Cooperative Extension to co-host pecan tour May 18

By Ryan McGeeney
U of A System Division of Agriculture 

SCOTT, Ark. — With only about 7,000 acres of pecans grown across Arkansas, it may not be the state’s most abundant crop — but for those in the know, it’s certainly one of the most beloved.

CHOCK FULLA — The Cooperative Extension Service, along with the Arkansas Pecan Growers Association, will co-host the Arkansas Pecan Growers Summer Farm Tour on May 18. The tour will meet at Bruhl Farm, located at 374 Stewart Rd. in Scott, Arkansas. The tour will feature four pecan orchards. (Division of Agriculture photo.)

The Cooperative Extension Service, along with the Arkansas Pecan Growers Association, will co-host the Arkansas Pecan Growers Summer Farm Tour on May 18. The tour will meet at Bruhl Farm, located at 374 Stewart Rd. in Scott, Arkansas. The tour will feature four pecan orchards.

The Cooperative Extension Service is the outreach and education arm of the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture.

Jackie Lee, resident director of the Division of Agriculture’s Fruit Research Station in Clarksville, said the tour will offer growers an avenue for informal education and activity.

“This field tour will give pecan growers the opportunity to network and learn from other growers’ experiences,” Lee said. “We will talk about problems and successes at each orchard. We also have some great prizes to give away!”

The tour will begin at 8:30 a.m., concluding at 1:15 p.m. The day’s schedule includes:

8:30-9:00 a.m. - Registration
9:00-9:15 a.m. - Welcome, Jackie Lee, Arkansas Pegan Growers Association president
9:15-9:45 a.m. - Farm Introduction/Tour, John Bruhl and Billy Jeter
9:45-10:15 a.m. - Grafting Demo, Sherri Sanders, Division of Agriculture
10:15-10:30 a.m. - Travel to Sissy Roy’s farm, 9605 Hwy 161 South, Scott
10:30-10:45 a.m. - Farm Introduction/Tour, Sissy Roy
10:45-11:00 a.m. - Pecan Leaf Tissue Sampling, Dr. Amanda McWhirt, Division of Agriculture
11:00-11:15 a.m. - Travel to Greg Rusher’s farm, 10979 Hwy 161 South, Scott
11:15-11:45 a.m. - Farm Introduction/Tour, Greg Rusher
11:45 a.m. -12:15 p.m. – Tri-County Program- IPM and Irrigation Sherri and Kyle Sanders, Division of Agriculture
12:15-1:15 p.m. - Lunch at Rusher Farm

The tour costs $20 to attend for members, $35 for non-members. Payment should be mailed on or before May 13 to Jackie Lee, 1749 State Hwy 818, Clarksville, AR 72830, and include attendees’ name, address, email address and phone number. Please indicate if you would like to be included on the association’s ListServ as well, and enclose the appropriate payment:

$20 for member to attend farm tour (Membership expires each June)
$35 for non-member to attend farm tour
$50 for new membership or renewal only
$70 for farm tour and membership renewal/new membership

Payment may also be made in person at the tour on May 18.

Interested individuals can register for the tour through the mail or by emailing Lee at jalee@uada.edu on or before May 13. Lee can also provide information about joining the association.

Specific questions about the tour can be emailed to jalee@uada.edu or john.a.bruhl@gmail.com.

To learn about extension programs in Arkansas, contact your local Cooperative Extension Service agent or visit www.uaex.uada.edu. Follow us on X and Instagram at @AR_Extension. To learn more about Division of Agriculture research, visit the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station website: https://aaes.uada.edu/. Follow on X at @ArkAgResearch. To learn more about the Division of Agriculture, visit https://uada.edu/. Follow us on X at @AgInArk.

Arkansas net farm income decline projected to continue in 2024

LITTLE ROCK — Arkansas’ 2024 net farm income is expected to fall $0.5 billion from 2023 levels, according to a report Tuesday from the Rural & Farm Finance Policy Analysis Center.

WIN SOME, LOSE SOME — Arkansas’ 2024 net farm income is expected to fall $0.5 billion from 2023 levels, according to a report Tuesday from the Rural & Farm Finance Policy Analysis Center. (Chart courtesy University of Missouri.)

The “Spring 2024 Arkansas Farm Income Report” has two Arkansas authors, Hunter Biram and Ryan Loy, both extension economists for the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture. Additional authors are John Kruse, of World Agricultural Economic and Environmental Services, LLC; and TaylorAnn Washburn of the University of Missouri.

The report said that the state’s projected 15 percent drop in net farm income is smaller than the forecasted 25.5 percent decrease in U.S. net farm income for 2024.

“After record-setting farm income in 2022, Arkansas saw a backpedal in 2023 that is projected to extend into 2024 with another $0.5 billion decline in net farm income,” the report said.

“The No. 1 thing driving the drop of income is lower prices for crops across the board,” Biram said, thanks to abundant harvests of soybeans and corn in Brazil and United States in 2023.

