August 2025

Upcoming Events

Join Dr. Stephen Grace of the University of Arkansas Little Rock and the Sphinx Foundation of Central Arkansas for a Soil Health Workshop!

🗓️ August 30, 2025 10am - 12pm

🌱 UALR Garden (3343 Fair Park Blvd, Little Rock, AR 72204)

Reserve your spot here!

Today is the last day of early-bird registration for After the Harvest! Starting tomorrow, registration will go up to $30 for Friday attendance and $60 for Saturday attendance.

Meet some of the After the Harvest Speakers!

Lauren Castleberry Berkeley Farms

Berkeley Farms owners Lauren and Tyler Castleberry started Berkeley Farm in Greenbrier, Arkansas from a few raised garden beds and a handful of dairy goats in 2016.

What started as an interest in growing their own food and living a more simple and sustainable lifestyle quickly grew to a community-based farming experience and farm store that offers local produce, artisanal products, and farmer essentials gathered on-farm and local partners.

Learn more about Berkeley Farms here!

Healthy Flavors Arkansas is a Conway-based farm dedicated to enhancing the nutritional value of food through sustainable agricultural practices and local economic relationships by cultivating a variety of produce including squash, peas, kale, and herbs. Healthy Flavors is particularly focused on their Farm to School program, which provides locally grown vegetables and promotes scratch cooking in school cafeterias.

Dan Spatz and Saw Thet Naung at Healthy Flavors Arkansas.

Through their partnerships with schools and participation in initiatives like the USDA-funded C.H.E.F. Challenge, Healthy Flavors is committed to connecting local food, culinary education, and community well-being.

Visit their webpage here!

Nena Hammer

Spring Creek Food Hub

With a diverse background in local food-based organizations, Nena Hammer has served as an AR GardenCorps member, owned and operated a farm-to-table restaurant, and managed livestock and garden operations at Cobblestone Farms in Fayetteville, AR. Nena’s passion for food has fueled both the beginning of her own farm and her commitment to supporting other farmers.

As Interim Executive Director at Spring Creek Food Hub, she is working to streamline operations and build strong connections with local farms to help cultivate a resilient local food network and put more fresh, local food on tables across Arkansas.

Learn more about Spring Creek's mission here.

📅 September 5–6, 2025 | 4-H Center, Little Rock, AR

Join Lauren, Dan, Nena and more than a dozen other speakers from across the state for two days of networking, hands-on learning, and practical information for anyone passionate about strengthening Arkansas’s local food system.

Visit the event webpage to see a full agenda.

Local Foods

How to Sell to Farm Stops - St. Joseph's Center

The Growing Urban Farmers program is holding another workshop at the end of August! St. Joseph Farm Stand Manager, Michelle Shellebarger will present information on approaching farm stand managers, planning, pricing and more!

🗓️ Wed, August 27, 5:30pm - 7:00pm

📍 St. Joseph Center of Arkansas

6800 Camp Robinson Rd., NLR

Curious about Certified Naturally Grown?

Produce certifications like Certified Naturally Grown help farmers demonstrate their commitment to high standards in growing practices, from soil health to pest management. These third-party or peer-reviewed verifications give buyers confidence in how food is produced, opening doors to new markets such as specialty grocers, co-ops, and farmers markets that prioritize safe and responsibly grown products.

Want to learn more about third-party food certifications? Check out this article from the National Agricultural Law Center, the nation’s leading source for agricultural and food law research and information.

Did you know the National Agricultural Law Center is part of the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture? Discover how the Center supports not only Arkansas farms but farmers nationwide here.

Still Curious About Farm Stops?

If you're currently running a farm stop or thinking about starting one, we’d love to hear from you! What is a farm stop? Check out this article at Resilience.org.

Fill out our quick Farm Stop Interest Form to help us better understand what support, resources, or connections would be most useful as we continue our research and outreach. Whether you’re just exploring the idea or already up and running, your input is valuable!

Farm Stop Interest Form

Value-Added

Launch or Grow Your Food Business with Share Grounds!

Are you dreaming of starting a food business from your home kitchen—or ready to take your existing business to the next level? The Share Grounds program is here to help!

We offer hands-on outreach and expert technical support to guide you through every step of launching or expanding your food business. Whether you're making jams, baked goods, sauces, or other value-added products, Share Grounds provides technical information for food business startup, access to certified commercial kitchen space, business planning assistance, regulatory guidance, and connections to local markets.

Our program offers technical support at three locations.