Arkansas 4-H honors Hall of Fame inductee, teen leaders

By Tracy Courage
U of A System Division of Agriculture

LITTLE ROCK — Arkansas 4-H recognized a new crop of young leaders, naming 50 new Teen Stars and inducting one into the Arkansas 4-H Hall of Fame.

WINNER —Zach Gardner of Fayetteville is the 2024 Arkansas 4-H Hall of Fame inductee. (Division of Agriculture photo)

The honors were bestowed June 5 during the Arkansas 4-H Teen Leader Conference that brought 143 teenagers from across the state to the C.A. Vines Arkansas 4-H Center for leadership development this week.

The three-day conference is open to 4-H members ages 14-19 and prepares teens for leadership and service responsibilities in their local clubs and counties.

Hall of Fame

Zach Gardner, 18, of Fayetteville, was inducted into the Arkansas 4-H Hall of Fame, an award given to one 4-H member each year who demonstrates high achievement, commitment and service. 

“Zach represents the highest level of achievement in Arkansas 4-H,” said Debbie Nistler, assistant vice president for 4-H & Youth Development for the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture. “He has developed life skills that will continue to serve him well as an engaged member of his community. We are so excited to see him succeed in his next adventure."

Gardner has been a member of Washington County 4-H member for 13 years, and leadership is one of his project areas. He served as an Arkansas 4-H state officer from 2022-2023 and has represented Arkansas 4-H at National 4-H Congress in Atlanta and at Citizenship Washington Focus in Washington, D.C.

More than 1,000 hours of his community service has involved veterans. He volunteers at Fayetteville National Cemetery where he serves on the advisory board and has participated in the National Wreaths Across America project. He is a VA Hospital teen volunteer and has helped with the National Salute to Veterans on Valentine’s Day for eight years. During the pandemic, when visitors were not allowed inside the hospital, Gardner organized car parades through the hospital parking lots.

Gardner has been a leader not just in 4-H but also in scouting, sports and his community.

He attained his Eagle Scout rank in Boy Scouts and served two years as captain of his high school’s lacrosse team. He served on U.S. Senator John Boozman’s Congressional Youth Leadership Cabinet, attended Boys State, and served on the Fayetteville Chamber of Commerce Teen Leadership Council.

Gardner credits his mom, Jana, with getting him involved with 4-H at age 5.

“I’ve been in 4-H forever and have had many leaders who I’ve looked up to,” Gardner said, after receiving his award. “To be recognized as one feels like a full-circle moment.”

Gardner recently graduated from Fayetteville High School in the top 1 percent of his class. He will attend the University of Arkansas this fall to pursue a degree in finance and later plans to go to law school.

“4-H has shown me success is not based on winning elections, competitions or awards, but instead results from the process and steps along the way that help me understand who I am, what I believe, and what I am capable of,” he said. “4-H has motivated me to serve others, live my life with purpose, and use my time, talents and abilities to make a difference.”

Jack Berryhill of Hot Spring County was also recognized as a Hall of Fame finalist. Berryhill served as the Arkansas 4-H state president from 2022-2023 and has held numerous leadership roles as a Teen Star and 4-H Ambassador. His project areas include foods and nutrition, animal science and leadership, which he is most passionate about.

“It’s about understanding others, what they’re working toward, and then how to work together to achieve a common goal,” he said.

Teen Stars

Arkansas 4-H recognizes members for outstanding achievement in their projects and activities, leadership and community service with the Teen Star recognition.

To be a Teen Star, 4-H members must be at least 14 years old and have proven success in their project work.

"Our Teen Stars have worked very hard to earn this award,” Nistler said. “They are a wonderful reflection of the years of service, record books and project experiences. I am so excited to see them grow even more in our program."

This year’s 50 Teen Stars were selected from hundreds of applicants and represent 20 counties. The recognition paves the way for them to move into higher positions of leadership as 4-H Ambassadors, who can then run for state officer positions.

The 2024 Teen Stars include:

Benton County — Kayley Ashlee, Noah Darnell, Garrett Haley, Lilyan Lubbess, Bailey Malone, Emma Millsap, Graceyn More, Belvia Powers, Lucas Rea and Lillian Swarengin

Carroll County — Kaitlyn Armer, Katelyn Rexwinkle and Dalton Warner

Clark County — Daniel Jackson, Emilie Taylor and Blakely Thompson

Craighead County — Justin Morris

Faulkner County — Chloe Parish

Grant County —Miley McGinley and Aubrey Ottens

Greene County — Joseph Haywood and Leona Hickman

Hot Spring County — Amanda Berryhill

Independence County — Logan Wiltrout

Logan County — Alyssa Mills and Emily Reddy

Madison County — Jade Emitt

Miller County — Carlie Keahey

Monroe County — Gracie Delk

Pope County — Aaron Nuckols

Pulaski County — Lillian Reynolds and Trusten Reynolds

Saline County — Lily Brosi

Sevier County — Charlie Collins, Nick Diaz, Raegan Frachiseur, John Moe, Monica Rivas, Chip Stamps, Katie Williamson and Evan Wolcott

Stone County — Addison Kennon

Washington County — Joshua Bailey, Makyla Cox, Catelyn Stearman and Yahya Sridjajamerta

White County — Hannah Gaskin, Lynnlee Morrison, DeLylia Sanderlin and James Shourd

Arkansas 4-H is the youth development program conducted by the Cooperative Extension Service, part of the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture. It offers programs for youth ages 5-19 in every county in Arkansas.

To learn about Arkansas 4-H, contact your local Cooperative Extension Service agent or visit Arkansas 4-H online at http://uaex.uada.edu/4h-youth/. 

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.

International Avian Influenza and One Health Emerging Issues Summit set for fall 2024

By John Lovett
University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture
Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — As highly pathogenic avian influenza viruses adapt to infect a broad range of species, including one recent human case, the Center of Excellence for Poultry Science has expanded the outlook for its second annual international conference.

AVIAN FLU SUMMIT — Highly pathogenic avian influenza has adapted to species other than poultry, prompting The Internatioanl Avian Influenza and One Health Emerging Issues Summit this fall in Fayetteville. (U of A System Division of Agriculture photo)

The International Avian Influenza and One Health Emerging Issues Summit will be held in person and online, Sept. 30-Oct. 3, at the Don Tyson Center for Agricultural Sciences, 1371 W. Altheimer Dr., in Fayetteville.

“Avian influenza has adapted to mammalian species, and it is now endemic in the United States,” said Guillermo Tellez-Isaias, poultry science research professor for the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station, the research arm of the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture. “Now we see that migratory birds that were not susceptible in the past are dying, and wild birds are spreading the virus worldwide.”

Tellez-Isaias is one of 14 organizers for the summit, hosted by the Division of Agriculture and the University of Arkansas Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences. Last year, 23 speakers made presentations over two days, and 1,842 people registered from 81 countries. This year, the summit remains free and will have 46 speakers over four days.

