Open to the Public

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Four States Ag Expo offers growers, producers latest research-based information

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(Division of Agriculture photo)

By Tracy Courage
U of A System Division of Agriculture

TEXARKANA, Ark. – The Four States Agricultural Expo returns Feb. 13, bringing together growers and producers from Arkansas, Texas, Louisiana and Oklahoma area to learn about the latest research and resources available for commercial horticulture, livestock and forages, integrated pest management, home gardening, lawn, pond management, and more.

The expo is scheduled from 8:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. at the Four States Fairgrounds, 3700 E. 50th Street in Texarkana. Registration begins at 7:30 a.m. All growers and producers from the four-state region are invited. The expo is free, open to the public, and includes lunch. No registration is required. Lunch will be provided by Farm Credit of Western Arkansas and Texas Farm Bureau - Bowie County. Sponsors and donors include Cavender’s Texarkana and Simmons Bank-Jonathan Shumate.

The event is a joint project of the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture and Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service, with experts from both agencies presenting workshops throughout the day.

“We usually have around 350 people attend,” said Jennifer Caraway, Miller County extension agent. “Every year we offer a variety of agricultural sessions about livestock and forages, row crops, horticulture, commercial horticulture, timber and wildlife management, and pond management."

Continuing education units — CEUs — are available for licensed pesticide applicators. Texas pesticide applicators pay $10 for up to five hours of CEU credits. Arkansas pesticide applicator training will be available at the expo. The cost is $65, with $20 paid to Miller County Cooperative Extension and $45 paid to Arkansas State Plant Board to obtain a five-year license.

Concurrent programs will begin at 8:30 a.m. and include the following topics and speakers: 

8:30 a.m.

  • Managing Vegetation in Farm Ponds – Tyson Keese, pond management program specialist, Texas A&M.

  • Vaccination Protocols for Beef Cattle – Meg Harrington, NAH Livestock Consulting.

  • Production & Management of Blueberries – Tim Hartman, assistant professor, extension specialist, integrated pest management Texas A&M 

9:45 a.m.

  • Alternative Forages for Livestock – Jonathan Kubesch, extension forage specialist, Division of Agriculture.

  • The Fate of Dicamba and Rice Weed Control – Bob Scott, extension weed scientist, Division of Agriculture.

  • Production and Management of Tomatoes – John Gavin, Bradley County extension agent, Division of Agriculture.

  • Beekeeping 101 – Garrett Slater, assistant professor and apiculture extension entomologist, Texas A&M.

11 a.m.

  • Managing Fish Populations in Farm Ponds – Tyson Keese, Texas A&M.

  • Treating Common Diseases in Beef Cattle – Robert Bonner, DVM, Nashville Animal Hospital.

  • Production and Management of Peaches – Tim Hartmann, Texas A&M.

Noon-1 p.m.: Lunch 

1 p.m.

  • Safe Use of Pesticides Around the Farm – Bob Scott, extension weed scientist, Division of Agriculture.

  • Grassy Weed Control in Pastures and Hay – Chad Cummings, Texas A&M county extension agent-agriculture and natural resources.

  • Pests, Pathogens, Pesticides, and Poor Nutrition and Their Impact on Bee Hives – Garrett Slater, Texas A&M.

2:15 p.m.

  • Broadleaf Weed Control in Pasture and Hay – Chad Cummings, Texas A&M.

  • Arkansas Pesticide Applicator Training – Jennifer Caraway, Miller County agricultural extension agent, Division of Agriculture.

  • Texas Auxin Training – Brian Triplett, county agent-agriculture and natural resources, Texas A&M.

For more information about the expo, contact the Miller County Extension office at 870-779-3609. To learn more about Division of Agriculture extension programs, 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.uark.edu. Follow on X at @ArkAgResearch. To learn more about the Division of Agriculture, visit https://uada.edu/. Follow us on X at @AgInArk.

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Four States Ag Expo set for Feb. 8

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By Tracy Courage
U of A System Division of Agriculture

TEXARKANA, Ark. – Growers and producers from Arkansas, Texas, Louisiana and Oklahoma will find the latest research-based information on row crops, livestock and forages, forestry, horticulture, integrated pest management, pollinators, mushrooms and more at the Four States Ag Expo on Feb. 8.

EXPO TIME — The Four States Ag Expo in Texarkana brings together ag industry professionals from Arkansas, Texas, Louisiana and Oklahoma. (UADA graphic)

The expo is scheduled from 8:30 a.m.–3:15 p.m. at the Four States Fairgrounds, 3700 E. 50th St. in Texarkana. The event is a joint project of the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture Cooperative Extension Service and Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service. Experts from both agencies will host workshops throughout the day.

 “We’ll be offering a variety of educational sessions to help our growers and producers learn best practices for their operations,” said Jennifer Caraway, Miller County extension staff chair and one of the organizers. “It’s also a great time to network with others in the agriculture industry.”

