🎆Happy New Year, and Welcome to 2026!🎆
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Greetings everyone and welcome to 2026! Last year was an amazing year for the Local, Regional, and Safe Foods program. We were honored to work with so many wonderful food businesses, farms, and supporting agencies.
2025 Program Impact Snapshot:
In 2025, Extension and community engagement efforts strengthened Arkansas’s local and resilient food systems through 423 total activities, reaching 4,495 contacts statewide and beyond. The program facilitated 113 coordinated meetings and engaged 419 partners across food safety, value-added food business, and food infrastructure initiatives.
Educational and technical programming delivered 14 major workshops, conference sessions, field days, tours, and outreach events, reaching more than 1,400 participants, with an additional 900+ participants served through FSMA Produce Safety Grower Trainings, the Arkansas Food Systems Fellowship, Compost Awareness Week events, the Preserving Arkansas Summer Series, and statewide workshops supporting beginning farmers, home-based food businesses, value-added startups, and farmers markets.
Direct technical assistance included 175 engagements provided to 326 clients, with 21 on-farm visits and 10 On-Farm Readiness Reviews, supporting practical implementation and risk reduction. Collaborative engagement extended beyond Arkansas through participation in 25 partner meetings and 17 national meetings, reaching approximately 1,187 contacts via multi-state curriculum development, national food safety networks, USDA grant coordination, Regional Food Business Center planning, and Beginning Farmer training with NRCS partners.
Program visibility and outreach were amplified through strategic communications, including a newsletter reaching 1,854 subscribers with 60,418 views, 64,239 social media views, 27 newspaper articles, and more than 15,600 website visitors, expanding awareness, access, and impact of Arkansas’s local and resilient food systems initiatives.
Thank you for being a part of a very successful 2025 program year, special thanks to our team and partners for all your hard work! Here's to 2026!
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Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs)
New Extension Factsheet — Getting Started with Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs) for Produce Operations
This factsheet provides an introduction to Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs) for fruit and vegetable growers. GAPs are voluntary, science-based guidelines that help reduce the risk of contamination in fresh produce, supporting food safety from the field to the table. While GAPs are not required by law, many buyers and markets ask growers for third-party food safety audits, such as USDA GAP or Harmonized GAP certification, to show commitment to safe production.
The guide explains how implementing GAPs can help growers prevent contamination, reduce the risk of foodborne illness, and open access to larger markets. It outlines the role of GAPs in building a food safety program and provides tips for beginning the audit process. In addition, the factsheet highlights the relationship between GAPs and regulatory requirements like the FSMA Produce Safety Rule.
Growers should work with their local extension or state department of agriculture to determine their specific responsibilities and certification needs.
Check out the factsheet here: FSA9804.pdf.
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2026 Southeastern Fruit and Vegetable Conference, Savannah, GA
Dr. Amanda Philyaw Perez joined Southern and state colleagues at the 2026 Southeastern Fruit and Vegetable Conference in Savannah, Georgia. She participated in the Southern Center for Food Safety Annual Meeting, where she provided an update on Arkansas initiatives, and spoke during the roadside stand session on the Farm Stop Model, which is receiving national attention. Arkansas’ produce safety outreach efforts were highlighted through a Southern Center poster featured at the conference.
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Welcome to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2025–2030🍇🍎
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The new Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2025–2030 were released on January 7, 2026. Read about the changes in the guideline document here: DGA.pdf. These changes aim to Make America Healthy Again by encouraging whole food consumption as stated by our current secretaries of Health and Agriculture, Kennedy and Rollins, respectively.
The U.S. continues to battle and an ever-complex set of chronic disease, food access, and affordability issues. Our team will follow policy, systems, institutional, and organizational changes as we all prepare to implement this transformative new policy and its effect on our food system.
| Infrastructure and Supply Chain | |
Resilient Food Systems Infrastructure (RFSI)
Applicants to the RFSI equipment-only grants whose projects include coolers should be well underway with installation. Cooler recipients interested in participating in upcoming meetings focused on local food supply chain coordination are encouraged to contact our program lead, Sarah Bakker at sbakker@uada.edu for support and coordination assistance.
Our team is also working with a network of farms, retailers, and institutional buyers interested in sourcing products from local farms and food businesses for local and regional markets. Please reach out if any of this interests you!
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Arkansas Vegetable Conference
February 19-20, 2026
Little Rock, AR
Join vegetable growers and specialists for the first Arkansas Vegetable Growers Conference. Hosted by UADA, UAPB, and CAFF with support from Southern SARE, this two-day event will feature the latest insights on vegetable production throughout the state!
When: February 19-20, 2026
Where: State Extension Office, 2301 S. University Ave., Little Rock, AR 72004
Cost: $40 for early registration (before Feb 10th), $50 for late registration and at-the-door registration
Please join us for a hands-on packshed and produce washing workshop for vegetable growers.