“We have a lot of stocks on hand across most commodities right now which is driving a lot of that drop in crop receipts," he said.

The report said crop receipts are estimated to decline by $0.5 billion as many crop and livestock prices are projected to move lower in 2024.

Biram said the model used in this analysis “is expecting one or two cuts in the interest rate this year, resulting in lower interest expense. Fuel and fertilizer expenses are expected to fall too.”

However, “lower crop expenses and lower crop prices kind of cancel each other out.”

Pumped by emergency payments

Extension economist Hunter Biram was among the authors of the April 2, 2024, farm income report. (U of A System Division of Agriculture photo by Mary Hightower)

“What made 2022 farm income relatively high was all the government payments from emergency relief programs,” Biram said. 

PLC, or Price Loss Coverage, is trigged when marketing year average price of a covered commodity is less than the respective effective reference price.

Biram said that while the data for the analysis is projecting long grain rice to fall below the $14 reference price, “one strong caveat is that this model is stochastic which means is that there are many difference prices that are projected and an average is taken across those prices.

"While there is a low chance of the long grain reference prices falling below $14 per hundredweight, there’s a much higher chance that the average price will be above the reference price and not trigger PLC payments," he said.

Biram is also expecting there to be little chance for ARC –- Agriculture risk program –- payments. 

On the plus side, the report said that “production expenses are projected to offer some relief with a nearly $0.6 billion decline as feed and fertilizer move lower. Although net farm income has declined from record levels, estimated 2024 levels are still higher compared to 2021.”

Livestock sector

Livestock receipts are expected to decline $0.4 billion in 2024 on lower prices for broilers, turkeys and eggs.

Cattle and calves receipts are expected to decline only slightly in 2024, as higher prices help offset lower supplies. Continued projected higher prices in 2025 and 2026 will drive cash receipts higher.

Partnership

The Rural and Farm Finance Policy Analysis Center at the University of Missouri was launched in March 2022. RaFF is closely aligned with the Food and Agricultural Policy Research Institute at the University of Missouri. The center works in partnership with other states to provide objective policy analysis and inform decision-makers on issues affecting farm and rural finances. The center produces farm income projections for states and regions that are consistent with each other. Cooperation with participating states brings local expertise to enhance model design and estimates.

To learn about extension programs in Arkansas, contact your local Cooperative Extension Service agent or visit www.uaex.uada.edu. Follow us on X and Instagram at @AR_Extension. To learn more about Division of Agriculture research, visit the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station website: https://aaes.uada.edu. Follow on X at @ArkAgResearch. To learn more about the Division of Agriculture, visit https://uada.edu/. Follow us on X at @AgInArk.

Geospatial AI provides new avenue for forest health research

By Nick Kordsmeier
U of A System Division of Agriculture 

MONTICELLO, Ark. — While an emerging fungal disease continues to chip away at the forestry industry in the southern United States, remote sensing researcher Hamdi Zurqani is developing artificial intelligence models to seek answers from the skies.

UNMANNED AIRCRAFT — Hamdi Zurqani, remote sensing researcher and assistant professor for the College of Forestry, Agriculture and Natural Resources at University of Arkansas at Monticello, inspects a drone outfitted with a LiDAR, or light detection and ranging, system. (U of A System photo courtesy of Zurqani.)

“My job is to identify different stages of mortality,” said Zurqani, assistant professor for the College of Forestry, Agriculture and Natural Resources at the University of Arkansas at Monticello. Using aerial imagery obtained from drones, Zurqani said he is developing tools that give landowners and other stakeholders the information they need to manage this growing threat to the forestry industry.

By applying geospatial artificial intelligence techniques, Zurqani said he can assess how many trees have been affected by the disease. “How many trees have already died? How many trees may be in the early stage that are going to get worse? How many trees are still green?” he said.

Since summer 2022, foresters and researchers have been fielding calls about pine decline in Arkansas. Pine decline is a convergence of environmental and genetic issues that cause tree health problems in pine forests. Results from diagnostic tests in July 2023 confirmed that a fungal disease called brown spot needle blight is at least partially to blame.

“It's kind of nipping away at pine forests,” said Michael Blazier, director of the Arkansas Forest Resources Center and dean of the College of Forestry, Agriculture and Natural Resources. “Although there are pockets of dying trees within affected forests, a bigger issue could be slower growth of infected forests.”

Blazier said that when trees lose their foliage, as often happens with the needle blight disease, they have less energy to invest in growing their trunk diameter. Less trunk growth means less wood production and delayed harvest.

DETECTED — Aerial imagery of pine forests from remote sensing researcher Hamdi Zurqani are used in an AI model under development. The top photo shows a section of pine trees in southeast Arkansas impacted by disease. The bottom graphic shows part of the output from the AI detection approach, which shows living trees in green and dead trees in brown. Red boxes have been added to show corresponding dead spots. (U of A System photo courtesy of Zurqani.)

Understanding the how and why of brown spot needle blight remains the primary focus for researchers in Arkansas and the wider region, Blazier said. That’s where Zurqani’s work comes in.