“The One Health concept recognizes that everything that affects humans will impact animals and the environment,” Tellez-Isaias said. “We are all connected in this world.”

Expanded outlook

Knowing the virus could mutate, organizers of the summit had already expanded the outlook to include other species and emerging diseases prior to the March 25 outbreak of H5N1 highly pathogenic avian influenza, or HPAI, in dairy cows.

On April 1, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced it confirmed one human HPAI infection after exposure to dairy cattle in Texas. The CDC has also reported H5N1 in domestic cats in Kansas and Texas, which “reflects the continued spread of clade 2.3.4.4b viruses that entered the country in late 2021.”

The CDC’s risk assessment for the public remains “low.” However, like the virus that is thought to have originated in a Kansas army camp near the end of World War I and became known as the “Spanish flu,” HPAI viruses mutate and have the potential to inflict massive casualties.

Tellez-Isaias said H5N1 “hijacks the immune system and creates a tremendous inflammatory response like an anaphylactic shock” in its victims.

“That’s why you don’t see any clinical signs,” Tellez-Isaias said. “No respiratory, sneezy coughing, no lesions. Nothing. You can leave a poultry house, and everything seems fine, but when you come back in the morning, you have up to 100 percent mortality.”

Since January 2022, multiple HPAI viruses have infected millions of wild birds, commercial poultry flocks and more than two dozen species of terrestrial and marine mammals worldwide. This bird flu has also spread across Africa, Asia, the Americas, Australia, Europe and Antarctica.

Emerging issues

Salmonella Infantis, Salmonella Gallinarum, Inclusion Body Hepatitis, and Histomonas meleagridis, a protozoal parasite that causes histomonosis, will also be addressed by speakers as emerging issues in food production.

Histomonosis, also known as blackhead disease, is lethal in turkeys 12 to 14 weeks old. It was controlled by arsenic-based drugs in poultry feed from the 1940s to 2013, when the U.S. Food and Drug Administration withdrew approval for three common formulas. The FDA removed another chemical formula from the market in 2015. There are currently no vaccinations to control histomonosis.

Event registration

To register for the summit, online or in-person, please click on “Registration” at the top of the event page. The capacity for in-person attendees is 150 people.

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. To learn about extension programs in Arkansas, contact your local Cooperative Extension Service agent or visit www.uaex.uada.edu.

Womack to host U.S. Military Service Academy Day event on Saturday

On Saturday, April 20, Congressman Steve Womack (AR-3) will host a U.S. Military Service Academy Day event for high school students from the Third District. Students will have the opportunity to speak with representatives from the U.S. Military Service Academies, alumni, and current cadets to learn more about the application, nomination, selection, and appointment processes. Information about the Arkansas National Guard and scholarships available through local Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) programs will also be provided.

Invited organizations include:

Photo by Clay Banks

• U.S. Military Academy

• U.S. Naval Academy

• U.S. Air Force Academy

• U.S. Coast Guard Academy

• U.S. Merchant Marine Academy

• Arkansas National Guard

• Arkansas Tech University Army (ROTC)

• University of Arkansas Army and Air Force (ROTC)

• University of Arkansas-Fort Smith Army (ROTC)

Saturday, April 20, 2024

1:00 P.M. – 3:00 P.M. CT

Fayetteville High School (Cafeteria), 994 W Martin Luther King Blvd, Fayetteville, AR 72701

This event is open to the public and media. Additional information on the U.S. Military Service Academy nomination process can be found here.

‘Grow Your Farm’ short course coming up in May

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — The Center for Arkansas Farms and Food will hold a short course on small-scale farming May 3-4.

SHORT COURSE — Mike Popp, professor and agricultural economist, speaks to Center for Arkansas Farms and Food program participants. (U of A System Division of Agriculture photo)

The CAFF Small Farm Short Course titled “Grow Your Farm” provides an intensive two-day workshop with a deep dive into bed building, equipment and transplanting.

“We’ll also cover the basics of record keeping, profitability, branding and marketing,” said CAFF Program Director Heather Friedrich. “The course features both classroom and field study, so wear your work clothes. We’ll demo equipment and tour some local farms, too!”

The course will be held 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Friday, May 3, and continue 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, May 4. The Center for Arkansas Farms and Food is located at 1005 Meade Ave., Fayetteville.

The cost of the workshop is $100 thanks to a grant from Southern Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education, a U.S. Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture grants and outreach program. Scholarships are also available. Lunch, refreshments and snacks will be provided. No experience is required, and the course is beginning-farmer-friendly, Friedrich noted. Guest speakers will include local farmers and technical experts.

The deadline to register is April 28 at NWAFarming.org.

This is the second CAFF Small Farm short course of 2024, with the first being held in February. The third and final short course of the year will be Oct. 18-19, focusing on crop planning and budgeting, soil health and equipment care.

CAFF supports local food entrepreneurs and increases small farm viability through experiential learning. Explore courses at LearnToFarm.org and follow on Instagram @caff_ar_farms. CAFF is part of the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station, the research arm of the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture.

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. To learn about extension programs in Arkansas, contact your local Cooperative Extension Service agent or visit www.uaex.uada.edu.

Restoration volunteers remove 526 pounds of trash from Buffalo National River watershed site

By the U of A System Division of Agriculture

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Even the country’s first National River can find itself the unfortunate victim of illegal dumping, especially as it winds its way through some of the most scenic areas of Arkansas.

On Feb. 22, members of the Cooperative Extension Service and the Nature Conservancy, along with local landowners and volunteers, removed 526 pounds of illegally dumped trash in the upper reaches of the Buffalo National River watershed. The site was located along Highway 21, near Smith Creek Nature Preserve. 

TAKING OUT THE TRASH — On Feb. 22, members of the Cooperative Extension Service and the Nature Conservancy, along with local landowners and volunteers, removed 526 pounds of illegally dumped trash in the upper reaches of the Buffalo National River watershed. The site was located along Highway 21, near Smith Creek Nature Preserve. (Image courtesy John Pennington.) 

The dumpsite was found as part of a litter audit — part of the Buffalo River Watershed Enhancement Project — conducted by the Cooperative Extension Service. Part of the project’s mission is to conduct outreach throughout the watershed area and foster support for the Buffalo River Watershed Management Plan, which will in turn improve water quality in the watershed.

John Pennington, extension water quality educator for the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture, said the dumpsite audit showed that the largest percentage of trash by weight was metal, followed by tires, hazardous paper waste and plastic. E-waste, textiles and furniture, glass and wood were also found. Approximately 70 percent of the waste removed from the cleanup was recycled. Cash for the recycled metal totaled $15, which will be put into local 4-H litter removal and recycling efforts.

“The dumpsite we cleaned up was not old or historic like some dumpsites,” Pennington said. “This dumpsite, like many other dumping sites around the state was newer. It will be interesting to see if the dumpsite continues to be used now that it has been cleaned up. The ongoing litter audit throughout the watershed will be able to monitor the littering and dumping rate in the areas.”

