Arkansas AgCast

A grant from the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture is helping fund cutting-edge biotechnology research on corn at Arkansas State University and the University of Arkansas-Little Rock. Dr. Elizabeth Hood, distinguished professor of agriculture at ASU, joined us to discuss the research team’s work, which could ultimately lead to corn strains that produce proteins important for more environmentally sound ind...

Chris and Judy Isbell of Humnoke are the 2018 Arkansas Farm Family of the Year. The honor was announced today at the annual luncheon honoring county and district Farm Families of the Year. The Isbells are fifth-generation rice farmers and have diversified their operation into growing specialty varieties for the Japanese market. In this edition of Arkansas Agcast, they share with the honor means to...

Brenda Patton chairs the Benton County Farm Bureau Women's Leadership Committee. In this edition of Arkansas Agcast, she discusses how hard her committee worked to earn the Outstanding County Women's Program Award this year.

The ongoing tariff war and dispute with China, a record soybean crop produced by U.S. farmers with limited storage capacity and need for new export markets, and the new U.S.-Mexico-Canada Trade Agreement are all issues addressed by Ted McKinney, Under Secretary for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs at USDA at Arkansas Farm Bureau’s annual convention. In this edition of Arkansas Agcast McKinne...

Farm Bureau member and volunteer Dana Stewart made White County proud as she was recognized with the prestigious Stanley E. Reed Leadership Award at the state convention in Hot Springs, Nov. 28. Arkansas Ag Cast visited with her to get her reaction to earning this honor.

In this special edition of Arkansas AgCast, we talk with Terri McManus with the Farm Service Angency about the Dec. 7 deadline for producers who have generic seed cotton base who want to participate in the Agriculture Risk Coverage (ARC) or Price Loss Coverage (PLC) program for the 2018 crop. For more information about the program and to see if you are eligible, visit bit.ly/SeedCottonBase.

Many in Arkansas know all too well about the devastating impact Alzheimer’s Disease and dementia can have on families. Providing care for loved ones suffering from these conditions is difficult without adequate support or knowledge. That’s why Arkansas Farm Bureau has partnered with the UAMS Arkansas Geriatric Education Collaborative to provide training for caregivers at the county level. In this...

Farmers and ranchers from every county in Arkansas convened in North Little Rock recently and spent two days discussing resolutions that will soon become Arkansas Farm Bureau policy. In this edition of Arkansas Agcast, ArFB president Randy Veach explains the importance of this grassroots policy development process and why it will determine the organization’s state and federal legislative blueprint...

Thanksgiving is upon us. And that means turkeys. According to tradition, turkey was one of the birds of choice for the Pilgrim’s first Thanksgiving feast shared with the Native Americans. Butterball is the choice of Logan County farmer Brian Weisenfels. Listen as he tells us about raising turkeys and whether the busy holiday season changes anything from a farmer's perspective.

KARN's Kevin Miller interviews Mark Lambert, director, commodity activities and economics, at Arkansas Farm Bureau. The two discussed the economic and weather challenges faced by Arkansas soybean farmers this harvest season.

Derek Haigwood, a fourth-generation row-crop farmer from Newport, serves as a U.S. Soybean Board director and chairman of the U.S. Soybean Export Council (USSEC). In this podcast, he discusses how many soybean farmers are facing a devastating hit to their bottom line this year due to low prices, trade issues, weather problems and more, and talks about USSEC efforts to create new markets and keep e...

October is Farm to School Month, so for our latest Arkansas Agcast, we sat down with Andy Guffey, Arkansas Farm Bureau's director of education and outreach, to discuss this innovative educational program that brings agriculture and schools together, teaching students where their food comes from and the importance of agriculture to our state and country.

A native Arkansan, Dr. Charles Looney spent much of his career working in the cattle reproduction industry outside the state. He recently took advantage of an opportunity to return to Arkansas to fill an animal science position at the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture’s Southwest Research and Extension Center. Artificial Insemination, or A.I., has revolutionized cattle breeding, but i...

Earl Pepper, who turns 75 later this year, can't recall a time when he wasn't around horses. Raised in Alabama, he now lives near DeQueen, where he tends cattle on horseback. He formerly chaired Arkansas Farm Bureau’s equine division and was responsible for the equine program for the Arkansas Department of Corrections. Pepper has a love and respect for horses and, in this edition of Arkansas Agcas...

Many public schools are realizing the importance of teaching students about how food is grown and have established gardens on campuses. Three years ago Sheridan Intermediate School partnered with the Grant County Cooperative Extension Service and other organizations to develop a garden. This week students harvested sweet potatoes they planted last spring, just in time for the holidays. October is...

The 2014 Farm Bill expires September 30, meaning the deadline for Congress to approve a new Farm Bill is this Sunday. Farmers and ranchers need the certainty and protection the new Farm Bill will provide and a House-Senate Conference Committee has been meeting for weeks to reach a compromise, but so far no agreement has been struck. In this edition of Arkansas Agcast, Matt King, director of Public...

Luke and Deedee Alston are participating in the "farm-to-school" movement in Arkansas by providing fresh vegetables and produce from their Holly Springs Homestead farm to the University of Arkansas Rich Mountain Community College in Mena. The Alstons are both alumni of the school and the produce they supply is used at the Mountain Range Grill restaurant on campus. In this edition of Arkansas Agcas...

The town of Gurdon sits near the heart of timber country in southwest Arkansas, and there's a growing need for logging industry labor in the area. That's why Gurdon Public Schools invested in two timber harvesting simulators to help train students for future jobs in the forestry business.

Wild or feral hogs have been reported in all 75 counties in Arkansas, carrying disease and causing extensive damage to property. It’s an old problem in need of new solutions, because control and eradication is an expensive and time-intensive process. Darwin Hendrix of Pike County is a member of the state feral hog eradication task force and he’s been trapping feral hogs for 10 years with some succ...

Terry Pollard of Piggott farms some corn and soybeans, but 1,260 of his 2,200 acres are planted in cotton this year. We visited with Terry on his farm to learn more about raising cotton from planting to harvest.

John Kirkpatrick and his daughter Cindy were on hand for the 42nd annual Hope Watermelon Festival this month, selling melons grown on their farm at Willisville. Growing and selling watermelons is a family tradition that has lasted decades and the father-daughter team share their memories.

Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson conducted a two-day farm tour across south Arkansas recently and the first stop was Ricky Fawcett’s poultry farm at Winslow in Little River County. During a question and answer session, the governor responded to the concerns of poultry farmers in that part of the state. Among those in attendance was District 4 State Representative DeAnn Vaught. Vaught offers her assess...

In this edition of Arkansas AgCast, Brandy Carroll, director of Commodity Activities and Market Information for Arkansas Farm Bureau, discusses upcoming sign-up dates and other critical information Arkansas cotton farmers will want to know.

In our latest Arkansas AgCast, Matt King, Arkansas Farm Bureau director of Public Affairs and Government Relations, discusses the organization’s response to the Trump administration's $12 billion emergency relief package plan for farmers and ranchers impacted by the ongoing trade battles with China and other countries. King says the aid comes at a time when U.S. producers are losing market share a...

The Bradley County 4-H Forestry Team has won the past two national forestry championships, but this year a team from Calhoun County will represent Arkansas and attempt to win the state’s third national title in a row. Jaret Rushing, staff chair for the county Cooperative Extension Service, is coaching the four-man team whose members all attend Hampton High School. In this edition of Arkansas AgCas...