“If we were able to identify the early stages of the disease, we can somehow get a clue about what’s going to happen in the future,” Zurqani said.

In Arkansas, Blazier said the fight against pine decline has been highly collaborative. The Forestry Division of the Arkansas Department of Agriculture and the Arkansas Forestry Association have been working closely with the Arkansas Forest Resources Center, which conducts research and extension activities through the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station and the Cooperative Extension Service, the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture’s research and outreach arms.

“We have a tight working relationship between all of those agencies,” Blazier said. “There’s been excellent communication between the university, extension service, forestry association and the state’s forestry division.”

Regional challenge

In August 2023, Blazier attended a meeting at Auburn University to discuss the needle blight phenomenon with researchers and industry stakeholders from across the southern U.S.

According to information from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Forest Service, brown spot needle blight has been confirmed in nine states, including Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Tennessee and Texas. Severe damage, however, has so far been limited to Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana and Mississippi.

The meeting was organized by Lori Eckhardt, professor and director of Auburn University’s Forest Health Cooperative.

“I organized this meeting to bring together industry, government, academia and private landowners to create a space in which attendees can discuss questions, brainstorm ideas, identify problems and make decisions and develop solutions pertaining to brown spot needle blight,” Eckhardt said.

“Collaboration is important between the researchers and the landowners,” she said. “The day-to-day managers in the field can share knowledge that assists us as researchers in asking good questions to design studies that better help us understand and manage the disease. Working together will help us find answers sooner.”

Collaboration leads to clues

Blazier said the Auburn meeting provided an opportunity for participants to share what actions each affected state is taking on the research side to understand what’s causing the problem.

“One of the things that was shared at the Auburn meeting was some anecdotal evidence from the forest industry showing that there may be a soil nutrient facet to this,” Blazier said. “And that's actually something that we are looking into further within the Arkansas Forest Resources Center.”

Researchers have been collecting samples this winter from stands of trees affected by pine decline and analyzing nutrient levels. If a nutrient deficiency is found to contribute to pine decline, Blazier said that targeted soil fertilization might be a way to fight the disease.

“And that would actually give us another tool,” he said.

Looking to the future

As the winter dormant season ends and the life cycles of fungal diseases pick up again, Blazier said that testing for pine decline will continue next month.

“We’re going to resume testing on a monthly basis as a group in February, and we’ll continue that all the way through the growing season,” he said. That information will continue to feed into Zurqani’s research efforts using geospatial AI.

Blazier sees hope for spatial analysis and machine learning tools to help researchers identify patterns in the data and get to the bottom of pine decline.

“We're really optimistic,” he said.

To learn more about Division of Agriculture research, visit the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station website: https://aaes.uada.edu/. Follow us on Twitter at @ArkAgResearch. To learn about extension programs in Arkansas, contact your local Cooperative Extension Service agent or visit www.uaex.uada.edu. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram at @AR_Extension. To learn more about the Division of Agriculture, visit https://uada.edu/. Follow us on Twitter at @AgInArk.

Cooperative Extension Service’s Best Care program offers professional development for Arkansas childcare providers

By Rebekah Hall
U of A System Division of Agriculture

LITTLE ROCK — For Arkansas childcare professionals seeking continuing education hours, the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture’s Best Care program will provide 28 in-person professional development training sessions throughout the state in 2024.

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT — Each year, the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture provides professional development for thousands of Arkansas childcare professionals. (Division of Agriculture file photo.) 

“The first five years of life is a period of rapid and intense development,” said Rebecca Simon, extension program associate for Early Childhood and Family Life for the Division of Agriculture. “Research has found that during this time, children build critical foundational skills that profoundly influence their later health, ability to learn, social relationships and overall success. High-quality early childhood environments are critical to supporting child development and learning. Our programs offer research-based, unbiased curriculum for childcare providers using three different delivery methods.”

Best Care is offered free statewide through the Cooperative Extension Service, the outreach arm of the Division of Agriculture, in partnership with the Arkansas Division of Child Care and Early Childhood Education. The program began in 1997 as a pilot program and has been funded by the Arkansas DCCECE since 1999. The program also receives funding from the Arkansas Department of Education’s Arkansas Better Chance program.

Arkansas childcare providers are required to earn at least 15 hours of professional development each year to “enhance the quality of care for children birth to age 9,” Simon said. To help meet this need, extension offers four grant-funded childcare training programs: Best Care, Best Care Connected, Guiding Children Successfully and Best Care Out of School Time.

In 2023, extension Family and Consumer Sciences agents provided 10 hours of Best Care professional development to 1,989 participants through 27 in-person trainings offered statewide. Through Best Care Connected, which is an online program that offers five hours of professional development, agents reached 1,384 participants.

Guiding Children Successfully, an online or self-paced correspondence program, offers 38 hours of continuing education for parents, foster parents and childcare educators. In 2023, 1,482 participants earned more than 10,000 training hours.