The 2023 Buffalo River litter index audit examined eight publicly accessible locations, spanning from the headwaters along Highway 21 down to the Rush access point. It revealed that tires and textiles were the largest items of trash found by weight, with hazardous waste paper, glass, metal and plastic being commonly found. 

“The good news is that all but one of the locations surveyed had less than a pound of trash found at each of them,” Pennington said. “The low amount of trash found at most litter audit sites is likely due to the efforts of local landowners, the National Park Service and visitors doing their part to keep the watershed healthy and clean.”

To participate in future litter audit or voluntary water quality improvement activities as part of the Buffalo River Watershed Enhancement Project, visit https://www.uaex.uada.edu/environment-nature/water/buffalo-river-project.aspx.

The Cooperative Extension Service has partnered with multiple agencies and organizations, including lead partner The Nature Conservancy, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service, Arkansas Forestry Division, Buffalo River Conservation District, Searcy County Agricultural Conservation Cooperative, Searcy County and the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission. The partnership project makes hundreds of thousands of dollars in conservation practice funding available to landowners participating in the project each year. To learn more, and if you are a landowner in need of conservation assistance funding, contact your local NRCS service provider and sign up for the Buffalo River Watershed Enhancement Project.

For more information on water quality, watersheds, Arkansas Watershed Stewards Program or the Buffalo River Watershed Regional Conservation Program, check in with your local county extension office.

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.

Sherrie Smith retires after 18 years as manager of Arkansas Plant Health Clinic

By Rebekah Hall
U of A System Division of Agriculture

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — When Arkansans get stumped by plant problems — whether they’re a home gardener or a row crop farmer — the Arkansas Plant Health Clinic in Fayetteville is here to help. After 18 years of service, Sherrie Smith, plant pathologist and instructor for the clinic, will retire Feb. 29.

PLANT PUZZLES — Sherrie Smith will retire as plant pathologist and instructor for the Arkansas Plant Health Clinic, supported by the Cooperative Extension Service, after 18 years of service. Smith helped diagnose tens of thousands of plant samples received by the clinic, and she played a significant role in updating the lab with modern technology. (Division of Agriculture photo.) 

The Plant Health Clinic is supported by the Cooperative Extension Service, part of the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture. Smith joined the clinic in 2006 after completing her master’s degree in plant pathology from the University of Arkansas.

“I’m excited about retirement, but I’ve loved my job so much that it’s kind of a pang to let go of it,” Smith said.

Ken Korth, professor and department head of entomology and plant pathology for the University of Arkansas System, said Smith has played a significant role in the success of the Plant Health Clinic.

“Sherrie and her guidance of the Plant Health Clinic have made a huge impact on Arkansans for almost two decades,” Korth said. “The clinic is viewed as an invaluable resource by clientele statewide, and this is a testament to the dedicated performance of Sherrie and her staff.”

Korth said Smith oversaw the move of the clinic from its original location in Lonoke to Fayetteville in 2009.

“That was a major undertaking, and she was responsible for designing and setting up the lab space which is now housed at the Shult Agricultural Research and Extension Center,” Korth said. “She has also grown with the position, and over the years the clinic has effectively adopted new technologies for pathogen detection and identification.”

Since 2006, Smith said she’s seen tens of thousands of plant samples and made many more diagnoses.  

“I’ve seen a lot of samples,” she said. “And the thing about the samples is there may be more than one diagnosis. You may have a turf sample and it has a patch disease, but it also might have insect damage, so some of our samples receive more than one diagnosis with more than one recommendation.”

Smith said most of the samples that the clinic receives are from county extension offices throughout the state. During the busy season, which runs March through October, Smith said the clinic typically receives 3,000-4,000 plant disease samples.

“Things start slowing down as winter approaches and we become less concerned about what happened to our tomato plants,” Smith said. “We do get some during the winter months, but one day last summer, we had 72 samples.”

The Arkansas Plant Health Clinic is one of the few plant diagnostic labs in the country that doesn’t charge for its services, which include several different kinds of diagnostic tests.

“Most of our samples end up going under the microscope, the dissecting scope and the compound scope for diagnoses,” Smith said. “We also run some serological tests that operate the same way, say, a pregnancy or a COVID-19 test works. But probably the biggest part of our tests is simply through an old-school microscope.” 

Pest and pathogen problems

During Smith’s career at the clinic, she’s helped provide molecular diagnosis for plant diseases that were new to Arkansas or even new to the United States.

“The following year after I first started, we found Asian soybean rust in the state for the first time, which caused a great deal of concern among our soybean growers because in South America and other places, it causes devastating losses to soybean crops,” Smith said. “But that has not occurred in the U.S., it just spooked everybody in the beginning.”

At the end of the 2023 growing season, Smith said the clinic received a sample with a pathogen that had not been seen in the United States previously. Clinic personnel are currently awaiting confirmation of the virus. If a sample is confirmed and considered to be a “quarantine pest,” state officials are notified, and a protocol is followed depending on the type of pest. Smith said sudden oak death, which is caused by Phytophthora ramorum, is a quarantine pest that the Plant Health Clinic has identified more than once.

Smith said that during most summers, the clinic is involved in what is called a ‘trace forward’ to track sudden oak death when it has been found in wholesale nurseries outside of the state.

“Then, all the state officials — not just in Arkansas, but in any state that received shipments from that nursery — have to go around to all the nurseries and check for symptomatic plants, take samples, bring them to their diagnostic labs, and then we run a test for species,” Smith said. “If we get a positive, we extract the DNA and send it to a lab that is qualified to run a test specifically for Phytophthora ramorum. So, we are involved in these kinds of projects for quarantine pests, and you really don’t know what you’re going to find.”

Strange samples

The Plant Health Clinic receives samples from every county in Arkansas, and it also has an Animal Plant Health Inspection Services, or APHIS, permit, which allows the clinic to receive samples from anywhere in the continental United States.

“We’re relatively close to both the Missouri and the Oklahoma line, so we get some samples from strawberry and blackberry growers in Oklahoma, and we get some wheat and tomato samples from Missouri,” Smith said. “Sometimes we will get a sample clear from the opposite side of the country. We don’t get an out-of-state sample every day, but it’s not unusual to get one several times a month during the growing season.”

The Plant Health Clinic is part of the Southern Plant Diagnostic Network, or SPDN, which is a partnership of 14 states and territories in the southeast United States that work together to detect pests and pathogens in the region. Smith said the SPDN hosts an annual contest for “who got the kookiest sample in.”

“We didn’t win the contest this year, but the winner was a very strange horned object,” she said. “It had little spikes all over it and was slimy, and it turned out to be part of a rubber ball that someone got out of a ditch and didn’t recognize because it had been so discolored and weathered and had goop on it. They thought it was something that had been alive.”

Smith said there’s never a dull moment in the Plant Health Clinic.

“About eight years ago, I opened an envelope and a little squashed dead bug fell out,” she said. “I looked at it under the microscope, and it was a bed bug. The company that sent it said it was running across the secretary’s desk. I thought, ‘Oh no!’”