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Are you a farm, food, or beverage business owner looking to grow in, or expand to, NW Arkansas?
INDUSTRIES WE SUPPORT
Consumer Packaged Goods
Baked Good Producers
Beverages
Value- Added Producers
Prepared Foods
Caterers
Farmers
Specialty Bakers
WHAT TO EXPECT
- 1 in-person kickoff session and 7 virtual interactive weekly sessions
- Community events featuring your business, plus a chance to win $5,000 cash
- Sustainability guidance tailored to your food business in partnership with University of Arkansas
- Make community connections and unlock new, potential business opportunities
APPLY NOW! APPLICATIONS OPEN THROUGH JAN 18, 2026
LEARN MORE: https://www.cureate.co/courses-nwa
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2026 National Farm Stop Conference
Join us for the third National Farm Stop Conference February 12-15, 2026 in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
Events will include:
- Opening Reception: Thursday, February 12
- Farm Stop Conference: Friday and Saturday, February 13-14
- Farm Stop School: Sunday, February 15
Attend the 2026 Farm Stop Conference and meet with policy makers, farm stop owners, operators, and farmers from across the country to share best practices and inspire each other!
Register Here:
The National Farm Stop Conference
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➡️If you fit the description of a farm stop, please consider contributing to the Census!
Farm Stop Census: Click Here
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Value Added Producer Grants in Arkansas
Opens: January 15, 2026.
Closes: 1:00 p.m. Eastern Time on April 15, 2026.
What Does the Value-Added Producer Grant (VAPG) Program Do?
The VAPG helps U.S. agricultural producers with value-added activities that:
- Generate new products from raw agricultural commodities
- Create and expand marketing opportunities
- Increase producer income through enhanced product value and market reach
These grants support either:
- Planning activities (e.g., feasibility studies, business and marketing plans)
- Working capital needs (e.g., processing, packaging, advertising, inventory, and salaries)
➡️Register Here: Value Added Producer Grants in Arkansas | Rural Development
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Preserving the Harvest Workshop
Don’t let your hard work go to waste! This hands-on workshop will teach you simple, effective methods to preserve your garden harvest so you can enjoy fresh flavors all year long. Whether you're a beginner or looking to sharpen your skills, you'll leave with practical tips and confidence.
- Learn the basics of freezing, drying, and canning produce
- Tips for safe food storage and extending shelf life
- Led by USDA County Extension Agent Mrs. Alicia Boatwright
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Grow Your Own Groceries Conference
The Cooperative Extension Service will host the first in-person Grow Your Own Groceries Conference in 2026. The conference will provide expertise on growing and preparing food.
The one-day conference will be Feb. 10 from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the Conway Expo and Events Center, 2505 E. Oak St, Conway. Online registration is open until Jan. 31.
The cost is $75 and includes access to sessions and demonstrations on nearly a dozen topics with lunch included.
| | | Recent Program Highlights | |
Farwell and Best Wishes!
It is with both sadness and gratitude that we announce the departure of our dear colleague, David Hill, after three years of dedicated service. While we will miss him greatly, we are pleased to share that David will continue to be a valued partner in our work as he transitions to a new role with the Arkansas Department of Agriculture as a State Produce Safety Inspector.
We sincerely thank David for his dedication and the significant contributions he made to our home-based and commercial value-added food programs.
Thank you, David, for your years of service and commitment to the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture.
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Welcome to the Team!
We are excited to introduce our newest team member Cardeja Triplett.
Cardeja will be joining us as our program technician, here at the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture, Cooperative Extension. She brings experience in communications, gardening, and cultivation.
Let's give her a warm welcome, and please connect with her on LinkedIn.
Cardeja Triplett | LinkedIn
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Position Announcement
Food Systems & Food Safety Postdoctoral Associate
The University of Arkansas Department of Horticulture is seeking a Food Systems and Food Safety Postdoctoral Associate to join the Local, Regional, and Safe Foods Team. This full-time position will collaborate with Dr. Amanda Philyaw Perez to provide outreach, education, and technical assistance to Arkansas farms, food businesses, and community partners.
The successful candidate will support food safety training, value-added product development, home-based food business startup efforts, and local and regional food supply chain coordination, with an emphasis on small and beginning farms and expanding market access.
Applicants must hold a Ph.D. in food science, food safety, horticulture, or a related field.
Learn more here: Career Opportunities
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Amanda Philyaw Perez, DrPH, MPH
Associate Professor, Food Systems and Food Safety Specialist
Department of Horticulture, Cooperative Extension Service
University of Arkansas System, Division of Agriculture
2301 S. University Ave, Little Rock AR 72204
Office: 501.671.2228 | Email: aperez@uada.edu
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