The Arkansas Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Abandoned Pesticide Program collected 146,867 pounds of unwanted pesticides in seven counties during Spring 2022 collection events. Since 2005, the Agricultural Abandoned Pesticide Program has overseen the collection and disposal of 5,498,298 pounds of unwanted pesticides in counties across Arkansas.

“The Arkansas Department of Agriculture is proud to work with our partners in administering the Agricultural Abandoned Pesticide Program,” says Arkansas Secretary of Agriculture Wes Ward. “Events like these, held annually throughout the state, help ensure safe and proper disposal of unwanted pesticides and prevent them from potentially polluting our environment.”

The totals for each event were:

Participation in collection events is free and anonymous to farmers and other non-industrial landowners. The program is funded through pesticide registration fees. Pesticide collection events have taken place in every county in the state. Fall 2022 collection dates will be announced at a later date.

Commonly collected items include old or outdated pesticides such as calcium arsenate, sodium cyanide, lindane, chlordane, and 2,4,5-T. Registered pesticides, like glyphosate products and 2,4-D, that are unusable because they have been exposed to the elements or have been held over from previous growing seasons also can be collected.

The Agricultural Abandoned Pesticide Program is conducted in cooperation with the University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service, Arkansas Farm Bureau, and the Arkansas Department of Energy and Environment. Representatives from these agencies make up the Abandoned Pesticide Advisory Board which is responsible for selecting county sites for collection events. The Advisory Board gives special consideration to priority watersheds when selecting counties/regions for site collections.

The Arkansas Department of Agriculture’s request for a Section 18 Emergency Exemption for the use of Brake Herbicide in Arkansas peanuts was granted by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for the following Arkansas counties: Ashley, Clay, Craighead, Crittenden, Cross, Green, Lawrence, Lee, Mississippi, Monroe, Phillips, Poinsett, Randolph, St. Francis, and Woodruff. The Section 18 Emergency Exemption is for the 2022 growing season, effective April 15 - August 1, 2022.

The Section 18 Emergency Exemption is for control of palmer amaranth, a common Arkansas weed that has become resistant to many herbicides currently labeled for use in Arkansas peanuts.

Section 18 of the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) authorizes EPA to exempt state and federal agencies from provisions of FIFRA and allow unregistered uses of pesticides to address emergency situations through emergency and crisis exemptions. A Section 18 Crisis Exemption provides temporary relief for producers that encounter a pest that cannot be controlled by pesticides currently registered for a crop or use site until a determination is made on a Section 18 Emergency Exemption.

All product applications made under a Section 18 Emergency Exemption must be reported to the Arkansas Department of Agriculture within 10 days of application. A copy of the Section 18 label for Brake Herbicide, reporting forms, and other related information can be found here.

Entries are being accepted for the ninth annual Arkansas Grown School Garden of the Year Contest, sponsored by the Arkansas Department of Agriculture and the Farm Credit Associations of Arkansas. Applicants may be any school, early childhood education facility, or alternative learning environment that had a school garden during the 2021-2022 school year or is planning to start a garden in the 2022-2023 school year.

“School gardens are valuable educational tools that help students develop healthy eating habits, learn about Arkansas agriculture, and participate in hands-on learning,” said Wes Ward, Arkansas Secretary of Agriculture. “We are grateful for the generosity of Farm Credit and their continued support of this program.”

Entries for the contest will be accepted through June 5, 2022, and the application can be found here. Winners will be announced in the fall of 2022.

“As a farmer-owned cooperative, we are excited to continue our support of teachers and projects that engage Arkansas students in food production and agricultural sustainability. Through these partnerships, we can ensure that the valuable role of Arkansas agriculture remains top-of-mind for the next generation,” said Farm Credit Midsouth President & CEO, James McJunkins, on behalf of the Farm Credit Associations of Arkansas.

Applicants are eligible to apply for the following categories:

More information about the Arkansas Grown School Garden of the Year Contest can be found here or by contacting Erica Benoit, Farm to School and Early Childhood Education Program Coordinator, at erica.benoit@agriculture.arkansas.gov.

The Arkansas Department of Agriculture is pleased to announce that fruit and vegetable producers may now apply for Good Agricultural Practices/Good Handling Practices (GAP/GHP) certification cost reimbursement through the Arkansas Grown GAP/GHP Certification Cost Share Program. Funding for the program is provided through the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Specialty Crop Block Grant Program.

Applications for reimbursement are for the time period between January 1 and December 1, 2022, and are due to the Department by December 15, 2022. Reimbursement is available for 50% of inspection costs up to $1,000. Applications are available here.

Chuck Leavell, best known as the keyboardist for The Rolling Stones, featured Arkansas in his series "America's Forests with Chuck Leavell." The series aims to highlight different forest landscapes across the nation and featured Arkansas in two episodes, "The Delta" and "The Ozarks."

Joe Fox, State Forester for the Arkansas Department of Agriculture's Forestry Division, was a guest on the episode "The Ozarks," while floating the Buffalo National River with Leavell.