The Division of Agriculture also offers five hours of professional development through Best Care Out of School Time, an online program, to better meet the needs of childcare providers who work with school-aged children in after-school, summer and camp settings. In 2023, this program reached 3,380 participants.

Simon said that through providing these trainings, county Family and Consumer Sciences agents connect with their communities and become trusted resources.

“County Family and Consumer Sciences agents are instrumental in the continuing education of the childcare professionals in their communities to ensure that children are receiving quality care,” Simon said. “Agents often say that because of providing training to these professionals, they are better able to create positive connections within their communities and are asked to provide additional programming in child development, nutrition and health.”

Katie Cullum, White County Family and Consumer Sciences agent for the Division of Agriculture, said more than 90 childcare providers attended Best Care training in White County in 2023.

“I think our providers like Best Care because we are local, they can get 10 hours in one day, and the material is great,” Cullum said. “We have many providers who come back year after year. I've had multiple people call or email to ask, ‘When is the next training?’ so that they can get signed up. Each year is different, and they learn about a variety of topics that will help them as providers, whether they are new or experienced.”

Simon shared a comment from a Best Care participant following a training on observation skills in early childhood: “This section really dove deep into teaching us how to observe and take notes on our students,” the participant said. “I personally like those different methods of observation that were presented. I shared those methods with my staff so that they can start using some of the different methods during observation periods.”

Another participant shared that after completing a training focused on creating active classrooms, “I have implemented a creative active classroom by adding more activities for learning and growing that are fun and exciting. Creating active classrooms is very important to keeping children healthy and happy.”

In 2024, Simon said Best Care will cover topics including Saying No to Time Wasters, Stress Management, Eating with Ease, Breastfeeding Information in the Early Childhood Setting, Fun Ways to Teach Math, Family Wellbeing and more.

Anyone interested in Best Care training should contact their local Family and Consumer Science agent at uaex.uada.edu/counties/ for information about upcoming training in their area. More information about Early Childhood Professional Development opportunities in Arkansas can also be found at uaex.uada.edu/life-skills-wellness/child-care-providers/.

To learn about extension programs in Arkansas, contact your local Cooperative Extension Service agent or visit www.uaex.uada.edu. Follow us on X and Instagram at @AR_Extension. To learn more about Division of Agriculture research, visit the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station website: https://aaes.uada.edu. Follow on X at @ArkAgResearch. To learn more about the Division of Agriculture, visit https://uada.edu/. Follow us on X at @AgInArk. 

Cooperative Extension Service to offer four produce safety grower trainings in 2024

By Rebekah Hall
U of A System Division of Agriculture

LITTLE ROCK — For commercial growers, it’s critical to keep farms free of microbial contamination and reduce foodborne illness. To support Arkansas growers, the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture will offer four in-person and virtual produce safety trainings in 2024.

SAFE PRODUCE — To support Arkansas growers, the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture will offer four in-person and virtual produce safety trainings in 2024. The trainings will provide important information on worker health and hygiene, soil amendments, developing a farm food safety plan and more. (Division of Agriculture graphic.) 

The trainings will provide important information on worker health and hygiene, soil amendments, developing a farm food safety plan and more. Rip Weaver, extension program technician for food systems and food safety for the Division of Agriculture, said the Arkansas Produce Safety Team hopes to reach many growers throughout the state with these trainings.

“The Arkansas Produce Safety Team once again looks forward to offering a number of training opportunities for Arkansas produce growers on the Food Safety Modernization Act’s Produce Safety Rule in 2024,” Weaver said. “We aim to reach as many growers as possible by holding in-person and remote trainings throughout the year.”

Weaver said one of the in-person trainings will be in Monticello to serve the Eastern and Southeast Arkansas produce industry.

“This year, we will revisit Southeast Arkansas to conduct an in-person training at the University of Arkansas at Monticello campus in late April,” Weaver said. “Our next in-person training will be at extension’s Little Rock State Office in September. Two remote trainings in February and May will allow those unable to travel to still participate in these trainings.”

2024 Produce Safety Grower Training schedule:

• Feb. 28-29: Remote Zoom training, 8 a.m.-12:30 p.m. each day

• April 25: University of Arkansas at Monticello, 8 a.m.-5 p.m.

• May 29-30: Remote Zoom training, 8 a.m.-12:30 p.m. each day

• Sept. 26: Cooperative Extension Service Little Rock State Office, 8 a.m.-5 p.m.

Amanda Philyaw Perez, extension associate professor of food systems and food safety specialist for the Division of Agriculture, said the produce safety trainings are important opportunities for growers to brush up on updates and changes.

“Arkansas produce growers who have previously attended the training should consider completing a refresher every three years to learn about recent updates to the law, upcoming requirements for changes in practices, and to learn about updates to Good Agricultural Practices,” Perez said. “Many farms experienced employee turnover for their farm food safety officers and farm supervisors, and these new employees may need to receive a certification.”

Good Agricultural Practices, or GAP, are the basic environmental and operational conditions necessary to safely grow, harvest and pack fruits and vegetables.

