FAYETTEVILLE—A unique chicken breed is helping researchers better understand vitiligo, an autoimmune disease that affects 1-2 percent of the world’s population. more

FAYETTEVILLE — While surges in colds, flu and even COVID may come and go, agricultural producers are always on the lookout for avian influenza — and not just in poultry flocks. In 2024, highly pathogenic avian influenza has been detected not only in birds, but cattle, swine and humans as well. more

The Boone County Cattlemen’s Association held its August meeting on the 8 at the John Paul Hammerschmidt Center on the campus of North Arkansas College. The meeting was sponsored by Powell Feed & Milling in Harrison. BCCA President John Muncy opened the meeting and welcomed members and guests. He then recognized August birthdays and anniversaries. Muncy led in the Pledge of Allegiance, and Dale Crunkleton offered a blessing for the meal. We were served a meal of beef brisket, roll, cowboy beans, fried okra, cookies, and water. more

FAYETTEVILLE — With U.S. organic food sales topping $63 billion last year, the Center for Arkansas Farms and Food wants to help Arkansas farmers grab a larger share of that market. more

RUSSELLVILLE—Arkansas Tech University marked the beginning of a new construction project that will support its oldest academic program when it broke ground on the Farm Credit Agriculture Building at the ATU Farm on Thursday, Aug. 15. more

FAYETTEVILLE — Veterans and other beginning farmers face numerous challenges getting into agriculture. Much goes into the development and management of any kind of agricultural business: from planning the business entity, to liability considerations, to marketing and running the operation. more

LITTLE ROCK — Arkansas agricultural extension economists have launched a new weekly podcast aimed at giving farmers an earful — in a good way. more

Sensational headlines are popping up across the country about the latest trending species introduced to the United States, the joro spider (Trichonephila clavata). Eye-catching articles highlight these spiders as being giant, venomous, and if that was not enough to pique America’s arachnophobic interests, they are also tagging these spiders as “flying.” However, in practice these sensationalized claims, just like the spiders themselves, do not have wings, and as with much of the news today, there is less to worry about than headlines suggest. more

FAYETTEVILLE—For Adam Chappell, cover crops and limited tillage practices have not only decreased irrigation, pesticide and synthetic fertilizer use but also improved soil quality and decreased water runoff. more

LITTLE ROCK—A positive case of Eastern Equine Encephalomyelitis (EEE) has been confirmed in Ouachita County. more

LITTLE ROCK—The Arkansas Department of Agriculture is pleased to announce that Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders has officially proclaimed August as Catfish Month in Arkansas. This proclamation celebrates the significant contributions of Arkansas's catfish industry to the state's economy and highlights the importance of catfish farming within our agricultural sector. more

FAYETTEVILLE—Ryan Dickson, an assistant professor of horticulture for the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station, has been developing research since 2018 on growing blackberries indoors and recently secured a nearly $750,000 grant to further that work over the next four years. more

LITTLE ROCK—The Arkansas Department of Agriculture has been granted a Section 18 Exemption for the use of Intrepid 2F Insecticide. The emergency request was submitted for use against fall armyworms in rice. more

FAYETTEVILLE—A high-energy diet that includes higher amounts of dry soybean hulls was the most economical choice for Arkansas beef producers who want to “finish,” or bring their weaned cattle up to market weight, on the farm. more

WASHINGTON—Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced that USDA is awarding a record-breaking $14.3 million in Patrick Leahy Farm to School Grants to 154 projects in 43 states, the District of Columbia, Guam and Puerto Rico. These investments will help 1.9 million children eat more tasty, nutritious foods in school, while supporting farmers and producers in their local and regional communities. more

LITTLE ROCK —Beryl, which existed as everything from an Atlantic hurricane to a tropical depression, brought high winds and rainfall to large swaths of Arkansas this week, but left the vast majority of the state’s row crops intact. more

LITTLE ROCK — Effects of the U.S. Supreme Court’s “Chevron deference” decision on agriculture and environmental law — such as the definition of Waters of the United States — may take years to play out, said Brigit Rollins, staff attorney with the National Agricultural Law Center. more

The Boone County Cattlemen’s Association met on Thursday, June 13, 2024, at the John Paul Hammerschmidt Center on the campus of North Arkansas College.  This month’s meeting was sponsored by Ozark Trailer Manufacturing and Sales.  BCCA President John Muncy opened the meeting and led the Pledge of Allegiance; he then welcomed everyone and recognized birthdays and anniversaries.  Dale Crunkelton offered a blessing for the meal.  We were served a meal of beef burnt ends, baked beans, potato salad, cookies, and beverages.  more

Untreated water used by a Florida cucumber grower is one likely source of salmonella food poisoning that sickened nearly 450 people across the U.S. this spring, federal health officials said Tuesday. more

ROGERS — Arkansas 4-H members tested their grilling skills at the Arkansas 4-H State Barbecue Cook-Off, held June 21-22 in Rogers at the 64th Annual Poultry Festival. Sarah Lamb, 18, was the first-place chicken barbecue winner, and Laney Slate, 18, was the first-place turkey barbecue winner. more