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

(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.

Heat Advisories continue for Arkansas and surrounding states

...A HEAT ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 8 PM CDT THIS EVENING... AND WILL LIKELY CONTINUE EACH DAY THROUGH THE WEEKEND AND TO THE MIDDLE OF NEXT WEEK.

This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for south central Arkansas, southwest Arkansas, north central Louisiana, northwest Louisiana, southeast Oklahoma, east Texas and northeast Texas.

Hot temperatures and high humidity will bring dangerous levels of heat to the region through the weekend. Heat index values will likely climb above 105 degrees in most locations.

* WHAT...Heat index values up to 109 are expected.

* WHERE...Portions of south-central and southwest Arkansas, north-central and northwest Louisiana, southeast Oklahoma, and east and northeast Texas.

Drink plenty of fluids, stay in an air-conditioned room, stay out of the sun, and check up on relatives and neighbors. Take extra precautions when outside. Wear lightweight and loose-fitting clothing. Try to limit strenuous activities to early morning or evening. Take action when you see symptoms of heat exhaustion and heat stroke. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration recommends scheduling frequent rest breaks in shaded or air-conditioned environments to reduce risk during outdoor work. Anyone overcome by heat should be moved to a cool and shaded location. Heat stroke is an emergency! Call 9 1 1.

State officials take steps to avoid spread of avian influenza in dairy cattle

by George Jared (gjared@talkbusiness.net)

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has confirmed highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in dairy herds in Texas, Kansas, Michigan, Idaho, and New Mexico.

Symptoms of the virus in dairy cattle include decreased lactation, low appetite, and thickening of milk.

To date, there have been no reported cases of HPAI in livestock within Arkansas, the state’s Department of Agriculture has reported. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) confirmed that a dairy farm worker tested positive for HPAI in Texas on April 1.

State officials take steps to avoid spread of avian influenza in dairy cattle

Texas, California residents top out-of-staters moving to Arkansas in ’23, DMV data shows

KUAR | By Hunter Field / Arkansas Advocate

From the Arkansas Advocate:

More new Arkansans moved to the Natural State last year from Texas and California than any other states, according to state driver’s license data.

The Division of Motor Vehicles issued 44,271 license transfers in 2023, offering one of the first looks at inbound migration.

The top seven states for in-bound license transfers last year were:

• Texas: 7,993

• California: 4,293

• Missouri: 3,329

• Oklahoma: 2,652

• Florida: 2,609

• Tennessee: 1,852

• Louisiana: 1,830

Texas, California residents top out-of-staters moving to Arkansas in ’23, DMV data shows

Nicole Xu For NPR

Thousands moved to Arkansas from neighboring states, California and Florida according to new data from the state Department of Finance and Administration.

Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration report shows where new residents came from

KUAR | By Ronak Patel

Using license registrations, the Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration (DFA) compiled a list to show where new residents are migrating from.

Scott Hardin, spokesperson for the DFA, said when new residents move to the state, they have to register for an Arkansas license and this information allows the department to see where residents are moving from. At the top of the list, was Texas with over 9,000 residents moving to Arkansas in 2022. Second on the list was California with slightly more than 5,000 of their residents moving to the state. Hardin said that caught the eye of the DFA.

“I don’t think you necessarily hear a lot about Californians moving to Arkansas from California. We hear a lot about Californians moving from California to Tennessee and to Austin,Texas. You hear about that but you don’t hear about Arkansas in that conversation, and I think Arkansas is becoming a piece of that conversation,” he said.

https://www.ualrpublicradio.org/local-regional-news/2023-04-20/arkansas-department-of-finance-and-administration-report-shows-where-new-residents-came-from

Creative Commons /

For the first time, the Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration look into where new residents are migrating from. In 2022, most of the new residents came from other southern states.

More than 40 million at risk for severe weather from Texas to Ohio

By Alex Sosnowski, AccuWeather senior meteorologist

“It will be like lighting a match,” one AccuWeather senior meteorologist said as she explained factors coming together for all modes of severe weather, including the potential for a few tornadoes.

Severe weather will erupt from the Gulf coast to the Great Lakes region from Wednesday night to Thursday night, AccuWeather meteorologists warn. Not only will the severe weather occur unusually far to the north for this time of year, but it will also come with the dangers of nighttime thunderstorms capable of spawning a few tornadoes and other hazards.

A potent storm will harness the power of the jet stream and moisture from the Gulf of Mexico to trigger severe thunderstorms that will put more than 40 million people at risk.

New Abortion Law in Texas Impacts Clinics in Arkansas

By MATTHEW MOORE

SB8, a new law in Texas that has made abortion effectively illegal after 6 weeks of pregnancy, means women are traveling out of state to get access to services. One clinic in Little Rock is already seeing Texans travel from nearly seven hours away.

https://www.kuaf.com/post/new-abortion-law-texas-impacts-clinics-arkansas

Texas Capitol Building

CLARK VAN DER BEKEN / UNSPLASH