Photographs from this event can be found here.

The Arkansas Department of Agriculture is pleased to announce recipients of the second round of funding for the Arkansas Grown Grant for Northwest Arkansas Farmers Pilot Program. This program, created with support from the Walton Family Foundation’s Northwest Arkansas Food Systems Initiative, offers grant funding to eligible farmers in Benton, Washington, Madison, and Carroll counties who are committed to increasing capacity for wholesale fruit and vegetable production. The overall goal of the pilot program is to increase the amount of locally produced food in the four-county area.

For more information about the pilot program, contact Karen Reynolds by email at karen.reynolds@agriculture.arkansas.gov or by phone at (501) 529-1630.

Entries for the contest will be accepted through June 11, 2023, and the application can be found here. Winners will be announced in the fall of 2023.

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

The Feral Hog Eradication Task Force continued its efforts in April 2023 and removed over 1,239 feral hogs across Arkansas. Additionally, Arkansas residents reported the removal of nine feral hogs last month.

Learn more about the Task Force and its efforts here.

The Arkansas Department of Agriculture is accepting applications for the 2023 Arkansas Century Farm Program. This program recognizes Arkansas families who have owned and farmed the same land for at least 100 years. Online and printable applications are available here. There is no cost to apply.

Contact Beth Moore at 501-539-4027 or beth.moore@agriculture.arkansas.gov with questions. Applications must be received via email or postmarked on or before May 31, 2023, to be eligible for designation as a 2023 inductee.

2023 Arkansas Grown Magazine

For centuries, the practice of family farming has been the foundation of the agricultural industry in the United States. Still today, these operations prove to be a cornerstone of American agriculture, making up 98 percent of all farms. Family farming began out of necessity, but today, many farmers combine farm and off-farm jobs to make a living while maintaining the agricultural way of life.

Read more about the program that honors the dedication of Arkansas's farm families in the 2023 edition of Arkansas Grown. You can view the magazine online here, or find a physical copy at various locations around the state! With more than 25 features about Arkansas agriculture, there's something for everyone.

On May 9, the University of Arkansas (UA) System Division of Agriculture broke ground on the Northeast Rice Research and Extension Center (NERREC) in Poinsett County, Arkansas. Pictured above (from left): Jeanette Spencer, benefactor; Arkansas Secretary of Agriculture Wes Ward; State Representative Dwight Tosh; David Sargent, WER Architects; NERREC Center Director Tim Burcham; UA System Division President Donald Bobbitt; and John Conner, Jr., Holden Conner Enterprises and Greenway Equipment.

Pictured right: Arkansas Secretary of Agriculture Wes Ward with Tim and Joan Burcham before the groundbreaking of the center.

Damascus Fire Department in Van Buren County received a 2003 International Fire Truck from the Federal Excess Personal Property Program, which is administered by the Arkansas Department of Agriculture's Forestry Division's Rural Fire Protection (RFP). Pictured (from left): Daniel Mahan, Damascus Fire Chief, and Greyson Cooper, RFP Buyer.

National Police Week was recognized from May 14 to 20. We commend the Arkansas Department of Agriculture Law Enforcement officers for all the work they do to protect Arkansas's food, fiber, and forest products. Pictured (from left): Russ Lancaster, Keith Dedmon, Chief Billy Black, Justin Smith, and Kendall Rawls.

The Arkansas Department of Agriculture's Forestry Division partnered with multiple national and state agencies to host the 2023 Arkansas River Valley Wildland Fire Academy from May 8 to 19. The Academy provides necessary training for wildland firefighters. The Forestry Division partnered with the United States Forest Service; the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission; the Arkansas Department of Parks, Heritage, and Tourism; the Bureau of Indian Affairs; the National Parks Service; and Oklahoma Forestry Services. Learn more about the collaborative effort here.

Introducing The Feed:

The body of laws, policies, and regulations affecting agriculture is vast and fast-changing, but the National Agricultural Law Center has introduced The Feed, a biweekly newsletter aimed at keeping industry professionals up to date.

