Arkansas AgCast

The 92nd Session of theArkansas General Assembly concluded recently and State Representatives Lane Jean and David Fielding were recognized by the Columbia County Farm Bureau at an appreciation dinner. In this edition of Arkansas Agcast, representatives Jean and Fielding discuss some of the legislation that was passed that will benefit agriculture and their rural constituents.

Arkansas Agcast visited with Janeal Yancy, a meat scientist with the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture, who leads the "Moms on the Farm" program. She takes groups of mothers on farm tours to learn firsthand how food is produced and how it gets from farm to table.

A new Arkansas FFA Officer Team has been elected and installed to lead the organization for the next year. Anna Mathis of Valley Springs in Boone County was elected president during the recent annual convention in Hot Springs. In this edition of Arkansas Agcast, she shares her feelings about receiving the support of FFA student delegates across the state and her goals for the organization going forward.

Pigweed problems led to the use of cover crops and no-till farming techniques on Adam and Seth Chappell’s family farm near Cotton Plant. Hear about their experimentation with these techniques and the success they've had since beginning.

When it comes to cotton in Arkansas, few people know more than Bill Robertson, cotton extension agronomist for the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture Cooperative Extension Service. As spring planting season begins, Robertson spoke to us about last year's season and what farmers need to know to get the most out of their 2019 crop.

A new online pilot program known as CropCheck is being offered in partnership between FieldWatch and the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture. In this edition of Arkansas Agcast Victor Ford, Interim Associate Director for Agriculture and Natural Resources with the Division of Agriculture, explains FieldWatch and describes how the CropCheck program could help farmers prevent damage to their neighbor’s crops caused by pesticide application.

Arkansas Women in Agriculture recently held its annual conference. We caught up with to group's president, Monica Paskewitz, who explained the reason behind the group's creation, its growth and success and why more of Arkansas's farming and ranching women should get involved.

Clyde Fenton is a program associate working for the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture in Food Systems and Food Safety. He brings 30 years experience as a fruit and vegetable grower to the job, taking part in the university's efforts to certify produce farmers as part of the requirements that came from the 2011 Food Safety Improvement Act. He took time during a recent workshop with farmers to describe the law and the certification process with Arkansas AgCast.

On Tuesday, March 12, more than 100 Arkansas Farm Bureau member farmers and ranchers visited the Arkansas State Capitol to share their concerns with legislators and to attend the signing of proclamations declaring March 10-16 as Arkansas Agriculture Week and March 12 as Farmers' Day. Hear from some of those who attended in this edition of Arkansas AgCast.

Livestock farmers Cody Hopkins and Andrea Todt are part of a co-op that sells meat directly to consumers online. They utilize blockchain technology that allows customers to know how their meat was raised, what it was fed, who raised it and more. In this edition of Arkansas AgCast, Hopkins describes the value of block chain technology to his operation and for consumers.