Arkansas Farm Bureau Podcast

This week, we talk to the new, interim director of the Rice Research and Extension Center in Stuttgart, and we learn about new funding for research on improving management of crop burns. We also hear from University of Arkansas Professor Steven Ricke, who was recently honored for his work on poultry broilers and food safety and we get details on the Double Your Dollar farmers market program in Northwest Arkansas.

This week, we get an update on cotton from Extension Cotton Agronomist Bill Robertson; we learn about the latest research on blackberries, peaches and grapes; and we talk to Scott Bray from the State Plant Board about the mysterious seed packages some people have been receiving in the mail. We also hear from Dr. Nathan Slaton of the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station about the cancellation of the popular Arkansas Rice Expo event in Stuttgart.

This week, we learn about a major donation by the Anheuser-Busch Foundation to support the Arkansas Discovery Farms Project and we get the latest on the federal Paycheck Protection Program. We also talk to Altus Mayor Veronica Post about the cancellation of three agriculture-related festivals her community due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

This week, we talk about a new multi-million dollar infrastructure project at the Little Rock Port, learn the importance of written legal documents when leasing farmland, and hear the latest on LeadAR, the two-year leadership development program of the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture Cooperative Extension Service.

This week, we learn what the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak will mean for the 2020 Arkansas State Fair and we talk to a University of Arkansas professor about a recent grant to support technology research that could help the poultry industry. We also learn all about the Arkansas Youth Expo.

This week, we talk about the impact of the pandemic on Arkansas’s 4-H programs, and we get to know Dr. Bob Scott, the new director of the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture Cooperative Extension Service. We also hear from the man whose shoes he will have to fill, Dr. Rick Cartwright, who retired at the end of June. We also talk to horticulture research professor Elena Garcia about her recent retirement.

This week, we talk about Discovery Farms in Arkansas and dive into the issues facing the dairy industry. We also talk about China’s troubling reaction to COVID-19 infections at a Springdale poultry plant and learn about a deadly new virus strain in wild rabbits.

This week, we have an in-depth conversation with Arkansas Farm Bureau experts about efforts to establish a state meat inspection program in Arkansas and we chat with Cooperative Extension Service entomologists about summer insect pests Arkansas farmers will be facing.

This week, we are joined by Lou Jamison, owner of Jamison Orchard in Nashville, who tells us about her family’s peach orchard and how the COVID-19 outbreak has affected their business. We also talk to our own Brandy Carroll to get the facts on the recent 9th Circuit court ruling on dicamba and we chat with Michael Sparks of the new Arkansas Chapter of the Farmer Veteran Coalition and Karin Endy of the Northwest Arkansas Food Systems Program.

This week, we are joined by Yell County Judge Mark Thone, who tells us about the ongoing work to restore river levees in his area. We also chat with Luke Lewis and JP Fairhead about feral hog eradication efforts and with Diana Endicott, executive director of The Food Conservancy in Springdale.

This week, we are joined by Arkansas Farm Bureau’s Chief Economist Travis Justice for a deep look at the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak on the agricultural economy in Arkansas. We follow that with a discussion with Dr. Victor Ford, vice president for agriculture and natural resources for the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture, about the long-term impacts of the outbreak on production agriculture.

This week, we talk to poultry grower and Arkansas Farm Bureau Board Secretary/Treasurer Dan Wright about challenges for the poultry industry caused by the COVID-19 outbreak. We also talk to Jamie Anderson of I.F. Anderson Farms, the nation’s largest producer of baitfish, about what a recent increase in recreational fishing has meant for his operation. Finally, we speak to Arkansas Farm Bureau Public Affairs & Government Relations Director Matt King about the latest on the CARES Act and the creation of the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program.

This week, we talk cotton crop news with Bill Robertson, cotton agronomist with the University of Arkansas, and we learn more about the poultry industry’s COVID-19 problems from Arkansas Farm Bureau’s Bruce Tencleve. We also hear about a major food drive being led by the Arkansas Extension Homemakers Council.

This week, we go in-depth on some critical issues facing agriculture in the wake of Covid-19. We talk with David Newman, president of the National Pork Board and Arkansas State University animal science professor, about troubles facing the pork industry, and we hear from the University of Arkansas National Ag Law Center Director Harrison Pittman about the President’s recent executive order designed to keep meat packing plants operating. We also hear from Arkansas Farm Bureau’s Travis Justice about the ongoing supply chain and processing issues hitting livestock and poultry growers.

This week, we talk to Farm Bureau’s Jason Smedley about levee restoration priorities and coordination of levee management in Arkansas. We also talk with Rusty Rumley of the National Agricultural Law Center in Fayetteville about issued related to the COVID-19 outbreak and we hear from State Representative Jeff Wardlaw about challenges facing produce growers and this year’s Arkansas tomato crop.

This week, we talk to Jara Settles of the Livestock Marketing Association in Kansas City about the importance of livestock auctions and we hear from Julia Fryer of the Cooperative Extension Service about produce safety. We also learn about a new website for local businesses and nonprofits called UpliftArkansas.

This week, we talk to Dr. Matthew Pelkki, an economist and professor at the University of Arkansas at Monticello, about the impact of the COVID-19 crisis on the timber industry. We also get an update from Arkansas Farm Bureau’s Jason Smedley on the new Farm Corps program that connects job-seeking National Guard and Reserve soldiers and other military veterans to jobs in agriculture. And we hear from Arkansas Farm Bureau’s specialty crops expert John McMinn about issues facing that sector of agriculture.

This week, we talk to Dr. Amanda Perez, a professor and Food Safety Specialist with the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture about how produce and specialty crop farmers are adjusting their businesses during the COVID-19 crisis, and we catch up with UA Division of Agriculture Wheat and Feed Grains agronomist Jason Kelley to discuss how rainfall has delayed this year’s corn crop planting and the impact Covid-19 concerns are having on crop farmers. And we also hear from John Gavin, staff chair of the Bradley County Cooperative Extension Service about tomato production in southeast Arkansas.

The second half of our extended interview with John Anderson, chair of Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness at the University of Arkansas Bumpers College, who explains the challenges facing the livestock market during this coronavirus crisis, as well as the impact of labor challenges and other key issues in agriculture.

This week, we talk to John Crangle, FFA advisor and vo-ag instructor at Bismarck High School in Hot Spring County, about adapting to at-home, online instruction and Jay and Valorie Lee of JV Farms near Bismarck about the adjustments their making to their direct-to-consumer sales operation. We also catch up with Randy Arnold, a strawberry grower near Alma who is facing uncertainty because his business relies heavily on providing produce to schools and a u-pick operation. Finally, we have part one of a special interview with John Anderson, chair of Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness at the University of Arkansas Bumpers College, who explains the challenges facing the livestock market during this crisis.