Changes to Arkansas Agricultural Foreign Investment Act Effective October 1
During the 2021 legislative session, the Arkansas General Assembly enacted Act 1046 which requires foreign persons acquiring an interest in Arkansas agricultural land to file a report with the Arkansas Department of Agriculture. The reporting requirement became effective October 1, 2021.
Pursuant to federal law, foreign entities are currently required to submit a report to the U.S. Department of Agriculture upon acquiring an ownership interest in agricultural land in the United States. Act 1046 requires that a copy of the federal report regarding acquisition of agricultural land in Arkansas also be submitted to the Arkansas Department of Agriculture. The Arkansas law also contains a penalty of up to twenty-five percent (25%) of the fair market value of the land for failure to file the required report.
Copies of the federal report required under Act 1046 should be submitted to Cami Davis, [email protected]. For more information, contact the Arkansas Department of Agriculture at (501) 225-1598.
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Southeast Law Enforcement Task Force Training
Two investigators with the Arkansas Department of Agriculture recently attended the Southeast Law Enforcement Task Force training in Murphy, North Carolina. The Task Force is comprised of Agriculture Investigators from Arkansas, Texas, Louisiana, Tennessee, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia.
This training provides an opportunity for Agriculture Investigators to learn about legislative changes and interact with their counterparts in other states.
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2021 Rural Fire Show
The Arkansas Department of Agriculture’s Forestry Division and the Arkansas Rural and Volunteer Firefighters Association (ARVFA) hosted the 2021 Rural Fire Show on October 2 at the Conway Expo and Event Center.
Attending the event were 479 firefighters and their families representing 167 Arkansas Fire Departments. The event also included 42 vendors.
The Rural Fire Show is a free event held in appreciation for Arkansas firefighters and their families to honor the service and protection they provide. The event included wildland fire discussions, equipment demonstrations, resources and information from fire industry programs, networking opportunities, and a catered lunch with door prizes.
“All of us in Arkansas are indebted to firefighters,” said State Forester Joe Fox. “We have more than 850 rural fire departments that are partners with our Rangers when we fight wildland fires. The Forestry Division and ARVFA enjoy hosting the firefighters and their families annually just to say THANK YOU!”
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Chronic Wasting Disease: A Partnership between the
Arkansas Game and Fish and the Arkansas Department of Agriculture
The Arkansas Department of Agriculture (Department) maintains an accredited veterinary diagnostic laboratory authorized by the USDA to perform screening for Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD). The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission (AGFC) relies on these screening results to establish management zones for mitigating CWD in Arkansas’s deer and elk population. The Department recently hosted the AGFC video team to document some of the steps in our lab’s CWD screening procedure: https://bit.ly/3jd5I15
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2021 Prescribed Fire School
The annual training at Camp Robinson is conducted by the Arkansas Department of Agriculture’s Forestry Division, the Game and Fish Commission, the Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission, the Nature Conservancy, the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture Cooperative Extension Service, the Arkansas Forestry Association, and the Arkansas Department of Parks, Heritage, and Tourism.
More than 85 students and instructors were in attendance. Attendees participated in a virtual classroom setting for part of the school and attended in-person instruction where they divided into teams to work on control burns. View the full album of photos here.
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Reminders about Safe Prescribed Burning and Smoke Management
With harvest underway, the Arkansas Department of Agriculture reminds our partners in agriculture and conservation of the importance of safe prescribed burning techniques as a valuable tool in crop management plans.
Row crop farmers use prescribed fire in the fall as part of crop management plans to remove stubble following the harvest of rice, soybeans, corn, and cotton. Prescribed burning is an efficient and economical control method for preparing fields for the next growing season and eliminating pests and diseases. Burning crop residue also allows for no-till or reduced-till planting during the next growing season. Smoke management planning prior to the application of prescribed fires helps to reduce smoke impact on roadways, nearby towns, and sensitive areas like schools, nursing homes, churches, and other facilities.
Farmers can report a prescribed fire here. There is a Safe Burning Checklist which farmers complete before applying prescribed fire:
- Take extra precautions for smoke sensitive areas (highways, residents, communities, etc.)
- Report prescribed burns to the Arkansas Department of Agriculture’s Dispatch Center (1-800- 830-8015)
- Check to make sure relative humidity is above 20%
- Check to make sure wind speed is less than 15 mph
- Be sure to follow appropriate Smoke Category Day guidelines
Reporting the burn to the Arkansas Department of Agriculture’s Dispatch Center provides a full understanding to the farmer of weather conditions, information about other burns in the area, and proximity of nearby smoke sensitive areas like schools, nursing homes, and highways.
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Arkansas’s I.F. Anderson Farms, Inc., the largest baitfish hatchery in the world, represented Arkansas in the 2021 Swisher/Sunbelt Expo Southeastern Farmer of the Year Contest at the Sunbelt Ag Expo in Moultrie, GA: https://bit.ly/2XmbTYK. Robert Martin Hall of South Carolina was chosen as the 2021 Swisher Sunbelt Expo Southeastern Farmer of the Year from the 10-state district.
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Congratulations Kevin Kilcrease!
Congratulations to Kevin Kilcrease for receiving a State Citation from the Arkansas House of Representatives for his contributions to Arkansas’s fire service. Rep. Joe Jet and Johnny Broome of Henry’s Aviation presented the honor to Kevin.
