Arkansas AgCast

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 in this edition of Arkansas Agcast, Dr. Looney says the technology is being under-utilized. He says he intends to meet with Arkansas cattlemen through a series of workshops and educate them on how to use A.I., which he believes will help them raise higher quality cattle and become more profitable.

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 Agcast, he shares his story and explains why he believes horses are an important part of our culture and heritage.

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 Farm to School Month and in this edition of Arkansas Agcast, Extension Service staff chair Brad McGinley and his wife Serena, a science teacher at the school, discuss how they are using the garden to grow produce for the school cafeteria and its importance to students and the community.

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 Affairs and Government Relations for Arkansas Farm Bureau explains what happens if an agreement is not reached by Oct. 1.

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 Agcast, the Alstons and Student Union Manager Jason Wood discuss this partnership and future plans for expansion.

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 success. In this edition of Arkansas Agcast, he discusses his efforts to deal with the destructive hogs and what will be necessary to successfully address this costly problem at the state level.

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.