The produce safety grower trainings, developed by the Produce Safety Alliance and presented by the Cooperative Extension Service’s Arkansas Produce Safety Team, teach growers about regulatory requirements of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Food Safety Modernization Act, or FSMA, Produce Safety Rule. FSMA is the first federally regulated standard for growing, harvesting, packing and holding fresh produce.

For more information, contact Weaver at rweaver@uada.edu or 501-671-2388.

To learn about extension programs in Arkansas, contact your local Cooperative Extension Service agent or visit www.uaex.uada.edu. Follow us on X and Instagram at @AR_Extension. To learn more about Division of Agriculture research, visit the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station website: https://aaes.uada.edu. Follow on X at @ArkAgResearch. To learn more about the Division of Agriculture, visit https://uada.edu/. Follow us on X at @AgInArk. 

Cooperative Extension Service offering two avian influenza webinars in December

LITTLE ROCK — As one of the nation’s leading poultry-producing states, Arkansas has a keen interest in reducing the spread of the Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza, often referred to as HPAI. To support that effort, the Cooperative Extension Service — the outreach and education arm of the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture — is hosting two HPAI webinar workshops in December.

STAYING SAFE — The Cooperative Extension Service is hosting two HPAI webinar workshops in December. (Division of Agriculture graphic.)

The first workshop, scheduled for Dec. 5, is for commercial industry producers. The second, scheduled for Dec. 12, is aimed at small and backyard hobby flock owners. Both webinars are scheduled for 6 p.m. (CDT).

Dustan Clark, extension poultry health veterinarian for the Division of Agriculture, will lead both webinars.

There is no charge to participate, but registration is required.

Register Now

As of Nov. 30, there are confirmed cases of the H5N1 avian influenza in 47 states, including Arkansas, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The most recent detection in Arkansas was Nov. 29, in a commercial broiler production flock in Carroll County.

To learn about extension programs in Arkansas, contact your local Cooperative Extension Service agent or visit www.uaex.uada.edu. Follow us on X and Instagram at @AR_Extension. To learn more about Division of Agriculture research, visit the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station website: https://aaes.uada.edu/. Follow on X at @ArkAgResearch. To learn more about the Division of Agriculture, visit https://uada.edu/. Follow us on X at @AgInArk.

Incoming cold front may raise the risk of wildfowl-borne avian influenza for backyard Arkansas poultry flocks

By Mary Hightower
U of A System Division of Agriculture

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — A change in the weather may intensify the fall migration of wildfowl and poultry flock owners will need to redouble their biosecurity efforts to stave off potential infections of a deadly type of bird flu, said Dustan Clark, extension poultry veterinarian for the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture.

Flock of backyard chickens getting an early start on a farm in western Arkansas. (U of A System Division of Agriculture image by John Lovett)

“Geese, ducks and other wildfowl are already making their way south along the Mississippi Flyway,” Clark said on Tuesday. “And we know that wildfowl play a role in moving avian influenza around the Western Hemisphere.”

At issue is highly pathogenic avian influenza, H5N1, which has beleaguered poultry owners since 2021, affecting millions of birds on five continents and last year, helped drive up egg prices. This fall, 10 states have had confirmed infections, with Oregon being the most recent, Clark said.

“We have a cold front coming in a few days and that will push migrating birds south,” he said. “We need to be prepared.”

Arkansas is located squarely in the Mississippi Flyway and the lakes and agricultural fields of the Delta a stopping point for millions of ducks, geese and other birds.

“Three of the states, Minnesota, South Dakota and Utah, have confirmed cases in turkey flocks,” Clark said. “The remaining seven states reported the highly pathogenic avian influenza infections only in backyard, hobby and small flocks.

“Because small flocks tend to be outdoors, there’s a higher risk of exposure to infected wild birds,” he said. “It’s important that our small flock, backyard flock and hobby flock owners be informed about disease recognition and prevention.”

Webinars for poultry owners

The Cooperative Extension Service is holding four webinars to help owners of backyard, hobby or small flocks to protect their poultry from avian influenza. (U of A System Division of Agriculture image)

Clark is offering four biosecurity webinars for small flock owners at 6 p.m. each evening of Nov. 2, 7, 9 and 16. There is no charge to attend. Registration is available online.

“While biosecurity may sound complex, there are some simple, inexpensive ways for small flock owners to protect their birds,” he said.

1. Keep birds in pens covered with roofs or tarps to prevent exposure to wild bird feces and to keep poultry away from any pond or other water source that wild waterfowl may visit.

2. Keep facilities and equipment clean and in good repair. Change feed and water frequently.

3. Quarantine and isolate any new or sick birds from your other poultry for a minimum of three weeks.

4. Keep unnecessary visitors away and keep a record of all necessary visitors. Do not let them come in contact with your flock. If you visit an area where there are waterfowl or poultry Do Not Visit your poultry until you change clothes/ shoes and wash your hands.