The two episodes premiered this week at the University of Arkansas Fay Jones School of Architecture and Design in Fayetteville. Pictured from left are Max Braswell, Peter Prutzman, Chuck Leavell, Joe Fox, John McAlpine, and Arkansas Secretary of Agriculture Wes Ward

Both episodes will air on Arkansas PBS throughout May. The airing dates are:

The Delta

The Ozarks

Read more about the series and the Arkansas episodes here.

As of today, most of the funding received by the State of Arkansas from the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 has been used for economic and health related issues resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic and increasing broadband across the state. The Arkansas American Rescue Plan Act Steering Committee has not decided on the proposal submitted by the working group for water and other infrastructure projects. Future funding decisions may be impacted by COVID-19 resurgences or new variants.

To be eligible for the additional funding, your proposed project must meet specific program requirements relevant to each funding source. If you are interested in receiving funding under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, you are encouraged to apply at any time. The first step in the funding process is to have your project considered by the Water and Wastewater Advisory Committee. The application can be found 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!

Benjamin May came to St. Francis County, Arkansas from North Carolina in 1820 with his wife, Martha. At that time, St. Francis County was mostly forested and the land had to be cleared before it could be farmed. Thus, timber harvesting became a part of the May family's lives. This was passed down to Benjamin's great-great-grandson and his son who both cut timber in East Arkansas. In 2022, descendants of Benjamin May still own, work, and live on the land he settled, cleared, farmed, and died on in St. Francis County. Inducted in 2021, they are currently the oldest family farm inducted in the Arkansas Century Farm program.

If your family has owned and farmed the same land for at least 100 years, you may qualify for recognition as an Arkansas Century Farm. Applications for 2022 inductees are due May 31 and can be found here.

In 1888, through the Homestead Act of 1862, George W. Haile established a farm along the Little Red River in Cleburne County. The venture was a 169 acre cotton farm, which would become a multi-generational family farm. Now known as Valley Farms, the farm primarily grows cucumbers, okra, pumpkins, squash, strawberries, tomatoes, and watermelon on 70 acres.

Read more about Valley Farms and how George W. Haile's descendants are pivoting into the 21st century 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.

Last month, Mordaunt provided a tour of Parliament to a delegation from the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture (NASDA).

Staff from the Arkansas Department of Agriculture's Forestry Division and Plant Industries Division attended a cogongrass meeting at Mississippi State University to learn more about the invasive grass and how to manage it.

Cara Tharp, Director of the Veterinary Medical Examining Board, spoke to veterinary technology students at Arkansas State University - Bebee. Cara discussed the Board's veterinary technician application, explained the exam process for the Veterinary Technician National Examination, and the process for final certification as a veterinary technician in Arkansas.

Last Friday the Urban Forestry Program held Free Tree Friday events at Berryville, Yellville, Nashville, Little Rock, and Monticello where 560 people picked up 2,225 seedlings. To date, the Free Tree Friday campaign has given away a total of 9,925 seedlings to 2,375 people!

The main conference in June 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:

The University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service is offering a face-to-face training, Managing Farm Stress and Pursuing Wellness, on an as-needed basis.

The training, offered by local county extension agents, is approximately one hour and aims to increase awareness of rural stress, explore key stress issues, identify useful coping methods, and access available resources. Find more information on the program and how to request a training here.

The Arkansas Department of Agriculture’s Forestry Division and the University of Arkansas at Monticello (UAM) are partnering to provide funding for incoming freshman pursuing a forestry degree at UAM’s College of Forestry, Agriculture, and Natural Resources.

In addition, the Arkansas Department of Agriculture is pleased to provide funding to help deserving students further their education and prepare for potential careers in agriculture, our state’s largest industry. The Arkansas Department of Agriculture Scholarship for Agriculture Majors is available to students majoring in agriculture or an agriculture-related field at certain Arkansas universities.

Find details on both scholarships here.

Trouble with washouts on gravel roads? Join the Arkansas Department of Agriculture's Natural Resources Division May 12 for a training program on drainage control and mitigation of erosion for unpaved roads.

Topics will include:

County Judges, road foremen, crew leaders, and crew members are invited to attend at no cost.

Register here.

Cogongrass is a perennial grass native to Southeast Asia. The grass is a highly invasive species in the United States and other parts of the world outside of its native range. In this country, it is found mainly in the Gulf Coast and South Atlantic states. The grass can spread quickly from underground rhizomes and, to a lesser extent, from wind blown seeds. This can include movement of soil contaminated with rhizomes, spread from dirt moving equipment, and seeds stuck on mowers and vehicles.

In order to help track cogongrass in Arkansas, the public is being asked to upload any suspected cogongrass in the state to the app iNaturalist. Read more about cogongrass in Arkansas here.

Special Speaker – Wes Ward, Secretary, Arkansas Deptartment of Agriculture. Virtual meeting here. For audio only call 202-650-0123 and enter code: 307 597 909#.

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#.

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.