Outreach and education

As part of her role as an instructor and plant pathologist, Smith also traveled to flower and garden shows, extension field days and Master Gardener events.

“I started attending the big flower show the first year I took the job, and since then we’ve built a portable diagnostic lab with traveling microscopes and a big TV screen that hooks up to the microscopes so people can see what we’re looking at,” Smith said. “We also hand out literature and answer questions and receive samples.

“The benefit of all this is that it puts the word out to the community that there is a lab that will look at their samples and help them,” she said. “It’s good publicity for both the Cooperative Extension Service and the University.”

Korth said Smith’s commitment to education has helped Arkansas growers of all scales and skill levels.

“For over 18 years, Sherrie has been diagnosing and helping to solve the problems of gardeners, farmers and commercial operations in Arkansas,” he said. “Just as importantly, she is an effective educator and was very active at garden shows, extension events, and other public outreach activities. She has also helped to train students over the years, and several of these have gone on to very successful careers as professional plant pathologists.”

Smith said she has particularly enjoyed being part of the service extension provides to Arkansans.

“I do love the outreach part of it,” she said. “While it’s always fun to solve a puzzle and get an answer, I love that we are helping people — whether it’s a granny with a rose in the yard or a grower with 5,000 acres of soybean and corn, we are providing a service that helps people, either emotionally, if it’s a plant you’re attached to at your home, or if it’s your livelihood.

“There’s a lot of satisfaction in being of service to people and really, that’s what the extension service is about: being of service to people in Arkansas,” Smith said. “The extension service is out there doing the work, and it’s an honor to be associated with the people who do that work.”

Ready for retirement

Rick Cartwright, former director of the Cooperative Extension Service, said he originally hired Smith at the Plant Health Clinic and that she “brought a can-do attitude and outstanding work ethic.”

“Over time, she transformed the clinic into a 21st-century model, with quick turnaround and timely results,” Cartwright said. “Her articles and searchable newsletters are widely used by county agents and the public, including me, both in Arkansas and around the country.

“I received many accolades over the years about her exceptional dedication and importance in extension,” he said. “She will be sorely missed, but I wish her all happiness and satisfaction in well-earned retirement.”

Smith, who lives in Joplin, Missouri, has been commuting 87 miles one-way to work in Fayetteville for the last 13 years. She said she’s “pretty tired of dodging deer in bad weather,” and she looks forward to taking a break from traveling for a while. In her new spare time, Smith’s six-month-old puppy, a golden doodle named Betty Boop, is sure to keep her busy, as will her flower gardens, her koi pond and her indoor 125-gallon tropical fish tank.

Reflecting on her time at the Plant Health Clinic, Smith said she will be leaving with many valuable friendships.

“I have made some really good friends here in the state among county agents, among government officials, and broadly across the United States, because plant pathology is a small world,” she said. “A lot of us know people from all over the place, even outside of the country. It’s been a delightful experience for me.”

Visit the Arkansas Plant Health Clinic website to learn more, search the Clinic Archive or the plant disease image database.

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. 

Panelists say changes needed to harness bio-, ag-tech innovations

By Mary Hightower
U of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Arkansas is poised to harness the latest technological innovations to solve problems like food insecurity, but that won’t happen without funding and policy changes, panelists said at the Agri-Food Innovation Summit.

The two-day summit on Nov. 2-3 featured panel discussions and presentations on all aspects of taking research discoveries and developing practical solutions for problems in agriculture and food production.

INNOVATION — The panel on agricultural and food innovation for the 22nd century included Khoa Luu, left, assistant professor of computer science and computer engineering; Brandon McFadden, professor of agricultural economics and agribusiness; Marty Matlock, professor of biological and agricultural engineering; Parker Cole, associate director of technology commercialization for the Division of Agriculture; Walter Burgess, co-CEO of Power Technology, Inc.; and Sylvia Wulf, CEO of Aquabounty Technologies. (U of A System Division of Agriculture photo)

More than 200 registered over the two-day summit, which was co-hosted by the Arkansas Small Business and Technology Development Center, the University of Arkansas Division of Economic Development, the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture, and Catalyst/Research and Technology Transfer at Arkansas State University.

Food security

Sylvia Wulf, CEO of Aquabounty Technologies, said she believed in the potential for the Natural State to be a leader in ag and food innovation. Her company produces genetically modified salmon that are tank-farmed on land.

“We are a poster child for how challenging innovation and entrepreneurialism is,” Wulf said. “It took us 25 years to get regulatory approval for our salmon. There was no pathway. We are the first genetically modified animal that was ever approved for use in this country.

“Then we ran into political challenges. It took us several years to overcome what they put in place to allow us to farm” her company’s salmon, she said.

She said her company’s salmon can help reduce carbon footprint compared to the shipping needed to supply Atlantic salmon.

“If you look at Atlantic salmon, it has more frequent flier miles than anybody else in this room,” she said. “We can solve that carbon footprint by creating an industry here in the U.S.”

Wulf also said that “food security is national security. I think we see that because of what happened with COVID.”

“We import 97 percent of the seafood that we eat in this country. It’s a healthy, healthy protein,” she said. “Yet, we are completely dependent on imports. So, we need to be able to develop an aquaculture segment for our economy.”

The challenge ahead is “how do we optimize the technology to where public-private partnerships and some of the funding opportunities that we are talking about today can come into play,” Wulf said.

‘Mud on their boots’

Marty Matlock, professor of ecological engineering in the biological and agricultural engineering department for the Division of Agriculture and University of Arkansas, talked about his time working with the U.S. Department of Agriculture. He was among the panelists discussing Agricultural Innovation for the 22nd Century.

“We have a $23.3 trillion economy in this country. It’s the largest economy of any nation in the history of this planet,” he said. “We know that venture capital is key to innovation for any sort of technology systems because typically there's just no funding source available other than someone who's willing to take a chance on it. 

“If you have the equity, you go to the bank and you just borrow it — you double mortgage your house,” Matlock said. “But the problem with most innovative companies, especially small businesses, is there is no equity there, so venture capital is your mechanism.

Matlock said that in 2022, the U.S. had $246 billion in venture capital expenditures across every sector.

“That’s about 1.5 percent of our total GPD going to venture capital,” he said. “Of that 1.5 percent, about $12.6 billion of that goes to agriculture. Of that $12.6 billion, $5 billion goes to California. Forty percent of it goes to California. It’s not coming to where the people have mud on their boots and that’s one of our big challenges.”

“How do we innovate when there's no money? Arkansas can do it but it's going to take a lot of innovations in policy to make that happen,” Matlock said. “It's going to take everything from what we're doing here — these conversations, to governmental tax code to incentive programs, to core funding sources — to start this process going. And it's going to take years of investment to make that happen. It could happen here, but it's going take will, the force of will, to push this rock up the hill.”

Wulf agreed.

“I’m passionate about two things,” she said. “I'm passionate about ag tech and biotech and I’m passionate about making sure that Arkansas is an area of focus for investment in ag tech and biotech, because I believe that this state can lead the country in making that a reality. “

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.