5. Recognize signs of illness in poultry and report unusual signs to your local veterinarian, local county extension agent, extension poultry veterinarian, state veterinarian, USDA hotline at 1-866-536-7593, or Arkansas avian influenza hotline, 501-823-1746.

Find other information about biosecurity on the extension service website. 

To learn about extension programs in Arkansas, contact your local Cooperative Extension Service agent or visit www.uaex.uada.edu. Follow us on X and Instagram at @AR_Extension. To learn more about Division of Agriculture research, visit the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station website: https://aaes.uada.edu. Follow on X at @ArkAgResearch. To learn more about the Division of Agriculture, visit https://uada.edu/. Follow us on X at @AgInArk.

Roofe named head of Family and Consumer Sciences for extension

By Tracy Courage
U of A System Division of Agriculture

LITTLE ROCK — Helping people live better has been at the heart of Nina Roofe’s career – as a longtime registered dietitian, as a professor and chair of the Department of Nutrition and Family Sciences at the University of Central Arkansas, and now in her new leadership role as assistant vice president of Family and Consumer Sciences for the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture.

LEADER — Nina Roofe is the new assistant vice president for Family and Consumer Sciences at the Cooperative Extension Service. (UADA photo)

Roofe started Sept. 25 and will ensure research-based programming is available to meet the needs of Arkansans in the areas of food and nutrition, food safety and preservation, health and exercise, personal finance, home safety, early childhood and mental health.

“Family and Consumer Sciences has always appealed to me because it takes a holistic approach — meeting people where they are, where they live, where they work. It’s practical. It’s all about helping people and helping them improve their lives,” she said.

“You can design a nutritiously balanced plate of food and teach someone how to cook, but if they can’t afford to buy the food or if they live somewhere without a kitchen, it doesn’t work. You can’t just do health and wellness, or nutrition, or home safety, or consumer economics,” she said. “It’s all intertwined with family life, so you have to look at the whole picture.”

The Division of Agriculture’s Cooperative Extension Service employs Family and Consumer Science agents in every county of the state. Roofe plans to visit agents in the coming months to assess needs that exist throughout the state and ensure that extension is offering the best programs to meet those needs with resources available.

“Dr. Roofe has more than 32 years of experience and brings a wealth of knowledge to the position,” said Bob Scott, senior associate vice president for agriculture-extension and director of the Cooperative Extension Service. “I am excited for her to join our team.”

Family and Consumer Sciences is one of four extension units. Other units include Agriculture and Natural Resources, 4-H, and Community Professional and Economic Development. Roofe’s position is a newly restructured one. Before Roofe’s hire, one person oversaw both Family and Consumer Sciences and Arkansas 4-H.

“It needed to be two positions because they are two separate units,” Scott said.

A career bucket list

Working for extension has been on Roofe’s “career bucket list.”

She grew up in Izard County on a beef cattle farm and was involved in 4-H, the youth leadership program of the Division of Agriculture. Her great aunt was a home economist in Izard County, and her great uncle ran the Soil Conservation Service. Her husband’s stepfather was also an extension agent.

“I feel like I’ve always had the extension gene,” she said.

Before joining the Division of Agriculture, Roofe was a professor and chair of the Department of Nutrition and Family Sciences in the College of Health & Behavioral Sciences at UCA, where she has taught since 2002.

“I love teaching,” Roofe said. “I swore I’d never be a teacher because my parents were both public school teachers, and I saw their struggles, but I love it. You’re reaching students, and they touch lives. It’s a ripple effect.”

Roofe has a Bachelor of Science in Dietetics from the University of Central Arkansas; a Master of Science in Corporate Health Promotion from the University of Arkansas; and Ph.D in Family and Consumer Sciences Education from Iowa State University.

To learn about extension programs in Arkansas, contact your local Cooperative Extension Service agent or visit www.uaex.uada.edu. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram at @AR_Extension. To learn more about Division of Agriculture research, visit the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station website: https://aaes.uada.edu. Follow on Twitter at @ArkAgResearch. To learn more about the Division of Agriculture, visit https://uada.edu/. Follow us on Twitter at @AgInArk.

New poultry extension specialist brings love of teaching to Arkansas

By Jessica Wesson
U of A System Division of Agriculture

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Poultry science extension specialist Zac Williams is passionate about education, both in the poultry house and in the classroom.

POULTRY SCIENCE — Zac Williams, poultry science extension specialist and assistant professor, is a new faculty member with the Center of Excellence for Poultry Science. (U of A System Division of Agriculture photo)

“I enjoy teaching, whether that be through extension programming or in the classroom,” Williams said. “Being able to relay knowledge from the scientific community to producers and students makes me feel like I’m making a difference.”

Williams joined the Center of Excellence for Poultry Science and poultry science department as an assistant professor in June. In his new role, Williams provides poultry education and outreach through the Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service, with a focus on connecting with the commercial poultry industry in Arkansas.

