The Arkansas Department of Agriculture is pleased to announce that Governor Asa Hutchinson has proclaimed October as Arkansas Farm to School month. The proclamation was celebrated today at Pinnacle View Middle School in Little Rock as part of nationwide efforts to connect schools, early childhood educational sites, and other organizations with farms to bring local, healthy food to children. Find the full proclamation here.

At the Arkansas Farm to School Month celebration, the Arkansas Department of Agriculture and Farm Credit Associations of Arkansas presented awards to winners of the 2022 Arkansas Grown School Garden of the Year Contest. The winners are as follows:

Lee Senior High School, Marianna (Lee County), $500 Award

Wonderview Elementary School, Hattieville (Conway County), $500 Award

Nettleton STEAM, Jonesboro (Craighead County), $500 Award

Conway High School, Conway (Faulkner County), $500 Award

Crestwood Elementary, North Little Rock (Pulaski County), $500 Award

Chicot Elementary & Early Childhood Center, Mabelvale (Pulaski County), $500 Award

Arch Ford/Synergy ALE, Hot Springs Village (Garland and Saline Counties), $500 Award

Ward Central Elementary, Ward (Lonoke County), $500 Award

Pinnacle View Middle School, Little Rock (Pulaski County), $1,000 Award

Sheridan Elementary School, Sheridan (Grant County), $1,000 Award

The Arkansas Grown School Garden of the Year Contest was initiated by the Arkansas Department of Agriculture and Farm Credit Associations of Arkansas in 2014. The program provides the opportunity to promote the importance of involving young people in the process of fresh food production and cultivation. Farm Credit Associations of Arkansas generously provides the funding for the program.

“As a farmer-owned cooperative, we believe it’s important to support local food system initiatives such as the Arkansas Grown School Garden Program,” said Farm Credit of Western Arkansas CEO Brandon Haberer on behalf of the Farm Credit Associations of Arkansas. “Local food projects like this are a great way to educate the next generation and the public about food production and agriculture.”

The contest was available to public and private K-12 schools, early childhood education facilities, and alternative learning environments. Awardees were schools that had a school garden open during the 2021-2022 school year or planned to start a garden in the 2022-2023 school year.

“School gardens provide a hands-on opportunity for children to learn about Arkansas agriculture and where their food comes from. The lessons learned through school gardens have a lasting impact on children, their families, and entire communities,” said Arkansas Secretary of Agriculture Wes Ward.

Find photos from the event here.

The Arkansas Department of Agriculture’s Forestry Division is pleased to announce six recipients of the 2022 Urban & Community Forestry Grants to fund community projects that will develop, improve, and/or promote urban and community trees and forests.

The recipients and a brief description of their projects are listed below:

• City of Cotter (Cotter) – Tree trimming and maintenance of existing trees in Cotter parks.

• Easter Seals of Arkansas (Little Rock) – Development of community greenway and education/training at the Easter Seals campus in Little Rock.

• Milestones Services, Inc. (Conway) – Hazard tree removal, tree planting, and development of a tree management plan for its early learning day school in Faulkner County.

• Northwest Arkansas African American Heritage Association, Inc. (Fayetteville) – Invasive tree removal, tree pruning, and native species understory planting in a historical cemetery and surrounding area.

• Tree Streets, Inc. (Little Rock) – Tree planting and existing tree maintenance in downtown Little Rock rights-of-way.

• City of Wynne (Wynne) – Tree irrigation equipment and a tree pruning project in Wynne city parks.

The grant review committee ranked proposals based on criteria that included how much the proposed project will improve a community’s tree management program, proposed implementation plan for the project, proposed level of community involvement, educational components, and proposed tree care and long-term maintenance planning. Communities that participate in the Tree City USA, Tree Campus, and Tree Line programs received additional ranking points.