Agri-Food Innovation Summit inspires entrepreneurial scientists to make big impacts

By John Lovett
University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture
Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — The inaugural Agri-Food Innovation Summit offered entrepreneurial scientists and inventors inspiration to make “moonshot” impacts on society and insight on obtaining startup funds.

AGRI-FOOD INNOVATION — Jean-François Meullenet, left, director of the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station, speaks during a panel discussion at the Agri-Food Innovation Summit with Mickey A. Latour of Arkansas State University and Ranu Jung with the Institute for Integrative and Innovative Research (I³R) at the University of Arkansas. (U of A System Division of Agriculture photo)

Venture capitalists and representatives from federal funding agencies expressed the importance of collaborating and building strong teams to solve problems. The event was held Nov. 2-3 at the Don Tyson Center for Agricultural Sciences in Fayetteville. More than 200 participants registered over the two-day summit co-hosted by the Arkansas Small Business and Technology Development Center, the University of Arkansas Division of Economic Development, the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture, and Catalyst/Research and Technology Transfer at Arkansas State University.

Citing Arkansas’s rankings in food insecurity, maternal mortality and infant mortality, scientists and inventors at the summit were encouraged to think strategically about how their work could solve these and other major societal problems.

“Where there is no food, there is also no health access, so I think this link between healthy people and access to food, especially in a state like ours, is something we should be thinking about,” said Ranu Jung, associate vice chancellor and Distinguished Professor of biomedical engineering at the University of Arkansas. “Somehow, when we think about the ag side, we should be thinking about what this means for the health and well-being of the people. If you improve access to food, you might likely also influence other things like health access.”

Jean-François Meullenet, senior vice president for agriculture-research and director of the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station, said he would like to see an intensification of collaborative efforts by scientists in Arkansas.

“We are a small enough state that we have a unique opportunity to partner that other states may not have,” Meullenet said.

Mickey Latour, dean of the College of Agriculture at Arkansas State University in Jonesboro, reiterated that sustainable protein supply chains were an area where Arkansans could lead the charge toward more innovation.

SMALL BUSINESSES — Nurun Nahar provides tips on applying for federal grants to small businesses during the Agri-Food Innovation Summit. (U of A System Division of Agriculture photo)

Navigating federal grants

Day one of the two-day summit included presentations on applying for Phase I and Phase II grants through the U.S. Small Business Administration’s Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer programs, also known as SBIR/STTR. Nurun Nahar, SBIR/STTR program specialist with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture, said it was essential to review the most recent request for proposal rules since they may change slightly each year. Nahar said about 18 percent of proposals get rejected immediately for not following simple submission rules. It was also important to remember the deadlines are based on the Eastern U.S. time zone, she added.

Melinda Coffman, SBIR/STTR program coordinator with USDA-NIFA, said there will be an outreach event to help applicants on April 2, 2024, in Little Rock.

Dennis Goodes, deputy assistant administrator for the USDA’s Agricultural Research Service, encouraged inventors to work with the service early in their startup process to create a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement, or CRADA, which increases the likelihood of Phase I SBIR/STTR funding. The inventor retains all patent ownership with the CRADA, Goodes noted.

To provide examples of SBIR/STTR grant success stories, summit attendees heard from two Arkansas-based company leaders: Danielle Dozier of the vertical hydroponic system manufacturer GSS Group, and Joseph Batta-Mpouma, co-founder of CelluDot, which developed a nanocellulose product to mitigate herbicide drift. Katie Thompson, executive director of Science Venture Studio, led the grant success stories session. Science Venture Studios helps Arkansas science and technology-based startups apply for federal funding.

Teamwork makes the dream work

A highlight of the event was the number of private funding organizations in attendance, said event co-organizer Trey Malone, agri-food economist and assistant professor with the Division of Agriculture.

The summit provided a panel discussion led by Mike Malone, vice chancellor for economic development at the University of Arkansas, with economic developers, seed-fund managers and venture capitalists, including Bill Arnold of Big Idea Ventures GFRF Fund; Bob Kucheravy, director of science and technology for the Arkansas Economic Development Commission; Brandon Day of The Yield Lab Institute; Jeff Amerine of Cadron Capital Partners; and Kim Davis of the Walton Family Foundation.

All panel members said that displaying proof of a strong team was crucial to their decision to provide startup funding. Davis said there was also a need to build a strong relationship with transparency and solid communication for successful endeavors.

Helping connect small and big businesses in the food and beverage industry is a mission for Kim Bryden, Arkansas-based founder and CEO of Cureate. Bryden was on hand at the summit to introduce four Arkansas food and beverage entrepreneurs offering hors d’oeuvres at the event. The companies represented included Margaret Ruth’s salad dressings and marinades, Firelight Farm in Searcy, Dogwood Hills Guest Farm in Harriet and Bartleby’s Food in Fayetteville.

“The Agri-Food Innovation Summit uplifted the incredible work happening across our food system from local farmers and entrepreneurs to researchers tackling the big questions,” Bryden said.

Bryden said the business owners featured “exemplify the future” as entrepreneurs building businesses and contributing to healthier food systems for their rural communities. 

“The conference represented a critical first step toward developing additional support systems for agri-food innovators across the state of Arkansas,” Trey Malone said. “Arkansans are proud of their storied heritage of innovation and entrepreneurship in the agri-food system. We are excited to provide a path forward for modern-day agri-food innovators and we look forward to collaborating with all thought leaders across the state to find moonshot solutions to 21st and 22nd-century problems.”

In addition to Arkansas State University, the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff also brought a team to the summit which had 134 participants on the first day and 95 on the second day.

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. To learn about extension programs in Arkansas, contact your local Cooperative Extension Service agent or visit www.uaex.uada.edu.

Conference brings muscadine, bunch-grape researchers to Arkansas on Oct. 3-5

By Mary Hightower
U of A System Division of Agriculture

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Muscadine and bunch-grape growers and researchers have tended to move in their own circles. Until now.

The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture will host the North American Grape Breeders and Vitis-Muscadine Alliance Conference on Oct. 3-5 at the Don Tyson Center for Agricultural Science, 1371 W. Altheimer Drive, in Fayetteville.

Fruit breeder Margaret Worthington holds "clamshell" containers of muscadines during a tour of the Fruit Research Station in Clarksville in 2021. (U of A System Division of Agriculture file photo)

“To my knowledge, the conference is one of the first national attempts at a collaboration of people working with Vitis and Muscadinia,” said Renee Threlfall, a research scientist, enology and viticulture for the division’s Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station, and director of the Arkansas Quality Wine program. “Muscadines are very ‘regional’ so many U.S. consumers have never heard of them, never mind having tasted a muscadine grape or a product made from muscadines.”

“Vitis” is the genus that encompasses all grapes, whether they’re grown for food or wine. Bunch grapes — which include those used for wines, raisins and eating fresh — and muscadines, each belong to a separate subgenus. And that’s where things get interesting.