Organizers are expecting 350 attendees, Caraway said. She and Arkansas extension agents in Lafayette, Little River, Miller, Sevier, Polk, Howard and Hempstead counties served on the expo planning committee along with agents from Bowie, Morris, Cass and Red River counties in northeastern Texas.

“We’re proud to partner with Texas A& M AgriLife Extension on this event that has been growing in scope for the past several years,” said John Anderson, director of the Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service. “Our collaboration helps us both of our agencies get research and resources for best practices into the hands of those who make their living in the agriculture industry.”

The expo is free, open to the public and includes a hamburger lunch. Texas Restricted Use Applicators can obtain up to five continuing education units (CEUs) at the expo.

Concurrent sessions will begin at 8:30 a.m. and include the following topics and speakers:

8:30 a.m.

  • Controlling Biting Flies through Cattle Minerals containing IGRs — Dr. Shane Gadberry, Livestock and Forestry Station director, UADA

  • Managing Common Household Pests around the Farmstead — Dr. Jon Zawislak, entomology and plant pathology instructor, UADA

  • Native Plants for Pollinators — Phyllis Ballard, Texas Master Gardener

9:45 a.m.

  • Growing Cucurbit Crops — Dr. Joe Masabni, assistant professor and extension horticulturist (vegetables), Texas A&M

  • Easy Cattle Forage Calculator, Dr. Shane Gadberry, Livestock and Forestry Station  director, UADA

  • Corn and Wheat Insect, Disease and Weed Updates — Dr. Jason Kelley, extension wheat and feed grains agronomist, UADA

11 a.m.

  • Oak and Loblolly Pine Tree Decline, Dr. Vic Ford, associate vice president of agriculture and natural resources, UADA

  • Controlling External Parasites of Livestock — Sonja Swiger, professor and extension Entomologist, Texas A&M Greenhouse Management

  • Joe Masabni, assistant professor and extension horticulturist, Texas A&M

1 p.m.

  • Mushrooms in the Wild — Dr. Vic Ford, associate vice president of agriculture and natural resources, UADA

  • Reversing Declining Forage Stands — Dr. Vanessa Corriher-Olson, professor and extension forage specialist, Texas A&M

  • Controlling House Flies around Livestock Barns — Sonja Swiger, professor and extension Entomologist, Texas A&M

2:15 p.m.

  • Following the Pesticide Label to Ensure Applicator Safety — Ples Spradley, pesticide assessment specialist, UADA

  • Arkansas Restricted Use Pesticide Applicator Training — Jennifer Caraway, Miller County extension agent, UADA

  • Texas Auxin Training — Dr. Brian Triplett, Red River County agent, Texas A&M

For more information, visit https://www.uaex.uada.edu/farm-ranch/4-states-ag-expo.aspx.

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. 

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Nitrogen and drones on agenda for 2023 Arkansas Corn Field Day

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By Sarah Cato
U of A System Division of Agriculture

COLT, Ark. — Producers looking to implement optimized management practices in large-scale corn production won’t want to miss the 2023 Corn Field Day. The event, hosted by the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture, will feature discussions of mid-season tissue sampling, multiple uses for drones and more.

Combine harvesting corn

GOOD NEWS IN THE FIELD — The 2023 Corn Field Day will feature discussions of mid-season tissue sampling, multiple uses for drones and more. (Division of Agriculture photo.)

The field day is scheduled for June 21 at the Division of Agriculture Pine Tree Research Station located at 7337 Highway 306 West in Colt. Registration begins at 7:45 a.m., and the first presentation begins at 8:35 a.m.

“We are excited to host this field day and meet with Arkansas producers face to face,” said Aurelie Poncet, assistant professor of precision agriculture for the Division of Agriculture. “We will be demonstrating several helpful tools and methods for producers to get the best bang for their buck.”

Jason Kelley, extension wheat and feed grains agronomist, and Trent Roberts, endowed chair in soil fertility research, will discuss best management practices for corn. Poncet will showcase her research in drone usage for the assessment of mid-season corn nitrogen status. Jason Davis, application technologist for the Division of Agriculture, will demonstrate how drones can be used in weed detection. The full agenda is as follows:

7:45 a.m. – Registration

8:35 a.m. – Corn Management and Growth and Development,

Jason Kelley, extension wheat and feed grains agronomist

9:20 – Tissue Sampling and Mid-Season Fertilizer Management,

Trent Roberts, associate professor of soil fertility

10:15 a.m. – Assessment of Mid-Season Corn Nitrogen Status Using Drones,

Aurelie Poncet, assistant professor of precision agriculture

11 a.m. – Remote Weed Detections with Drones and Spot Herbicide Applications, Jason Davis, application technologist

12 p.m. – Lunch

The Corn Field Day is open to the public, with no cost to attend. Lunch will be provided. Registration is required and those interested can register at bit.ly/43zQ2d7.

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.