The Arkansas Soybean Promotion Board (ASPB), a producer led organization serving the state’s soybean industry through research, education and promotion, is celebrating Arkansas Soybean Month this November. Governor Asa Hutchinson proclaimed November Arkansas Soybean Month to honor soybean producers and recognize the significance of the soybean industry’s contributions to the Arkansas economy.

“Agriculture is Arkansas’s largest industry and soybeans are our largest row crop,” said Arkansas Department of Agriculture Secretary Wes Ward. “Arkansas Soybean Month allows us to recognize soybean producers and the impact they have on the agriculture industry in Arkansas.”

Soybean production represents a $2 billion industry in Arkansas with approximately 3 million acres planted each year across the state. Fifty-percent of soybeans produced in state are exported each year, enabling Arkansas to consistently rank among the top 10 soybean producing states in the nation.

“Soybeans are a versatile crop that supports multiple agricultural industries and is crucial to the Arkansas agriculture industry,” said Lincoln County soybean producer and Arkansas Soybean Promotion Board Chairman John Freeman. “Arkansas Soybean Month creates an opportunity for us to celebrate the crop, the producers, and the contributions of the soybean industry to our state’s economy and the world.”

The Arkansas Soybean Promotion Board was established in 1971 after the Arkansas General Assembly passed Act 259, providing soybean producers in Arkansas an organization through which they could work to improve the state’s soybean industry. The legislation created a nine-member board with the responsibility of administering research, promotion, and market development to foster the growth of Arkansas’s soybean industry. Members are nominated by certain soybean-related organizations and appointed by the governor.

The Board’s activities are funded by the soybean checkoff, a congressionally mandated assessment on soybeans specifically designated for research and promotion efforts.

The Board has planned activities to celebrate Arkansas Soybean Month. For recipes, tools and information to help you celebrate Arkansas Soybean Month, visit the webpage here. Follow the Arkansas Soybean Promotion Board on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter or sign up to  receive the monthly Bean Brief newsletter to stay updated on all activities.

To learn more about the Arkansas Soybean Promotion Board, visit TheMiracleBean.com.

The Arkansas Department of Agriculture and the Arkansas Department of Energy and Environment are pleased to announce the launch of the Arkansas FireSMART mobile application. This app, created with funding from the Environmental Protection Agency, offers row crop producers and forest landowners a simple, easy way to check conditions and report prescribed burns.

With the new app, producers can select the area they plan to burn on a map and the application will generate real-time weather data, letting producers know if current conditions align with the state’s Voluntary Smoke Management Guidelines. Under Voluntary Smoke Management Guidelines, producers and landowners report prescribed burns to the Arkansas Department of Agriculture’s Dispatch Center. The FireSMART app also streamlines this process, making the app a one-stop shop for reporting and information.

“The Arkansas Department of Agriculture encourages everyone within the agriculture industry to follow voluntary smoke management guidelines,” said Arkansas Secretary of Agriculture Wes Ward. “The FireSMART app gives them a quick and easy tool to continue to be good neighbors to all Arkansans.”

“We are pleased to partner with the Department of Agriculture, Arkansas Farm Bureau, Arkansas Rice Federation, and others in today’s release of the FireSMART app. This publicly available tool, developed through collaborative efforts, will benefit communities across Arkansas by making smoke-management planning easy for agricultural producers and forestry prescribed fire practitioners,” said Becky Keogh, Secretary of the Arkansas Department of Energy and Environment.

“Prescribed fire is a critically important tool in a farmer’s toolbox and this newly-developed app is an additional resource to assist farmers in planning and using fire as we work to prepare for next season. Our community looks forward to working with other agricultural organizations to share and encourage the use of the FireSMART app,” said David Gairhan, Arkansas Rice Federation Chairman.

In row crop production, prescribed fire is used 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.

Prescribed burning provides many benefits to forest landowners including vegetation control, ecosystem restoration, and wildlife habitat improvement. Additionally, prescribed fire makes landscapes more resistant to wildfires by removing flammable debris and vegetation. It is one of the best tools for improving wildfire safety.

Access the Fire Smart app here. Read more about prescribed fire and its benefits here. Find the Voluntary Smoke Management Guidelines here.

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has issued a Federal Order for the expansion of quarantine areas for the existing imported fire ant quarantine areas in Arkansas.

Effective immediately, APHIS is adding the following seven counties to the quarantine areas for imported fire ants: Cross, Franklin, Johnson, Lee, Monroe, St. Francis, and Woodruff. A map indicating the existing and updated quarantine areas can be found here.

