Four-state beef cattle conference to cover herd expansion, cattle markets

By Sarah Cato
U of A System Division of Agriculture

LITTLE ROCK – Extension specialists from Kansas, Oklahoma, Missouri and Arkansas are partnering for the 2025 KOMA Beef Cattle Conference.

MARKET UPDATE – Derrell Peel, Professor of agricultural economics at Oklahoma State University will provide the keynote address at the 2025 KOMA Conference, covering herd expansion and market impacts.

The conference, co-hosted by the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture, Kansas State University, Oklahoma State University and the University of Missouri, is a one-day conference providing research updates from extension specialists, professors and graduate students from all four states. There are two opportunities to attend – Feb. 18 in Parsons, Kansas, and Feb. 19 in Fort Smith, Arkansas. Each will have identical programs.

“We have an exciting lineup this year of expert-led presentations and discussions,” said Maggie Justice, beef production specialist for the Division of Agriculture. “We’ll get the latest update on cutting-edge research in cattle feeding, supplementation, reproduction and more.”

Justice said attendees can expect valuable takeaways on optimizing nutrition, enhancing reproductive efficiency and improving grazing practices.

“With the thin profit margins our producers have been seeing, cattle markets are on everyone’s mind,” Justice said. “A key highlight of the event will be the keynote address from Derrell Peel of Oklahoma State University who will share his expertise on herd expansion and the impact it will have on the market.”

Cost to attend is $20 with lunch included. Those interested in attending in Arkansas can register online. An agenda will be coming soon.

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.

Attorney General Griffin joins 26-State coalition supporting Virginia's right to remove citizens from voting rolls

Griffin: ‘The fundamental right of voting belongs to citizens, not non-citizens’

FAYETTEVILLE – Attorney General Tim Griffin today issued the following statement after joining with Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach and 24 other state attorneys general in filing an amicus brief in the United States Supreme Court supporting Virginia’s lawful removal of non-citizens from its voter rolls:

“The National Voter Registration Act, passed by Congress, says that the fundamental right of voting belongs to citizens, not non-citizens. Article 1, Section 4 of the Constitution explains that the States have the primary authority over election administration, specifically the ‘times, places and manner of holding elections.’

“This is why I have joined this amicus brief in support of Virginia’s right to remove non-citizens from its voter rolls ahead of the upcoming election. The Biden-Harris administration’s efforts to prevent Virginia from implementing its own law—a law utilized by governors of both parties—is nothing more than a crass election-eve effort that instills confusion in the voting process.”

The Kansas-led brief also includes Alabama, Alaska, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, West Virginia, and Wyoming.

To read the brief, click here.

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AG Griffin praises his office's investigators for leadership in arrest of Kansas man on federal child porn charge involving Arkansas child

LITTLE ROCK – Attorney General Tim Griffin today issued the following statement on the involvement of his office in the arrest of Marcus Allen Abeyta, 31, of Emporia, Kansas, on one federal count of production of child pornography involving a minor residing in Arkansas:

“Bringing child pornographers to justice requires collaboration across multiple jurisdictions including, in this matter, federal, military, and state law enforcement. Abeyta is not a member of the military, but my office took the lead on this case because the victim is the child of parents stationed at Little Rock Air Force Base.

“During our investigation, it was discovered that Abeyta is a suspect in numerous other criminal investigations involving child exploitation in other states. I thank my office’s Special Investigations Division for working closely with the Air Force Office of Special Investigations and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) on this matter.”

Abeyta was arrested on May 16 at his residence, and his cell phone was seized for digital forensic examination. The examination led to the identification of other minor victims in various parts of the country. HSI and Griffin’s office are still working through evidence to identify other potential victims.

Abeyta is currently being held in Kansas at the Butler County Jail awaiting transfer to Little Rock by the U.S. Marshals Service.