meetings

  • Feb. 3, Lee/Phillips: Lon Mann Research Station, Marianna, from 8:30 a.m. to lunch (Rice, Soybean)
  • Feb. 3, Mississippi/Crittenden: Arkansas Northeastern College, Blytheville, from 8:30 a.m. to lunch (Corn, Cotton)
  • Feb. 6, Jackson/Independence: Jackson County Extension Center, Newport, from 8 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. (Rice, Soybean, Cotton)
  • Feb. 7, Lee/Phillips/St. Francis/Monroe: Lon Mann Research Station, Marianna, from 8:30 a.m. to lunch (Corn, Cotton)
  • Feb. 7, Jefferson: Location and Time TBA (Rice, Soybean, Corn)
  • Feb. 8, Arkansas: Rice Research & Extension Center, Stuttgart, from 8 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. (Rice, Soybean, Corn)
  • Feb. 8, Craighead/Poinsett: Lake City First Baptist Church, Lake City, from 8:30 a.m. to lunch (Corn, Cotton)
  • Feb. 9, Greene: Stanford Baptist Church, Stanford, from 8 a.m. to lunch (Rice, Soybean)
  • Feb. 9, Clay: Corning Community Center, Corning, from 11:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. (Rice, Soybean)
  • Feb. 9, SE Arkansas: Men's Club, McGehee, from 8 a.m. to lunch (Corn, Cotton)
  • Feb. 10, White: White County Extension Office, Searcy, from 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. (Rice, Soybean, Corn)
  • Feb. 13, Lincoln/Drew/Desha: Community Center, Dumas, from 8 a.m. to lunch (Rice, Soybean)
  • Feb. 14, Monroe/St. Francis: Woodruff Electric, Forrest City, from 8 a.m. to lunch (Rice, Soybean)
  • Feb. 15, Woodruff: Three County Fairgrounds, McCrory, from 8:15 a.m. to lunch (Rice, Soybean, Corn)
  • Feb. 16, Mississippi: Arkansas Northeastern College, Blytheville, from 8:30 a.m. to lunch (Rice, Soybean)
  • Feb. 17, Randolph, Lawrence: Lawrence County Meeting Hall, Walnut Ridge, from 8:30 a.m. to lunch (Rice, Soybean, Corn)
  • Feb. 28, Crittenden: West Memphis First United Methodist Church, West Memphis, from 8:30 a.m. to lunch (Rice, Soybean)

March Meetings

  • Mar. 1, Clark: Huneycutt Farms/Benchmark Ag, Arkadelphia, from 8:45 a.m. to 1:45 p.m. (Rice, Soybean, Corn, Cotton)
  • Mar. 2, River Valley: Yesterday's Restaurant, Morrilton, from 10 a.m. to lunch (Rice)
  • Mar. 7, St. Francis: Woodruff Electric, Forrest City, from 9:15 a.m. to 12 p.m. (Peanuts)

Visit here to learn more about the meetings and see the full calendar.
Field Crop Survey Opportunity
The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture Cooperative Extension Service is requesting input from field crop producers, consultants, and specialists concerning precision agriculture. If interested, find the survey here.
First Public Meetings Scheduled for Upper White River Basin Watershed Management Plan 
H2Ozarks is administering the development of a watershed management plan (WMP) for the Upper White River Basin (UWRB) in Arkansas, in collaboration with FTN Associates and funding from the Arkansas Department of Agriculture's Natural Resource Division and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency 319 Nonpoint Source Pollution Program.

Stakeholder engagement at public meetings is an important part of WMP development and the first pair of meetings are scheduled for January. The first meeting will be held on Monday, January 23rd from 3:00-5:00 pm in Berryville at the Carroll Electric Cooperative Corporation (920 US-62 Spur, Berryville, AR 72616). The second meeting will be held at the Fayetteville Public Library on Monday, January 30 from 3:00-5:00 pm (401 W Mountain St, Fayetteville, AR 72701). These first two meetings will cover the same material and are being held in two separate locations to help ensure public access to this process across the watershed.

The streams, rivers, and lakes in the UWRB provide a variety of designated uses as set forth by the Arkansas Pollution Control and Ecology Commission, including fisheries, recreation, drinking water supply, and agricultural and industrial water supply. The WMP is non-regulatory, and based on voluntary actions designed to protect and improve water quality to meet designated uses.

This WMP for the UWRB is being developed around the same time that the Beaver Watershed Alliance is updating their WMP that is focused on the Beaver Lake watershed. The UWRB WMP is a separate Plan that includes the Beaver Lake watershed as well as areas to the east that include the Kings River Watershed and Osage/Long Creek Watersheds.

For more information about the meetings, contact Erin Scott at erin@h2ozarks.org. Visit here for more information about H2Ozarks.
Grain Bin Rescue and Safety Training Program
The Arkansas Farm Bureau Federation's Grain Bin Rescue and Safety Training Program will be held on February 21, 2023, in Hazen, Arkansas. Farmers, their employees, and firefighters are encouraged to attend. The registration deadline is January 31. Contact your county Farm Bureau office to register or for more information.

A recap of last year's program can be found here.
The Poultry Federation Food Safety Conference
The Poultry Federation's 11th Annual Food Safety Conference is scheduled to take place on March 7-9, 2023, at the Oaklawn Racing Casino Resort in Hot Springs, Arkansas. Food safety professionals, industry representatives, and members of the academic community from across the country are encouraged to attend the conference where they will receive information on food safety, quality, and compliance challenges. Visit here to learn more and register.


Arkansas Department of Agriculture's
Annual Report

The Arkansas Department of Agriculture’s Fiscal Year 2022 Annual Report provides information about the Department and how it served Arkansas agriculture, our state's largest industry, from July 1, 2021 to June 30, 2022. Click here to view the 2022 Annual Report.
USDA Updates
Respond to the 2022 Census of Agriculture
The Census of Agriculture is a complete count of U.S. farms and ranches and the people who operate them. Even small plots of land - whether rural or urban - growing fruit, vegetables, or some food animals count if $1,000 or more of such products were raised and sold, or normally would have been sold, during the Census year. For America's farmers and ranchers, the Census of Agriculture is their voice, their future, and their opportunity. Watch Secretary Wes Ward's message on the ag census here.

The response deadline is February 6, 2023. For more information, click here.

Find the latest ag census information here.
January 2023 Crop Production and Stocks Report
The U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Agricultural Statistics Service (USDA-NASS) released a report on the progress of corn, cotton, soybean, and citrus production in the United States.

Read the full report here.
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.
Arkansas Ag Facts: Baucum Nursery
  • Baucum Nursery is a bare root reforestation nursery that is part of the Arkansas Department of Agriculture’s Forestry Division.  
  • More than 1.1 billion seedlings have been produced at the nursery since it was established in 1956.
  • Last year, Baucum Nursery sold 6,747,425 hardwood seedlings and 1,145,175 pine seedlings for Arkansas landowners.
  • Last year, Baucum Nursery produced 25% of all hardwoods in the South.
  • Seedlings are coupled with genetic backgrounds that provide them with the greatest chance of survival and the highest possible growth potential.
  • These seedlings are sold primarily to private, non-industrial landowners for afforestation and reforestation purposes.
  • Find more information on the Baucum Nursery here.
Upcoming Agriculture Events
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