Imported fire ants are commonly transported by nursery stock, grass sod, hay, and straw. Anyone transporting a regulated article from the quarantine areas to outside of the quarantine areas must have a certificate or compliance agreement from the Arkansas Department of Agriculture to ensure that no fire ants are moved along with these items. The quarantine applies to the following:

APHIS is taking these actions based upon verification from the Arkansas Department of Agriculture that imported fire ants are present and established in the areas listed. This Federal Order is issued pursuant to the regulatory authority provided by the Plant Protection Act of June 20, 2000, as amended, Section 412 (a), 7 U.S.C. 7712 (a). The Act authorizes the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture to prohibit or restrict the movement in interstate commerce of any plant, plant part, or article if the Secretary determines the prohibition or restriction is necessary to prevent the dissemination of a plant pest within the United States.

For more information about imported fire ants, visit 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 Arkansas Department of Agriculture’s Forestry Division is pleased to announce the expansion of the Shade Trees on Playgrounds program to celebrate the program’s 20th anniversary. Twenty-three schools in 20 communities, more than double the number of schools in previous years, have been selected across the state to participate in this year’s program. The selected schools for 2022 are as follows:

The Shade Trees on Playgrounds program (STOP) was organized to lower adult skin cancer risk by reducing childhood exposure to direct sunlight where children play, like school playgrounds. Winning schools receive up to five shade trees, mulch, watering supplies, and planting guidelines after participating in program training.

“The STOP program combines hands-on, outdoor experiences with classroom curriculum about the importance of trees and how to care for trees,” says Urban & Community Forestry Program Coordinator, Kristine Kimbro. “We hope this program not only improves the health of Arkansas students, but also leaves a lasting impression about the value of forests and how to be good stewards of our natural resources.”

Schools are invited to submit STOP applications annually. To qualify, participating schools must lack shade, participate in a virtual STOP workshop, agree to use Forestry Division curriculum to emphasize the importance of trees and forestry in Arkansas, hold a tree-planting ceremony with students, and agree to long-term maintenance of the planted shade trees. Forestry Division personnel assist with the transport and planting of the trees. Trees for each campus are chosen by local Forestry Division staff to fit the unique region and conditions of each playground and are purchased from local nurseries and suppliers.

Learn more about the STOP program and other Urban & Community Forestry services and programs here. With program questions, contact Kristine Kimbro at 479-228-7929 or kristine.kimbro@agriculture.arkansas.gov, or Harold Fisher at 501-580-4054 or harold.fisher@agriculture.arkansas.gov.

On October 26th, Whit Montague, Engineering Supervisor for the Natural Resources Division, was a featured panelist in the Resilient Nation Partnership Network's live-streamed conference "Voices of Inclusive Resilience."

Montague focused her comments on inclusion of rural, agricultural communities in plans and strategies for flood risk and mitigation. Read more about the conference and other speakers here.

Read more about how the Natural Resources Division is saving vital resources and conserving Arkansas's groundwater 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 Arkansas Department of Agriculture would like to say thank you to the local city and volunteer fire departments for their efforts fighting multiple fires in Jefferson County last week. Combined, the six fires burned over 900 acres.

The Bismarck Fire Department in Hot Spring County (pictured left) received a Ford F450 from the Forestry Division's Rural Fire Protection (RFP) Program. The Trinity Fire Department in Miller County (pictured right) received a Freightliner M915 from the RFP Program.

The Arkansas Department of Agriculture celebrated Halloween with pumpkin carving, costume, and spooky space contests. Congratulations to Livestock and Poultry Director Patrick Fisk for winning the carving contest, Marketing's Joby Miller for winning scariest costume, and the Lab Services Seed Lab for winning spookiest space! Additional photos can be found here.

Pinecone harvest is underway at the Forestry Division Tree Improvement Complex at Bluff City. The Forestry Division's Tree Improvement Complex works to provide landowners with the highest possible genetic gain in pine and hardwood seed.

On October 27th, a partnership between the Resource Renewal Institute, USDA advisors, scientists, and Arkansas producers launched the Fish in the Fields pilot study at Isbell Farms near England. Fish in the Fields is a 3-year controlled experiment to evaluate how alternating rice and fish production on the same land can build sustainability.

Upcoming Webinars:

Recent Blog Posts:

For more information and to apply, visit here.

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.

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.