“We are very excited to have Dr. Zac Williams join the faculty in the Department of Poultry Science and Center of Excellence for Poultry Science,” said David Caldwell, poultry science department head and director of the Center for Excellence for Poultry Science. “Thus far in Zac’s career, he has worked closely with the commercial industry in Tennessee and Michigan. We fully expect that he will develop strong relationships with our industry stakeholders here in Arkansas.”

Williams also conducts research for the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station and will teach through the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences. The extension service and experiment station are the outreach and research arms of the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture. The Division of Agriculture, with the Bumpers College, provides the traditional land grant triad of teaching, outreach and research.

“We look forward to working with Zac as he develops strong, industry-focused research, teaching and outreach programs here,” Caldwell said.

Focus on producers

Williams’ research program will focus on how producers respond to animal diseases coming from outside the United States. He wants to find ways to improve depopulation and composting in affected flocks. His research also includes investigating litter management practices for improved microbial community development and developing on-farm tools that can quickly identify bacterial species.

“I’m really excited about working with the team of faculty, staff and students in the poultry science department and the university and seeing where I can fit in and contribute,” Williams said. “I’m also excited about being so close to a large percentage of poultry production and the challenges and opportunities that will arise.”

Williams received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in poultry science from Mississippi State University. He earned a Ph.D. in poultry science from Auburn University.

To learn about extension programs in Arkansas, contact your local Cooperative Extension Service agent or visit www.uaex.uada.edu. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram at @AR_Extension. To learn more about Division of Agriculture research, visit the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station website: https://aaes.uada.edu/. Follow us on Twitter at @ArkAgResearch. To learn more about the Division of Agriculture, visit https://uada.edu/. Follow us on Twitter at @AgInArk.

Income Tax School offers in-person, virtual training for advanced income tax preparation

By Rebekah Hall
U of A System Division of Agriculture

LITTLE ROCK — For Arkansans interested in advanced income tax preparation, the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture will offer five in-person and virtual Income Tax School training courses later this year.

TAX PREP — At the Cooperative Extension Service's Income Tax School, Arkansans will learn advanced income tax preparation from two experts. Five in-person and virtual training courses will be held later this year. (Division of Agriculture graphic.)

The Income Tax School is offered through the Community, Professional and Economic Development unit of the Cooperative Extension Service. Each of the two-day courses will provide information about the latest tax code updates and insight into what taxpayers can expect for the 2024 tax season.

“As one of only a few tax school options in Arkansas, we offer high-quality, affordable federal tax education that fits your schedule,” said Kim Magee, director of the Income Tax School for the extension service. “We provide the information you want and continuing professional education you need every year.”

In-person training will be offered in four Arkansas cities:

Jonesboro: Nov. 13-14 at the Arkansas State University Delta Center for Economic Development, 319 University Loop

Fayetteville: Nov. 16-17 at the Don Tyson Center, 1371 W. Altheimer Drive

Hope: Nov. 27-28 at Hempstead Hall, 2500 S. Main Street

Little Rock: Nov. 29-30 at Cooperative Extension Service State Office, 2301 S. University Avenue

A virtual option will be offered via Zoom Dec. 6-7.

The cost of the course is $270 for those who register before Aug. 25, or $310 after the priority registration deadline. Registration is available at uada.formstack.com/forms/tax. Classes run 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. daily. A certificate of attendance will be awarded after class is dismissed on the second day.

Curtis Davis, a certified public accountant with more than two decades of tax experience, and Bill Laird, a retired Internal Revenue Service agent, will be instructors at the schools. The course will offer a general review of current tax regulations and updates on changes in existing tax laws.

The Income Tax School is approved by the IRS as a continuing education provider. Participants can earn 16 hours of continuing professional education credit, including two hours of ethics.

For more information, contact Kim Magee at 501-671-2081 or kmagee@uada.edu.

To learn about extension programs in Arkansas, contact your local Cooperative Extension Service agent or visit www.uaex.uada.edu. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram at @AR_Extension. To learn more about Division of Agriculture research, visit the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station website: https://aaes.uada.edu. Follow on Twitter at @ArkAgResearch. To learn more about the Division of Agriculture, visit https://uada.edu/. Follow us on Twitter at @AgInArk.

Arkansas agriculture agents want to hear how you use extension farm, livestock, garden resources

By Mary Hightower
U of A System Division of Agriculture

How do you use extension's garden, forage and livestock resources? Use this QR code to gain access to the survey. 

LITTLE ROCK — Extension agriculture agents from all 75 Arkansas counties want to know how their constituents use the livestock, forage and gardening resources of the Cooperative Extension Service, and have opened a survey for feedback.

The Cooperative Extension Service is the outreach arm of the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture. Its aim is to share research-based knowledge about a wide range of topics including farming, gardening and raising livestock.

“We’ve opened an online survey with questions about how people find out about and use specific resources of ours,” said Brad Runsick, the Baxter County extension staff chair who initiated the survey.

The survey doesn’t address row or field crops.

“Our mission each year, in planning our work, is to provide a relevant service to the people we serve,” Runsick said. “I and my fellow agents truly want to plan our work for the coming year based on feedback from the people we are helping now and hope to help in the future.”

