The Arkansas Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Division is accepting public comments on the recently updated Arkansas Nutrient Reduction Strategy (ANRS), a non-regulatory, voluntary guidance document that prioritizes watersheds with the highest need for reduction of nutrients that can affect health of streams, rivers, and aquatic life. Comments will be accepted through June 30, 2022.

The ANRS establishes short and long-term goals and strategies for conservation partners, community leaders and agriculture producers to work together to implement conservation measures to reduce excessive nutrients from entering our streams and rivers. While nutrients come from many different sources, the ANRS primarily works to address inputs that originate during storm events from urban and rural settings. The ANRS watershed prioritization will guide implementation of non-regulatory and voluntary nutrient reduction conservation practices (e.g. septic tank remediation, urban stormwater management, pasture management, cover crops, etc.) and increase the ability to leverage existing state and federal funding sources to help offset implementation costs.

Arkansas established its first Nutrient Reduction Strategy in 2014 as part of the 2014 Arkansas Water Plan and participation in the Gulf of Mexico Hypoxia Task Force. Arkansas is one of 12 member states of the Mississippi River/Gulf of Mexico Hypoxia Task Force which is a combination of state and federal agencies that work together to reduce nitrogen and phosphorus pollution in the Mississippi River/Atchafalaya River Basin and the Gulf of Mexico.

Implementation of voluntary nutrient reduction best management practices in Arkansas can generate cost savings for producers in addition to improving water quality. From 2017 through present, landowners in portions of Crooked Creek, Spring River, and Bull Shoals Lake watersheds retained over 2,000 pounds of sediment, 7,000 pounds of phosphorus, and 10,000 pounds of nitrogen on the land by installing over 30,000 linear feet of heavy use protection areas for cattle watering, 20 alternative watering sources, and 400 acres of grazing management practices. The development of septic tank remediation programs in the Illinois River and Beaver Reservoir watersheds assists homeowners while also providing nutrient reduction benefits.

Through the recent bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, the Gulf of Mexico Hypoxia Task Force states are eligible to receive $60 million in grant funds over the next five years to implement nutrient reduction related projects. Each of the 12 states can request up to $1 million annually over the next five years. The ANRS will help guide how and where these funds are spent to maximize nutrient reduction projects within Arkansas.

The ANRS and more information about nutrient reduction successes to date can be found here. Comments may be with submitted through the submission portal available through the link above or can be mailed to: Arkansas Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Division, Tate Wentz, 10421 West Markham St., Little Rock, AR 72205.

For additional information contact, Tate Wentz, Natural Resources Division Water Quality Section Manager, (501) 682-3914, [email protected] or Katie Mann, Natural Resources Division Ecologist Coordinator, (501) 682-3979, [email protected].

On June 1, 2022, the Arkansas Department of Agriculture’s Arkansas Natural Resources Commission approved $35,410,210 for nine water and wastewater projects and four technical assistance programs serving more than 211,372 Arkansans. The projects are as follows:

The Natural Resources Commission also approved funding for the following technical assistance programs:

More information about the Natural Resource Division’s water and wastewater programs can be found here or by contacting Debby Dickson at [email protected] or 501-682-0548.

As Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) continues to spread across the U.S., the Arkansas Department of Agriculture's Livestock & Poultry Division is reminding poultry owners to remain on high alert.

HPAI is caused by an influenza type A virus which can infect poultry and wild birds. HPAI virus strains are extremely infections, often fatal to chickens, and can spread rapidly from flock to flock. There are no treatments or vaccines available to control avian influenza. The only available control is depopulation of all affected and exposed flocks.

Although there have not been any cases of HPAI detected in Arkansas, it is important that owners of commercial and backyard poultry practice good biosecurity. Wild birds that are infected can shed the virus at high levels in their manure. One gram of contaminated manure can infect one million birds. There are a few measures you can take to keep your backyard or commercial flocks safe:

Find more information here.

