Arkansas AgCast

On this week’s edition, we have some interesting and in-depth interviews about critical issues in Arkansas agriculture, including news from the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff's agriculture program, the latest on efforts to combat feral hogs and a conversation with Arkansas’s 4th District Congressman Bruce Westerman.

In this week's Arkansas AgCast, we interview experts on pasture maintenance and spraying and talk about potential dangers in livestock drinking water. We also talk to Arkansas Farm Bureau Chief Economist Travis Justice about the cattle market and the fallout from a major beef processing plant fire.

On this week's Arkansas AgCast, we visit a large animal vet in Morrilton and talk with UA Extension Horticulture Specialist Amanda McWhirt about the possibility of growing hops in Arkansas to support the state's burgeoning craft beer industry.

This week’s AgCast focuses on soybeans. Arkansas soybean growers have faced a lot of challenges in 2019, from weather to trade wars, so we talked to some experts to see where things stand as we enter harvest season. First up, Keith Sutton talks to Derek Haigwood, a soybean farmer from Newport who is chairman of the U.S. Soybean Export Council and member of the United Soybean Board of Directors. Derek talks about the troubled season and the importance of the U.S. Soybean Sustainability Assurance Protocol, or SSAP. Also, Ken Moore speaks with Dr. Jeremy Ross, Extension Soybean Agronomist, about the latest USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service acreage report and the implications of a smaller crop.

President Donald Trump recently authorized a second round of Market Facilitation Program payments to farmers and ranchers to offset economic losses due to the ongoing trade dispute with China and loss of that important market. In this edition of Arkansas Agcast, Matt King, Director of National Affairs for Arkansas Farm Bureau, encourages producers to sign up for the payments before the deadline in December and explains why exporting our agricultural products is necessary to maintain a viable ag economy.

Solar arrays are beginning to become more visible on farms and ranches across Arkansas, especially on crop farms in the Delta as farmers are realizing the cost savings and benefits of solar energy. One of the leading firms helping farmers make the switch is Seal Solar, headquartered in North Little Rock. In this edition of Arkansas Agcast, Seal Solar co-founders Josh Davenport and Heather Nelson, explain how solar arrays are efficient and cost-effective power generating systems that may one day become commonplace on many agricultural operations.

Taylor Wiseman of Fayetteville, a graduate assistant majoring in agriculture economics at the University of Arkansas, won the Young Farmers & Ranchers Discussion Meet at this year's Arkansas Farm Bureau Officers & Leaders Conference. Hear what she had to say after the competition.

Conway County pecan grower Robert "Crash" Carruthers talks about the impact of the ongoing trade and tariff war with China on pecans, how weather affects pecan nut development, the increasing acreage of pecan groves in Conway County, and more.

The August Congressional recess has begun and First District Congressman Rick Crawford kicked off his annual farm tour by participating in a roundtable discussion of issues affecting the 2019 farm economy with farmers and ranchers in Lonoke. In this edition of Arkansas Agcast, Crawford shares his thoughts on the tariff war with China, how African Swine Fever in China is impacting the need for U.S. soybeans and why Arkansas farmers may need to “diversify their ag portfolio."

We spoke to Matt HIll, fire chief for Dierks in Howard County, about flooding from Tropical Storm Barry in the southwest part of the state. HIll said the area received more than 17 inches of rain and he described the impact on local rachers and farmers and the timber business in the county.