Muscadines, with their distinct flavor and thick skins, have 20 chromosomes, one more than bunch grapes. However, researchers see benefits in creating a hybrid of the two. That decades-long quest is driven by several factors such as being able to lend some of the muscadine’s disease resistance to the table grapes.

“Breeding efforts between these genera have already begun, resulting in new grape cultivars, some with attributes like Vitis, some like Muscadinia, but also many with attributes of both,” Worthington said. “This project is important because we believe there is much more to be gained in future collaborations, bringing the best of two powerhouse grape species together.”

The conference is the culmination of work conducted under a Specialty Crop Research Initiative grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture, or NIFA. Threlfall and Margaret Worthington, associate professor and fruit breeder for the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture, obtained the grant in 2022.

The event is comprised of the North American Grape Breeders Meeting on Oct. 3. The following day includes a tour of the Division of Agriculture’s research vineyards and wineries. Oct. 5 is the Vitus-Muscadina Alliance Conference.

The conference will include discussions of breeding, production, marketing and economics. Threlfall also said the results of a survey on consumer preferences for fresh-market grapes will be revealed at the conference.

“We conducted an online survey of more than 900 consumers from all U.S. regions, asking their preferences for fresh-market grape options,” Threlfall said. “These preferences will be used to inform future breeding efforts.”

Attendance is by invitation. For more information, contact Renee Threlfall at rthrelf@uark.edu.

Learn about the Division of Agriculture’s grape-breeding program.

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.

4 Convicted in $18M Investment Fraud Scheme

by Arkansas Business Staff

A federal jury in Arkansas has convicted four men for their roles in an $18 million investment fraud and money laundering scheme.

The Brittingham Group, founded by Fayetteville investment banker John Nock, 55, promised returns as high as 300% within 20 to 30 days, according to authorities. But in reality, the group could not and did not produce those returns on their investment offerings.

https://www.arkansasbusiness.com/article/145853/4-convicted-in-18m-investment-fraud-scheme

At least four hospitalized in UA Fayetteville E. coli outbreak

KUAR | By Daniel Breen

Officials with the Arkansas Department of Health are working to determine the cause of an E. coli outbreak at the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville.

The school says more than 100 people have been sickened, and at least four hospitalized, since the outbreak likely began about a week-and-a-half ago.

Bill Marler is an attorney and food safety expert who also teaches at the University of Arkansas School of Law. He says, while it’s still not certain, the source of the outbreak is likely some sort of leafy green vegetable.

https://www.ualrpublicradio.org/local-regional-news/2023-08-28/at-least-four-hospitalized-in-ua-fayetteville-e-coli-outbreak

Stephanie Schuller/Science Source

Colored scanning electron micrograph (SEM) of Escherichia coli bacteria (green) taken from the small intestine of a child. E. coli are rod-shaped bacteria that are part of the normal flora of the human gut.

Farmers for Tomorrow fundraiser set for Sept. 14 at Center for Arkansas Farms and Food

By John Lovett
University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture
Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — The Center for Arkansas Farms and Food will hold a fundraising event 5:30-7:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 14, to support the Farmers for Tomorrow fund, a program to help aspiring farmers start their small farm businesses.

FARMERS FOR TOMORROW — Brian Foster, center left, of Sunny Acres Farms speaks with Farmers for Tomorrow fund supporters at the 2022 fundraising event. (U of A System Division of Agriculture photo)

Dandelion Heart will provide live music, and Chef Haley O’Brien will prepare heavy hors d’oeuvres using ingredients grown by Center for Arkansas Farms and Food, CAFF, students in Fayetteville. Each guest will receive drink tickets for beers from Fossil Cove Brewing Co., Arkansas wines, or cocktails made with blackberries from the farm. A non-alcoholic version of the blackberry drink will also be available.

The event will be at the Milo J. Shult Agricultural Research and Extension Center, 1005 W. Meade St., in Fayetteville. CAFF is a part of the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station, the research arm of the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture.

Farmers for Tomorrow raised $5,000 at the inaugural fundraiser in 2022. Brian Foster and Frank Ostapowicz, two graduates of CAFF’s Farm School and Apprenticeship programs, received equal portions of the fund to help start their farms.

Foster started Sunny Acres Farms and sells produce at the farmers markets in Fayetteville and Goshen, and through community supported agriculture subscriptions. The former restaurateur also offers recipes with his produce at the markets.

Ostapowicz started Purple Finch Farms in Prairie Grove, selling produce in the region’s markets.

Foster and Ostapowicz were among the first CAFF Farm School and Apprenticeship Program participants in 2021. According to Heather Friedrich, CAFF program manager, the program is designed to strengthen and expand the region’s food and farming system, enhance local communities, and provide opportunities for farmers, food entrepreneurs, and food system leaders.

Ticket purchases and donations are an investment in the community’s regional food system, the local economy and food security, Friedrich added. Through the Farmers for Tomorrow Fund, CAFF aims to raise $10,000 annually to assist new Arkansas farmers.

Once former CAFF Farm School students or apprentices have acquired farmland in Arkansas and are ready to break ground, they can apply for start-up funds from Farmers for Tomorrow, Friedrich said. The funds are designated for purchasing tools, equipment, irrigation materials and seeds.

General admission tickets to the Farmers for Tomorrow fundraiser are $65 per person, or $330 for reserved tables of six people. Event tickets include complimentary food and drinks. Tickets may be purchased in advance at the event website, http://farmersfortomorrow.org/.

For those who may be unable to attend but still wish to support Farmers for Tomorrow, the registration form includes an option to make a donation.

The 2023 event is sponsored by Arkansas Farm Bureau, Adventure Subaru, Farm Credit of Western Arkansas and the Division of Agriculture, allowing all proceeds from the event to go directly to the Farmers for Tomorrow fund.

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. To learn about extension programs in Arkansas, contact your local Cooperative Extension Service agent or visit www.uaex.uada.edu.

University of Arkansas’ $36M chip prototype facility to open in 2025

by Jeff Della Rosa (JDellaRosa@nwabj.com)

Construction has started on a first-of-its-kind semiconductor facility at the University of Arkansas, according to a Monday (Aug. 21) news release. The $36 million chip prototype fabrication facility is expected to be completed in January 2025.

UA and industry leaders and researchers broke ground Friday (Aug. 18) on the 18,660-square-foot Multi-User Silicon Carbide Research and Fabrication Facility, or MUSiC. It will be built at Arkansas Research and Technology Park in south Fayetteville. Designers are Tsoi Kobus and Wittenberg Delony & Davidson Architects. The general contractor is Whiting Turner.

MUSiC will allow the federal government – through national labs – businesses and universities to develop semiconductor prototypes with silicon carbide, a capability that’s currently unavailable. Silicon carbide is a semiconductor that can outperform basic silicon chips, and silicon carbide electronics can operate in extreme environments. At the new facility, chips can go from developmental research to prototyping, testing and fabrication.

https://talkbusiness.net/2023/08/university-of-arkansas-36m-chip-prototype-facility-to-open-in-2025/

Alan Mantooth speaks at the groundbreaking of the Multi-User Silicon Carbide Research and Fabrication Facility.