Please take the survey.

The nine-question survey should take only a few minutes to complete. The survey will remain open until 11:59 p.m. on Sept. 15.

Some of the resources offered by the Cooperative Extension Service include publications on gardening, soil testing and other diagnostic services, as well as production meetings where farmers and ranchers can hear about relevant recommendations and be face-to-face with land grant experts.

To learn about extension programs in Arkansas, contact your local Cooperative Extension Service agent or visit www.uaex.uada.edu. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram at @AR_Extension. To learn more about Division of Agriculture research, visit the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station website: https://aaes.uada.edu/. Follow us on Twitter at @ArkAgResearch. To learn more about the Division of Agriculture, visit https://uada.edu/. Follow us on Twitter at @AgInArk.

New ornamental horticulture specialist followed winding path to arrive at extension

By Ryan McGeeney
U of A System Division of Agriculture 

LITTLE ROCK — From the time he was a boy spending summers on his grandparents’ farm, Anthony Bowden knew he was destined for some aspect of agriculture. But it wasn’t until the final semester of his undergraduate studies that he veered from row crop agronomy to horticulture.

NEW HIRE — Dr. Anthony Bowden, extension ornamental horticulture specialist for the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture. (Division of Agriculture photo.)

“I really thought what I wanted to do was research agronomy,” Bowden said. “But my last semester at Auburn as an undergrad, I took a horticulture course with Dr. Daniel Wells, and realized that this is what I really want to do.

“My grandmother kept pristine flower and garden beds, and I’d help her with that — but as a 10-year-old boy, I just didn’t think it was something I wanted to do as a career,” he said. “But that course changed my thinking.”

In May, Bowden left his position as a research associate with Mississippi State to join Arkansas’ Cooperative Extension Service, the outreach and education arm of the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture. As extension’s new ornamental horticulture specialist, Bowden is taking on a role last filled by Jim Robbins, who retired from the Cooperative Extension Service in 2022.

Having worked as a teaching assistant throughout his undergraduate career, Bowden continued teaching as a graduate student at Auburn University in Alabama before pursuing his Ph.D. in plant and soil sciences at Mississippi State University.

“I fell in love with teaching — I was a teaching assistant every semester I was at Auburn,” Bowden said.” I wanted to teach at the college level. I had some of the greatest teachers in horticulture. But everything at Auburn led me to Mississippi State. I was more focused on research there, with Dr. Tricia Knight, also an outstanding horticulture researcher.

“She really fired the passion that had lay dormant in me, to be a horticulture researcher,” he said.

In his new role, Bowden works directly with commercial horticulture retailers and wholesalers across Arkansas.

“That’s everything from greenhouses that produce plants to the retail garden centers that sell them,” he said. “Basically, if they have an issue, I help them figure out what’s going on.”

Wayne MacKay, head of the Division of Agriculture’s horticulture department, said that Bowden was a natural fit for his new position with the Cooperative Extension Service.

“Dr. Bowden’s experience in ornamentals research and extension was exactly what the department was looking for to support the Arkansas ornamentals industries,” MacKay said.

As a research associate in Mississippi, Bowden studied ways to increase labor efficiency for nursery and greenhouse operations. He said he plans to continue research in that area in Arkansas as he works to support horticultural entrepreneurs.

“I’ve looked at it from the propagation angle — plant propagation places a large demand on labor in nurseries and greenhouses,” Bowden said. “If we can address labor efficiency issues at the front end of plant production, we can make the entire business more efficient and profitable.”

Bowden said he also hopes to revive the Arkansas Selects shrub program, previously championed by Robbins.

“It’s a process of evaluating and identifying shrubs that will perform well in Arkansas landscapes,” he said. “It’s similar to the Arkansas Diamonds program — you end up with well-tested plants for the unique Arkansas climate.”

Bowden said that in the 20 years since the Arkansas Selects program was active, many new shrub varieties have been released to the market.

“I’d like to start a study in Hope and Fayetteville and evaluate how certain shrubs handle the heat, drought and other issues we sometimes get,” he said.

In the past week, Bowden learned that the Division of Agriculture’s Southwest Research and Extension Center, located in Hope, was selected as a site to host a display garden for the All-American Selections program. The program, he said, is the oldest, independent testing organization of flower and edible varieties in North America.

“Being selected as a display garden location will be a fantastic resource for both consumer and commercial horticulture in the state of Arkansas,” Bowden said. “Once the garden is planted in 2024, both the industry and the end consumer can visit and see which varieties have been selected as both national and regional winners based on the exhaustive testing each entry into the program undergoes.”

To learn about extension programs in Arkansas, contact your local Cooperative Extension Service agent or visit www.uaex.uada.edu. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram at @AR_Extension. To learn more about Division of Agriculture research, visit the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station website: https://aaes.uada.edu/. Follow on Twitter at @ArkAgResearch. To learn more about the Division of Agriculture, visit https://uada.edu/. Follow us on Twitter at @AgInArk.