by Kim Souza (ksouza@talkbusiness.net)

Springdale-based Tyson Foods and George’s Inc. were among the 13 companies found to have used Packer Sanitation Services who hired minority workers ages 13-17 working overnight shifts in plants around the country.

The U.S. Department of Labor said Packers Sanitation Services employed minors to work in meat packing plants on third-shift sanitation crews. The Labor Department found 102 children between the ages 13 and 17 working in hazardous occupations.

Tyson Foods plant in Green Forest is reported to have had 6 minors working, resulting in fines of $90,828 by the Labor Department against Packers Sanitation. Tyson’s plant in Goodlettsville, Tenn., was found to have one minor, and that penalty was $15,138. The investigation found Springdale-based George’s Inc. had four minors working its Batesville, Ark. plant. That penalty was $60,552.

https://talkbusiness.net/2023/03/tyson-foods-green-forest-plant-implicated-in-child-labor-investigation/

*Photo from the U.S. Department of Labor of a child working in a slaughterhouse.*

By Tracy Courage
U of A System Division of Agriculture

BATESVILLE, Ark. — Homesteading appeals to those who seek self-reliance and self-sufficiency, so what better place to host a homesteading conference than in Independence County?

HOMESTEADING — Independence County will hosts its first homesteading conference on March 1. U of A Division of Agriculture graphic

The Independence County Extension Office will host the first “Homesteading with Independence” conference on March 1, with experts from the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture sharing their expertise in bees, backyard poultry, small ruminants, gardening, food preservation and more.

The event will run 9 a.m.-3 p.m. at the Independence County Library, 267 E. Main St. in Batesville. Registration begins at 9 a.m., and workshops begin at 9:30 a.m. Space is limited to 75 people, and registration is required. The cost is $20 per person and includes lunch.

“This is our first year to have this conference,” said Julian Carpenter, family and consumer science agent with the Independence County Extension Office, part of the Division of Agriculture. “We have noticed people are becoming interested in learning how to be more self-reliant, and we want to provide the research-based education they may need.”

Experts will offer the following sessions:

Are Bees Right for Me? — Jon Zawislak, extension apiary specialist and assistant professor in urban entomology, Division of Agriculture
Backyard Poultry — Dustan Clark, extension poultry veterinarian and director of John Tyson Center for Excellence in Poultry Science, Division of Agriculture
Small Ruminant Production — Dan Quadros, extension small ruminant specialist, Division of Agriculture
Soil Health — Bill Robertson, retired extension cotton agronomist, now agronomist with CWC Farm
Food Preservation — Julian Carpenter, Independence County extension agent, Division of Agriculture
Growing Your Garden — Michelle Mobley, Independence County extension agent, Division of Agriculture
Choosing Your Enterprise — Carey Robertson, adjunct agriculture instructor, University of Arkansas Community College at Batesville

For more information and to register, contact the Independence County Extension office at 870-793-8840.

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.

Tyson Foods’ Green Forest plant implicated in child labor investigation

‘Homesteading with Independence’ conference planned for March 1