NALC webinar to provide overview of U.S. charitable food system

By Tru Joi Curtis
National Agricultural Law Center
U of A System Division of Agriculture

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Food insecurity affects more than 34 million Americans in the United States and more than a quarter of them are children, according to Feeding America, a nationwide network of food banks.

Audry Thompson, staff attorney at Penn State Law, will discuss the U.S. charitable food system in the National Ag Law Center webinar on June 21.

To help those facing hunger, farmers and food processors all play a role by assisting the U.S. charitable food system and federal and state food surplus programs. The U.S. charitable food system includes a network of over 200 food banks: regional organizations that source, warehouse and distribute food.

“Food insecurity is an issue that has so many facets,” National Agricultural Law Center Director Harrison Pittman said. “It’s important to understand the important role that charitable food programs play for millions of people every day and what it means for those who donate food.”

The U.S. charitable food system’s success depends on connecting food producers with consumers. This allows donations by producers to be distributed to consumers and families in need.

“Ensuring food security for families and children within the United States is essential,” Audry Thompson, staff attorney at the Penn State Center for Agricultural and Shale Law, said. “Food processors, as well as agricultural producers, play an important role in providing necessary assistance through the charitable food system.”

With recent higher grocery costs, the need for surplus donations is more urgent. Producers who donate benefit from various forms of protection, including liability.

Thompson will discuss the federal and state food surplus programs, as well as how they connect agricultural producers with consumers, in the NALC’s next webinar, “An Overview of U.S. Charitable Food Surplus Programs.” The webinar will be held on Wednesday, June 21, at 11 a.m. Central/noon Eastern.

“This webinar will highlight these programs, discuss how federal and state programs connect producers with consumers, and outline liability and other protections put into place for those donating their surplus,” Thompson said.

The webinar is free of charge and registration is online.

“We’re looking forward to hearing Audry discuss these programs that work to benefit millions of Americans who are in need,” Pittman said. “With the current need for surplus donations from producers, it is extremely important that people know more about charitable food programs in the U.S.”

For information about the National Agricultural Law Center, visit nationalaglawcenter.org or follow @Nataglaw on Twitter. The National Agricultural Law Center is also on Facebook and LinkedIn.

For updates on agricultural law and policy developments, subscribe free of charge to The Feed, the NALC’s newsletter highlighting recent legal developments facing agriculture, which issues twice a month.

Extension plans soil health workshops for specialty crop growers

By Tracy Courage
U of A System Division of Agriculture

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Specialists with the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture will lead a four-part workshop series in Northwest Arkansas to help fruit and vegetable growers understand soil health on their farms and how to improve it.  

HEALTHY SOIL, HEALTHY VEGETABLES — Specialists with the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture will lead a four-part workshop series in Northwest Arkansas to help fruit and vegetable growers understand soil health on their farms and how to improve it. (Division of Agriculture photo.)

“Healthy soils help promote efficient specialty crop production,” Amanda McWhirt, extension horticulture production specialist with the Division of Agriculture, said. “Growers increasingly need tools to understand the status of soil health and manage it to increase the productivity and profitability of their crops.”

The series is part of the Northwest Arkansas Specialty Crop Soil Health Program led by McWhirt and Matt Bertucci, assistant professor of sustainable fruit and vegetable production for the Division of Agriculture. They have conducted soil health assessments of the area and are working to educate and train growers on implementing specific management practices that improve on-farm soil health. The program targets specialty crop growers in Benton, Washington, Carroll and Madison counties, who produce a range of fruit and vegetable crops for local markets. However, the workshops are open to all Arkansas growers. 

Workshops will take place at the Division of Agriculture’s Food Science Building, 2650 N. Young Ave., Fayetteville. The cost is $10 per workshop. Register at bit.ly/nwa-soil-trainings.

Presenters will cover soil fertility, pollinator habitats, irrigation and pest management. The workshops will mostly be outdoors, where participants can see demonstrations of soil health best practices. 

Schedule

• March 14 — Soil health basics, winter cover crops, soil sampling and conservation funding, 1-4 p.m.

• May 2 — Managing soil fertility, cover crop termination and soil pest management, 3-6 p.m.

• June 27 — Summer cover crop selection, pollinator habitats, irrigation management and water conservation, 3-6 p.m.

• 17 — Crop rotations, soil biology, riparian buffers and intercropping,1-4 p.m. 

Bertucci and McWhirt will lead workshops along with Ryan Neal, Benton County agriculture extension agent; Colin Massey, Washington County agriculture extension agent; Jonathan McArthur, farm manager for the Center for Arkansas Farms and Food; and other guest speakers. Mike Whitis with the U.S. Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service will discuss conservation funding opportunities at the March 14 workshop. 

Participants will have a chance to win door prizes, including books, soil knives, cover crop seeds and more. 

The fact sheet “FSA2202: Understanding Soil Health” is available online at https://www.uaex.uada.edu/publications/pdf/FSA2202.pdf.

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.

Think green, give green: March 17 is a day to help Arkansas 4-H

By Mary Hightower
U of A System Division of Agriculture

FERNDALE, Ark.  —  See some green. Give some green.

“March 17, with all its green and clovers is a great time to think about supporting Arkansas 4-H,” said John Thomas, development officer and managing director for the Arkansas 4-H Foundation.

Scene from Arkansas 4-H State-O-Rama 2022 in Fayetteville, Arkansas.

Arkansas 4-H provides not only hands-on educational opportunities about health, science, technology and citizenship, it is also a great source of scholarships for students looking to attend two- and four-year colleges and universities, Thomas said. There are some 700 clubs across the state and there is no cost to join.

“Each year, more than 100,000 youth in Arkansas are part of 4-H activities in our state,” he said. “And last year, 4-H awarded more than $80,000 in college scholarships to Arkansas youth and an additional $90,000 for learning trips to 4-H events. We believe in our efforts to give Arkansas youth their best start in life by removing financial barriers to high education.”

New this year is the ability to donate by texting AR4H to 44321.

Donors can also give online by clicking the “donate” button in the top right of the foundation page: https://arkansas4hfoundation.org/.

Arkansas 4-H is for children ages 5-19. Parents who would like to be involved should contact their county extension office.

Arkansas 4-H is the only youth development program in Arkansas associated with the University of Arkansas.

CLOVER BUD and friend want to encourage people to donate to Arkansas 4-H on March 17. (U of A System Division of Agriculture photo by John Thomas)

To learn more about Division of Agriculture research, visit the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station website: https://aaes.uark.edu. Follow on Twitter at @ArkAgResearch. To learn more about the Division of Agriculture, visit https://uada.edu/. Follow us on Twitter at @AgInArk. 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.