Kevin has served in various fire service roles to include full-time Fireman with the Crossett Fire Department, Forestry Ranger, Firewise Program Coordinator, and currently serves as the Staff Training Supervisor for the Arkansas Department of Agriculture’s Forestry Division and coordinator for the single engine air tanker (SEAT) program
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National Veterinary Technician Week
The week of October 17-23, 2021 has been set aside as National Veterinary Technician Week (NVTW) to celebrate, recognize, and promote the valuable contributions Credentialed Veterinary Technicians make to the veterinary profession and society.
Veterinary Technicians are integral players on the veterinary healthcare team. They are on the frontlines, compassionately working with clients whose beloved animals need care. They work tirelessly in exam rooms, labs, and operating rooms, putting to work their vast technical and scientific knowledge treating and caring for every species of animal. Their broad skills – both professional and personal – allow veterinarians to work more efficiently and effectively. And they do it all with love and a smile, day after day.
“This year’s NVTW theme focuses on the critical aspect of self-care,” said Ed Carlson, CVT, VTS (Nutrition), President of the National Association of Veterinary Technicians (NAVTA), the not-for-profit association behind National Veterinary Technician Week. “Veterinary Technicians and their colleagues have worked incredibly hard over the past 18 months, handling a workload and stress level never seen before. It is critically important that NAVTA emphasize the importance of self-care and a healthy work-life balance.”
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Arkansas Department of Agriculture’s Arkansas Forestry Division employees hosted a booth for other state forestry community guests at the 2021 Arkansas Forestry Association Annual Meeting in Rogers last week. |
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The Arkansas Youth Expo (AYE) drew many participants and the Arkansas Department of Agriculture’s Livestock & Poultry Division inspectors were on hand to complete thorough health inspections of all exhibition animals. |
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Pulaski Conservation District Conservation Expo
The Pulaski County Conservation District will be hosting a Landowners Conservation Expo on October 30 at 9 a.m. in the Cabe Hall at the Arkansas 4-H Center. There will be demos, exhibits, and information from various organizations to help attendees learn about available conservation resources.
The event is the final phase of a project funded by the Natural Resources Conservation District to provide outreach and education on conservation programs to landowners with 40 acres or less in the Lake Maumelle Watershed. All landowners throughout the state are welcome to attend. For more information contact Holly Anderson at (501) 944-7310.
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October 2021 Crop Production Report
Through the 2021 crop season, the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) will publish Monthly Crop Production Reports.
The reports are released monthly and provide annual forecasts for supply and use of U.S. and world wheat, rice, coarse grains, oilseeds, and cotton. The reports also cover U.S. supply and use of sugar, meat, poultry eggs and milk, as well as Mexico’s supply and use of sugar.
The October report was released October 12, and the final report this year will be released November 9. Find the full October report here. For more information about the reports visit the USDA website.
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Application Period Opens for Pandemic Response and Safety Grant Program to Provide Relief to Small Producers, Processers, Distributors, and Farmers Markets Impacted by COVID-19
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced a Request for Applications (RFA) for the new Pandemic Response and Safety (PRS) Grant program and encourages eligible entities to apply now for funds. Applications must be submitted electronically through the grant portal at https://usda-prs.grantsolutions.gov/usda by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on Monday, November 22, 2021. Approximately $650 million in funding is available for the PRS grants, which are funded by the Pandemic Assistance provided in the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021.
The PRS Grant program will assist small businesses in certain commodity areas, including specialty crop producers, shellfish farming, finfish farming, aquaculture, and apiculture; specialty crop, meat, and other processors; distributors; and farmers markets. Small businesses and nonprofits in these industries can apply for a grant to cover COVID-related expenses such as workplace safety measures (e.g., personal protective equipment (PPE), retrofitting facilities for worker and consumer safety, shifting to online sales platforms, transportation, worker housing, and medical costs. The minimum funding request is $1,500 and the maximum funding request is $20,000.
The RFA and the PRS Grant Portal provide more details about eligibility for the grant. Eligible entities are required to obtain a free DUNS Number from Dun & Bradstreet (D&B) before applying for this program. USDA has created a custom PRS DUNS number portal at https://support.dnb.com/?CUST=PandemicResponse.
Application resources, including Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs), tip sheets in English and Spanish on applying for a DUNS Number, videos on “How to Apply” and more, are available on the PRS Grant Portal.
For more information, you can also reach out to the PRS help desk, Monday-Friday, 9 a.m.-9 p.m. ET at (301) 238-5550 or [email protected].
Check your eligibility, obtain a DUNS number, and learn more about the application process at the PRS Grant Portal.
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2021 Arkansas Grown
With over 20 features about Arkansas agriculture, there’s something for everyone. You can view the magazine online here, find a physical copy at various locations around the state, or request a copy!
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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.
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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.
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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."
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Arkansas AG Facts: Arkansas Corn Month |
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- Over 111 million bushels of corn was produced last year in Arkansas on 605 thousand acres.
- The value of corn produced in Arkansas reached $440 million, contributing to the largest industry in Arkansas at $21 billion.
- Arkansas ranks 18th for corn production in the United States.
- Arkansas, Lee, and Craighead counties are the top three producing counties in the state.
- Corn is one of the most widely consumed cereal grains worldwide and is widely used for fuel and animal feed.
- Corn is a food enjoyed throughout life in many forms, such a popcorn, tortillas, chips, flour, cornmeal, hominy, grits, syrup, corn on the cob, and other healthful foods.
- Cornbread has been a stalwart dish on Arkansans' tables for centuries, a tradition with roots in early settlers' experiments with a staple grain of Native Americans.
- Cornbread is a good source of several nutrients including calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, folic acid, folates, vitamins A, B-6, and B-12.
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