U.S. Congressman Bruce Westerman and Governor Sarah Sanders applaud Army-Navy hospital security and fire protection grant

HOT SPRINGS - The Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation (OLDCC) awarded a federal grant for $2,750,000 to the state of Arkansas for security and fire protection services for the former Army-Navy Hospital property in Hot Springs. Congressman Bruce Westerman (AR-04) and Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders released the following statements applauding the announcement.

Congressman Westerman said, "This grant will provide critical funding for much-needed security and fire prevention services at the former Army-Navy Hospital, a site that holds so much value for Hot Springs and the entire state of Arkansas. With this grant, we are not only ensuring the safety of the buildings and surrounding areas, but we are one step closer to putting this historic site on a clear-cut path to safer and more beneficial use in the future."

Governor Sanders said, "The Army-Navy Hospital has a significant place in our state’s history and deserves proper care to stay viable for future use. I was proud to work with our federal, state, and local partners to help secure this grant and ensure the safety of the building and downtown Hot Springs. Very grateful for our congressional delegation for their leadership and making this happen."

Wikimedia Image - Old Army-Navy Hospital in Hot Springs, AR

BACKGROUND:

• The nearly 21-acre site of the former Army-Navy Hospital in Hot Springs, Arkansas, which sits atop the city's downtown on National Park Service land, is rapidly falling into disrepair. 

• The Army and Navy began use of the Hot Springs Reservation in 1887. The current major buildings, built by the U.S. Government in the 1930s, once served as the first general hospital in the country to serve Army and Navy patients.

• The site was deeded by the Army to the State of Arkansas in 1960 and became a state-run rehabilitation center; later being converted into the Arkansas Career Training Institute (ACTI).

• In 2020, the state ceased all operations at the site, and it has remained vacant since, falling victim to increased vandalism and unauthorized access, leading to serious safety and fire concerns for the surrounding areas.

ABOUT THE GRANT:

• On September 10th, the Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation (OLDCC) approved a federal grant for $2,750,000 to the State of Arkansas in support of the former Army-Navy Hospital in Hot Springs.

• The grant allows the state of Arkansas to provide security and fire protection services for the former Army-Navy Hospital property.

Congressman Westerman worked closely with Arkansas Senators Tom Cotton and John Boozman and Congressman Steve Womack (AR-03) to secure language (Section 2852) in the Fiscal Year 2024 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) to authorize funding for this grant. 

Anonymous Donors Give UAMS $9.7 Million During 2024 Fiscal Year

By Andrew Vogler

LITTLE ROCK — The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) received $9.7 million through anonymous gifts in the 2024 fiscal year, supporting several UAMS programs throughout Arkansas.

“During the 2024 fiscal year, one of UAMS’ highest fundraising years, we received several significant anonymous gifts that support a variety of programs in many parts of the state,” said Cam Patterson, M.D., MBA, UAMS chancellor and CEO of UAMS Health. “Though the contributors of these gifts would prefer to not be publicly acknowledged, it is difficult to not highlight the impact that these funds are having on the recipient programs.”

The Division of Institutional Advancement integrates donor and alumni relations with fundraising to secure resources and support for the UAMS Foundation Fund for the benefit of the UAMS mission.

Anonymous Donors Give UAMS $9.7 Million During 2024 Fiscal Year

John Erck, vice chancellor for the Division of Institutional Advancement.

UAMS Receives $5 Million to Reduce Infant Mortality Rates

By Linda Satter

LITTLE ROCK — The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) has received a $5 million Congressional appropriation to coordinate efforts across the state to reduce infant mortality.

Nirvana Manning, M.D., professor and chair of the UAMS Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, said the funding, administered by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), will allow UAMS to supply resources to every birthing hospital in the state and reach out directly to postpartum mothers to steer them to the appropriate help they may need.

The recently released funds were part of a legislative package championed by U.S. Sen John Boozman and approved in late March.

“Healthy, thriving families are key to a successful Arkansas, and UAMS consistently dedicates significant resources to help achieve that objective across our state. I was proud to secure a federal investment to enhance its infant and maternal care, so moms and babies receive proactive outreach and adequate medical support. Dr. Manning and her colleagues are terrific partners whose commitment to solving this challenge will continue demonstrating the merit in allocating these funds,” Boozman said.

UAMS Receives $5 Million to Reduce Infant Mortality Rates

Nirvana Manning, M.D.

Attorney General Tim Griffin joins bipartisan call on Congress to require Surgeon General warning for social media platforms

Griffin: ‘As the father of two teenagers myself, my interest in this issue goes beyond policy. It’s personal. We must protect our kids from the dangers that exist online’

LITTLE ROCK – Attorney General Tim Griffin today issued the following statement after he and 41 other attorneys general sent a letter urging Congress to pass legislation requiring a U.S. Surgeon General warning label on all algorithm-driven social media platforms:

“Social media platforms have become part of everyday life for most Americans, but it’s no secret that their algorithms are inherently addictive and can have devastating impacts on young people. That’s why I joined a bipartisan coalition of attorneys general in support of the U.S. Surgeon General’s recent call for Congress to require that a warning be placed on all algorithm-driven social media platforms.

Wikimedia Image

“The responsibility for protecting children begins and ends with parents, but we can all do more. As the father of two teenagers myself, my interest in this issue goes beyond policy. It’s personal. We must protect our kids from the dangers that exist online, including algorithms that entice them to consume unhealthy amounts of content that degrades their mental health.