University of Arkansas board names Charles Robinson as Fayetteville chancellor

KUAR | By Paul Gatling/ Talk Business & Politics

The University of Arkansas System Board of Trustees has selected Charles Robinson as the chancellor of the Fayetteville campus. The vote was unanimous during the board’s regular meeting Wednesday in Monticello.

Robinson, the provost and executive vice chancellor for Academic and Student Affairs at the UA, has been interim chancellor since Aug. 16, 2021.

The University of Arkansas confirmed the board’s decision with a social media post on Wednesday morning. A public vote by the board was to be held on Friday on the Fayetteville campus to determine who will be the flagship university’s next chancellor. However, board chairman Cliff Gibson left open the possibility the issue could be resolved before then.

https://www.ualrpublicradio.org/local-regional-news/2022-11-16/university-of-arkansas-board-names-charles-robinson-as-fayetteville-chancellor

Russell Cothren/University Of Arkansas

Interim Chancellor Charles Robinson delivering the annual State of the University on Oct. 12, 2021. On Wednesday, he was chosen by the UA System Board of Trustees to become chancellor of the flagship Fayetteville campus.

John Spollen, M.D., to Assume Lead Role of UAMS College of Medicine in Northwest Arkansas

By David Wise

FAYETTEVILLE — The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) College of Medicine named John Spollen, M.D., as the new regional associate dean for the college in Northwest Arkansas, effective Jan. 1, 2023.

Spollen, professor and vice chair for education in the UAMS Department of Psychiatry, will succeed Linda L.M. Worley, M.D., professor of psychiatry, who has served as regional associate dean in Northwest Arkansas since 2018. Worley is stepping into a new role as chief wellness officer for the college.

The UAMS College of Medicine has 62 students in Northwest Arkansas and recently added an accelerated three-year medical program in the region.

https://news.uams.edu/2022/10/24/john-spollen-m-d-to-assume-lead-role-of-uams-college-of-medicine-in-northwest-arkansas/

Arkansas 4-H State O-Rama returns to University of Arkansas campus

SKILLS -- Arkansas 4-H members compete in a livestock skills event during the 2018 4-H State O-Rama. (Division of Agriculture photo by Fred Miller)

By Rebekah Hall
U of A System Division of Agriculture

Fast Facts:

• 4-H State O-Rama is July 26-29

• More than 300 youth, county staff, volunteers will convene for state-level contests, workshops and more

• Winner of Governor’s Award, 4-H’s highest honor, will be announced

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — For Arkansas 4-Hers, all roads lead to State O-Rama. Hundreds of youth, county staff and volunteers will flood the University of Arkansas Fayetteville campus from July 26-29 for the event, which features state-level competitions, workshops, tours and socials. This is the first in-person State O-Rama since 2019.

SKILLS -- Arkansas 4-H members compete in a livestock skills event during the 2018 4-H State O-Rama. (Division of Agriculture photo by Fred Miller)

Priscella Thomas-Scott, extension 4-H events coordinator for the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture, said 4-H staff, agents and club leaders are looking forward to the event’s return.

“We’re excited. You know you’re doing a good job when you have parents and kids that come up and say, ‘Hey, we’re looking forward to going back to State O-Rama,’” Thomas-Scott said. “This means a lot to the youth in our program.”

Thomas-Scott said more than 300 4-H members, county staff and volunteers from 51 of Arkansas’ 75 counties are registered for O-Rama. The event’s schedule is packed with socials, including a lip sync competition, a glow party, dances, and a “county night out.” This year’s keynote speaker is Laymon Hicks, a youth motivational speaker and author. Hicks will host a workshop titled “Be Your Own Star.”

4-H members can also attend a workshop about resolving food insecurity and participate in the 4-H Lego Challenge.

The election of the 4-H state officer team also takes place at State O-Rama. Thomas-Scott said this election is a “highlight of the event.”

“Our officer team members took the necessary steps of being involved with our program and putting in the hard work to get to this point,” Thomas-Scott said. “It’s definitely a rite of passage for them.”

Students who qualified at their district O-Rama competitions in June will compete in district qualifying contests in areas such as animal science, bait casting and sportfishing, wildlife, photograph, forestry, performing arts and more. 4-H youth also will compete in the program’s state-only contests, which include welding, archery, parliamentary procedure, impromptu public speaking, grassland plant identification, and Family and Consumer Sciences skill-a-thon.

Thomas-Scott said that in addition to the competitions, State O-Rama is an important opportunity for 4-H members to experience a college campus and learn about degree offerings.

“Every 4-Her might not go to college, but at State O-Rama, they’re exposed to a college experience, they’re exposed to learning about different degree paths that are available on campus,” Thomas-Scott said. “It’s not just about the competition, but about having new experiences and going outside of their comfort zone. That’s what I love about this event.”

4-H youth can learn about the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences and other college degree offerings at the 4-H O-Rama College Fair and Bumpers College Picnic. Students can also head off campus to tour the Center for Arkansas Farms and Food, a program of the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station, the research arm of the Division of Agriculture. The program provides hands-on learning for farmers and food entrepreneurs, providing them with necessary skills and resources to develop sustainable businesses.

State O-Rama also includes a 4-H awards winner and donor dinner, as well as the 4-H Awards of Excellence ceremony, which recognizes the state scholarship winner, state record book winners, and the nominees for the Governor’s Award. As 4-H’s highest honor, the Governor’s Award is available only to former record book winners. Finalists go through an interview process and have lunch at the Governor’s Mansion with the governor and his wife, and the award is based on the student’s involvement with 4-H.

Thomas-Scott said the time and effort it takes to coordinate State O-Rama is more than worth it.

“It’s a lot of work, but it pays off when you see the kids enjoying themselves and learning new skills that they can take home with them,” she said. “Plus, they love to have a good time. It’s tiring for the adults, but it’s all about the kids.”

4-H is a youth development program operated by the Cooperative Extension Service, part of the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture. The program teaches participants life skills through the “learn by doing” model. Program participants gain knowledge through non-formal, science-based, experiential education activities.

For more information about 4-H, contact your local county extension agent or visit https://4h.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.uark.edu. Follow on Twitter at @ArkAgResearch. To learn more about the Division of Agriculture, visit https://uada.edu/. Follow us on Twitter at @AgInArk.

Despite location change, Bikes, Blues & BBQ still business as usual for many

by John Post (jtpost87@gmail.com)

In January, the Bikes, Blues & BBQ motorcycle rally announced that it would be relocating to Rogers after more than two decades housed in Fayetteville. The rally, scheduled for Oct. 5-8, relocated after a two-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic and after logistical issues posed problems for hosting this year in Fayetteville.

But, while it may not be centrally located in the city that had hosted it for more than two decades, it will still be business as usual for many in the region when the motorcycles roll into Northwest Arkansas this fall.

https://talkbusiness.net/2022/03/despite-location-change-bikes-blues-bbq-still-business-as-usual-for-many/

In January, organizers of the annual Bikes, Blues & BBQ motorcycle rally announced a relocation this year from Fayetteville to Rogers.