Urban & Community Forestry Grants are made available through federal grant funds from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Forest Service’s Urban & Community Forestry Grant Program and are administered by the Arkansas Department of Agriculture’s Forestry Division. The total federal funding allocated to the 2022 projects is $48,000. Projects awarded 2022 grants must be completed by August 31, 2024. For more information about the grant, contact Krissy Kimbro at kristine.kimbro@agriculture.arkansas.gov or 479-228-7929.

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!

Learn more about the Task Force and its efforts here.

During the 2022 Sunbelt Ag Expo, Arkansas was featured as the Spotlight State. At the ribbon cutting ceremony for the Spotlight State exhibit, Deputy Secretary Cynthia Edwards addressed the crowd and invited attendees to tour the “Experience Arkansas” exhibit. Members of Arkansas Farm Bureau, Arkansas Department of Agriculture, Farm Credit Associations of Arkansas, UA Division of Agriculture, Arkansas Agritourism Association, Arkansas Department of Tourism, and the Arkansas Department of Economic Development were onsite in Georgia to greet visitors and answer questions. Additional information about Arkansas's involvement in the expo can be found here.

Deputy Secretary Edwards also spoke during the Willie B. Withers/Sunbelt Ag Expo Luncheon. The luncheon concluded with Robert E. Saunders, a multi-generational farmer from Piney River, Virginia, being named the Swisher/Sunbelt Expo Southeastern Farmer of the Year. The judges selected Saunders from among 10 state winners, who reside in Southeastern states participating in the program, including Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia. Chris Sweat represented Arkansas. More information on the Sweat family can be found here. 

Read more about how inmates are learning life skills on the farm 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.

The 2023 edition of Arkansas Grown is in the works! If you're interested in purchasing advertising space, please contact Amy Lyman at amy.lyman@agriculture.arkansas.gov.

At the Arkansas Farm to School Month celebration, the Arkansas Department of Agriculture and Farm Credit Associations of Arkansas presented awards to winners of the 2022 Arkansas Grown School Garden of the Year Contest. Secretary Wes Ward spoke about the lessons learned through school gardens and the lasting impact it has on children, families, and communities.

State Forester Joe Fox received the Arkansas Forestry Association (AFA) Education Foundation President's Award at the AFA Awards Breakfast. Arkansas District 15 Representative Ken Bragg (pictured right) was also presented the President's Award.

The Arkansas Forestry Commission met to discuss updates on current Forestry Division programs, wildfire conditions, and forest health issues across the state.

The Arkansas State Fair kicked off on October 14th and will continue through October 23rd. If you are planning a trip, keep an eye out for Arkansas Made signs and stop by the Department of Agriculture booth in the Hall of Industry!

Secretary Wes Ward observed an edamame harvest on the John Ball farm in Lonoke County with Ray Chung, President of American Vegetable Soybean and Edamame Inc., GreenWave Foods Inc., and representatives of AcreTrader. Arkansas was the first state to grow edamame commercially, and the state is fortunate to have an edamame processing plant operated by AVS in Mulberry.

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Mark your calendars! The Arkansas Department of Agriculture’s Arkansas Grown program is partnering with Arkansas agriculture associations and organizations to host the first Arkansas Grown Conference & Expo. This event is open to all parties interested in the Arkansas agriculture industry and will focus on farmers and producers who are committed to our local food system. Conference speakers will cover topics such as legal issues, business management, connecting with buyers, and more!

Read more about the conference here.

Fall migration is underway and with it an increased risk of wild birds spreading disease to your poultry. #DefendtheFlock and be on the lookout for feathers, nests, feces, and other organic materials that can carry disease. Learn more here.

Arkansas Department of Agriculture's Outreach Coordinator Evette Browning met with representatives from Global Ties Arkansas, Young Southeast Asian Leadership Initiative (YSEALI). The discussion included the structure of the Department and partnering agencies, outreach efforts with women and minority landowners, Browning's role as president of Arkansas Women in Agriculture, and the challenges and opportunities faced by women in the industry.

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 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.