Each year the Arkansas Department of Agriculture's Natural Resources Division (NRD) produces a report on the condition of the state's groundwater resources. This report provides a summary of groundwater protection and conservation programs administered by the NRD during the years 2020 and 2021, including water-level monitoring and studies of water use trends in the state. The data collected for this report is used to influence policy and program recommendations such as Critical Groundwater Area designations.

The general trend in Arkansas’s long-term water-level change is that the groundwater

levels are declining in response to continued withdrawals at rates which are not sustainable.

Based on 2015 water use data, only approximately 44.2% of the current alluvial aquifer

withdrawal of 7,636.08 million gallons per day, and approximately 55% of the

Sparta/Memphis aquifer withdrawal of 160 million gallons per day are sustainable. At these

pumping rates, water-level declines and the adverse impacts on the state’s groundwater

system will continue to be observed.

Find the full report here.

Read more about the contest and how the Division of Agriculture is working to improve irrigation efficiency in the 2022 edition of Arkansas Grown. Read more about the contest rules and deadlines 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!

The Veterinary Technology program at Arkansas State University-Beebe is the only working farm on a community college in the state. In addition to classrooms, the program has a 150-acre farm featuring pasture, livestock working facilities, an orchard, an arena, a greenhouse, and a shop. The program strives to prepare students to provide care for all types of animals.

Read more about the ASU-Beebe Veterinary Technology program 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.

Two Arkansas fire departments received equipment at no cost from the Forestry Division's Rural Fire Protection Program. Milton Washburn Fire Department in Sebastian County (left) received a 2000 KME pumper truck and Boles Fire Department in Scott County (right) received a 2010 30kw generator.

The Ninth Annual Mid-South Agricultural & Environmental Law Conference will be held on June 10, 2022, in Memphis, TN with an online option available. The conference has been approved for 6 total hours of CLE in Arkansas, Mississippi, and Tennessee including one hour of ethics. It has been approved for 7.2 total hours of CLE in Missouri, including 1.2 hours of ethics. Find more conference details here.

Upcoming Webinars:

Recent Blog Posts:

Each year the Forestry Division’s Forest Inventory and Analysis crew collects data from permanent plots established in the 1950s and analyzes that data to create annual Arkansas Forest Fact Sheets. These fact sheets include information on the constantly changing forest land in our state, with data on Arkansas’s forest make-up, growth, removal, disturbances, and more!

Find the 2021 Arkansas Forest Fact Sheet here.

Learn more about the work done by Forest Inventory and Analysis crew here.

USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) is mailing letters to producers with expiring acres that detail this flexibility and share other options, such as re-enrolling sensitive acres in the CRP Continuous signup and considering growing organic crops. Producers will be asked to make the request for voluntary termination in writing through their local USDA Service Center. 

Read more here.

Producers can respond to the June Agricultural Survey online here, by phone, or through mail. They will be asked to provide information on planted and harvested acreage, including acreage for biotech crops and grain stocks. For the June Area Survey, agency representatives will interview farm and ranch operators in randomly selected segments over the phone. Producers will be asked to provide information on crop acreage, grain stocks, livestock inventory, land values, and value of sales.

These and all NASS reports are available at nass.usda.gov/Publications/. For more information, call the NASS Delta Regional Field Office at (800) 327-2970.

In March of 2022, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced plans for a $250 million grant program that will support American fertilizer production to supply American farmers. This week, President Biden announced plans to double the funding for the program to lower costs and boost availability for farmers. This is in response to rising fertilizer costs across the U.S.

The program will support fertilizer production that is independent, made in America, innovative, sustainable, and farmer-focused. Details on the application process will be announced in the summer of 2022, with the first awards expected before the end of 2022. Read more here. Read more about the recent funding boost here.

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#. 

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#.

NRCS Conservation Innovation Grant Proposals

Find more information and application details here.

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.