Content is written by research attorneys but is designed for non-attorneys as well. Find recent issues of The Feed here.

Upcoming Webinars:

Recent Blog Posts:

The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture and the National Agricultural Law Center are facilitating a series of workshops called "Plan. Produce. Profit." Workshop participants will learn how to operate under the Arkansas Food Freedom Act for selling homemade food items to the public. Attendees will be eligible to receive a free pH meter for producing food products. Funding for these workshops is provided by the Arkansas Department of Agriculture through the United States Department of Agriculture Specialty Crop Block Grant Program. Learn more and register here. For more information, contact Rusty Rumley at rrumley@uark.edu.

Do you have a vegetable-based value-added food business idea or need help getting started in a commercial kitchen? The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture Cooperative Extension Service Local, Regional, and Safe Foods will host a bootcamp program for food entrepreneurs this summer. Applications will be accepted through May 30 and there is no cost to apply. Individuals, or existing businesses, located in Central Arkansas who are interested in creating a vegetable-based value-added product in a commercial kitchen are eligible to apply. Applicants must also be able to:

Interested individuals can apply for the program here. For more information, please contact Dr. Amanda Philyaw Perez at aperez@uada.edu.

Quail Forever is hosting the 2023 Pollinator Palooza in celebration of pollinators and their habitat! The event will include guided habitat hikes, native plant vendors, and kid-friendly activities. Join Quail Forever for the event on June 24 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Camp Robinson Special Use Area in Mayflower, Arkansas. The event is free to attend, but registration is encouraged. Learn more and register here.

The Arkansas Natural Resources Division is hosting a dam safety workshop for owners and operators on June 13 at the Arkansas 4-H Center in Little Rock. The workshop will be held from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. Workshop registration is free. The workshop is designed to provide practical, straightforward information on topics of importance regarding operation of private dams. This year’s workshop specifically focuses on topics of interest to homeowner and property owner associations. Please contact Whit Montague at whitney.montague@agriculture.arkansas.gov with questions.

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.

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) will provide a one-time payment under the Rice Production Program (RPP) to rice producers based on 2022 planted and prevented planted acres. To be eligible for RPP, a producer must have reported a share interest in an eligible type of rice planted or prevented from being planted for the 2022 crop year, by the acreage reporting deadline.

Rice producers will be mailed prefilled applications using information on file with USDA’s Risk Management Agency (RMA) or FSA, as reported by rice producers through their crop insurance agents or FSA county offices. To apply for RPP, producers must return the completed FSA-174, Rice Production Program Application, to their recording FSA county office by close of business on July 10, 2023. Applications may be submitted in person or by mail, email, or facsimile.

USDA is hosting a Mental Health Awareness Month Workshop Series. The workshop series convenes farmers and ranchers, faith leaders, rural health providers, USDA employees, and partners to dialogue and discuss mental health challenges; stressors; and the resources and services available to address them. Register and find a breakdown of the series and the topics that will be covered here.

Farmers or landowners in the Conjunctive Water Use Protects Mid-South Aquifers Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) project area in Arkansas can apply to receive financial assistance in fiscal year 2023. Farmers and landowners in Arkansas who submit applications to their local USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) office by May 26 will be considered for this assistance. Eligible Arkansas counties include Ashley, Chicot, Desha, and Drew. This project is supported by the USA Rice-Ducks Unlimited Stewardship Partnership. For more information, visit here or contact your local USDA-NRCS Field Service Center.

The USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) Southeast Arkansas office is hosting free, virtual informational sessions to educate producers and agriculture businesses on available programs and loans and share vital information such as program deadlines and eligibility. The first session was held on Thursday, March 30. The following sessions will take place in the coming months, and are free to attend virtually.

Interested individuals should call their local FSA office to receive the meeting link. Contact information for your local FSA office can be found here.

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.