February/March 2025

Upcoming Events

ATTENTION CENTRAL ARKANSAS GROWERS!

The Growing Urban Farmers program at St. Joseph's Center is planning a THURSDAY NIGHT MARKET! This market will start April 24 and run through October 30, EVERY Thursday, 4:30-7:30.

We will be highlighting our local growers, and wish to include any farmer/grower in Arkansas who wants to participate. The booths will be FREE for farmers. The main guidelines are:

1) Food-focus!

2) Food MUST be grown or produced in Arkansas.

3) A farmer can only sell their own items.

4) Very small growers/community gardens can share a booth!

5) Growers can sign up for every market, or just a few.

Visit the webpage for Growing Urban Farmers, and if you would like to learn more about having a booth at the market, go here.

University of Arkansas Pine Bluff is accepting applications for their 2025 Beginning Farmers & Ranchers Program!

Download Application Here

For instructions on how to apply for the training course, contact the Small Farm Program at (870) 575-7225.

Completed applications should be returned to this email address: leek@uapb.edu

Produce Safety

THANK YOU FOR ATTENDING!

A big thank you to everyone who joined us for our February Produce Safety Grower Training! We appreciate your engagement and thoughtful questions. We hope you found the information valuable and are able to apply it to your own operations.

If you missed this session, don’t worry—we have two more trainings coming up! Join us on April 1st in Batesville or May 15th in Conway.

FROM ARKANSAS TO ALABAMA - PRODUCE SAFETY ON THE MOVE!

The Produce Safety Team has been busy!

We had an incredible time at the Arkansas Grown Conference at the end of January where we had the privilege of connecting with growers and industry professionals from across the state.

Dr. Philyaw-Perez led multiple sessions covering the basics of produce safety, agritourism food safety considerations, post-harvest handling of produce, and supply chain development among other various panels and discussions.

It was a packed event but seeing everyone in person made it all worthwhile!

Our team hit the road last month for the Southern Region Integrated Produce Safety (SRIPS) Conference in Alabama, where we presented and collaborated with regional partners on the unique challenges and opportunities for Arkansas produce growers and small-scale value-added producers. Contacts were made, worms were held (and vermiculture discussed), and we brought back fresh insights on how to better support our state's growers!

While in Alabama, we also had the opportunity to tour the Black Belt Marketing and Innovation Center (BBMIC) in Selma, a facility dedicated to supporting small-scale farmers through produce aggregation, processing, and research. The center provides cold storage, value-added processing equipment, and market access opportunities that help extend the shelf life of fresh produce and reduce food waste.

The BBMIC’s work is a great example of how infrastructure can empower small-scale growers and improve local food systems, and we left inspired by the possibilities for similar efforts in Arkansas!

Thanks to everyone who attended, engaged, and shared their experiences—we're excited to keep the momentum going! 🚜✨

High Tunnel Grower Survey - CLOSING SOON

Last chance to share your input on support needs if you are a high tunnel grower! Your fully confidential responses will help identify areas where additional support, training, or resources are needed, such as in water quality, soil amendments, and post-harvest handling.

Take our Survey Here!

Local Foods

The Central Arkansas Sphinx Foundation’s Pathway 2 Food Security initiative is giving away free seed white potatoes to support individuals and community gardens in growing fresh food!

📍 Pickup Location: 1500 S Ringo Street, Little Rock, AR 72202

⏰ Hours: 8:00 AM – 4:30 PM

📦 Distribution:

Individuals: 1 bag per person
Community Gardens: Up to 5 bags

This is a first come, first serve opportunity, so be sure to stop by early! Let’s work together to promote food security and sustainability in our community.

Learn more about the Central Arkansas Sphinx Foundation.

Help Us Support Your Agritourism Business!

Do you welcome visitors to your farm, ranch, vineyard, or other agricultural operation? Whether you offer farmstands, u-pick, tours, tastings, CSAs, overnight stays, or events, we want to hear from you!

Take this 25-minute survey to share your experiences and help develop tools to support agritourism businesses like yours. Participants can enter a random drawing for a $75 gift card (20 available!). Your responses are confidential, and participation is voluntary.

This national study is led by Dr. Lisa Chase at the University of Vermont who graciously attended and gave keynote speeches at the Arkansas Grown Conference in January!

Questions? Contact Lisa.Chase@uvm.edu or 802-656-7532.

Value-Added

The 2025 Arkansas Grown Conference and Expo has come and gone and on Friday, January 31, Homesteading and value-added products were featured in the Farmers Market Session. Jeff Jackson from the Arkansas Department of Health presented on the Arkansas Food Freedom Act and Farmers Market Regulations.

David Hill of the UADA Cooperative Extension led a session on Home-Based Value-Added Product Food Safety. If you missed that session and would like to attend a session covering Home-Based Value-Added Product Food Safety, David will be at the 2025 Arkansas Homesteading Conference on Saturday, March 29, at the Cleveland County Fairgrounds in Rison, Arkansas. Click on the above link to find out more.