“A Surgeon General’s warning on social media platforms isn’t a cure-all, but it’s a step in the right direction toward keeping our kids safe in digital spaces.”

Last year Arkansas was among the first states to file lawsuits against TikTok and Meta for deceiving consumers and pushing their addictive and harmful algorithms to minors. As noted in today’s letter to Congress, since Arkansas filed its lawsuits in the spring of 2023, a total of 45 states have now filed or joined similar lawsuits.

The letter was co-led by the attorneys general of California, Colorado, Kentucky, Mississippi, New Jersey, New York, and Tennessee. In addition to Arkansas, joining in signing the letter were the attorneys general of Alabama, American Samoa, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.

To read the letter, click here.

To download a PDF copy of this release, click here.

Walmart to tout fashion in a 40-city ‘Style Tour’

by Kim Souza (ksouza@talkbusiness.net)

Walmart is not known for its fashion apparel. But on the heels of a major revamp of the fashion department in its store remodels, the Bentonville-based retailer is hitting the road with plans to visit 40 U.S. cities through October with its first “Walmart Style Tour.”

The tour comes on the heels of a $2 billion revamp of its No Boundaries private fashion brand announced in June. The retail giant hired an experienced design group focused on the No Boundaries brands for Gen Z consumers (ages 14-27). Walmart also expanded the size range in the brand to fit XXS to 5X in young women and XS to 3X in young men.

Walmart announced the tour last week with a dedicated page at Walmart.com where customers can shop products on the tour that began in Chicago in conjunction with the Taste of Chicago event held Sept. 6 in Grant Park. The tour coincides with city festivals.

Walmart to tout fashion in a 40-city ‘Style Tour’

U.S. Senator Tom Cotton to UN: Is Hamas a terrorist organization?

Washington, D.C. — Senator Tom Cotton (R-Arkansas) today wrote a letter to the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk, highlighting his refusal to refusal to call Hamas a terrorist organization in the wake of their brutal execution of six hostages. Senator Cotton pointed out the UN’s repeated false equivalencies between the nation of Israel and the terrorist group Hamas.

In part, Senator Cotton wrote:

“Could you please answer this simple question: Is Hamas a terrorist organization?”

Full text of the letter can be found here and below.

September 10, 2024

Mr. Volker Türk
United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights
United Nations Plaza
New York, New York 10017

Dear Mr. Türk:

I write regarding your shocking failure to condemn the terrorists of Hamas. While you preen as the moral voice of the world, you’ve refused to call Hamas a terrorist organization and repeatedly drawn a false equivalence between Hamas and Israel.

You and your United Nations colleagues should immediately and unequivocally call Hamas what it is: a terrorist organization. The United States, United Kingdom, Israel, Australia, Japan, and even the European Union took this action long ago.

Yet moral blindness unfortunately seems to be your modus operandi—never more evident than in your statement earlier this month after Hamas executed six hostages. Although you professed that you were “horrified” by the executions, you failed even to mention Hamas as the murderer and called for an “independent” investigation into the killing. Hamas had already admitted to these barbaric murders, so I’m not sure what such an investigation would prove.

Of course, the United Nation has an obscene penchant for targeting and smearing Israel. From the UN’s infamous “Zionism is Racism” resolution a half century ago to its parroting of Hamas casualty numbers today, the UN consistently sides with terrorists against the Jewish state. Your office especially has shown contempt for Israel, repeatedly posting criticisms of Israel on your official social-media accounts and falsely accusing Israel of war crimes.

Your moral equivalence between brutal terrorists and a nation-state protecting its citizens is appalling. You have painted Israel as the aggressor while ignoring that Hamas bears responsibility for civilian deaths in Gaza.

But you can address these concerns with very little effort by simply joining the rest of the civilized world. Could you please answer this simple question: Is Hamas a terrorist organization?

Please respond to this letter no later than September 17. To make it very easy for you, I’ll happily accept a letter that says nothing more than “Hamas is a terrorist organization” between the salutation and the signature line.

Surely you can muster the courage to do that?

Sincerely,

____________________

Tom Cotton

United States Senator

USDA’s latest farm income estimate a tale of black swans, record yields, tenant farmers

By Mary Hightower
U of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture

LITTLE ROCK — The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s latest farm income forecast, showing a somewhat rosier picture than it forecast in February, is a tale of record yields, black swans and tenant farmers.

At left, Hunter Biram, at right, Ryan Loy, both extension economists with the U of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture.  The two chime in on the implications of the Sept. 5, 2024, farm income update from USDA. (U of A System Division of Agriculture image)

The report, released last Thursday, showed net farm income was expected to decline 4.4 percent, compared to the 22 percent USDA had forecast earlier in the year. The forecast is the result of a complex intertwining of factors including available stocks of commodities, predicted yields and “black swan” events such as the COVID pandemic and persistent drought.

USDA said net farm income was forecast at $140 billion, down 4.4 percent from the previous year.

Broad strokes

The overall farm income report is influenced by expectations for the sales of livestock and poultry and plant commodities. Cash receipts from commodity sales were expected to decrease by $9.8 billion, from $526.3 billion in 2023 to $516.5 billion in 2024.

“The expectations of animal receipts in February was much lower and that was putting downward pressure on everything else,” said Ryan Loy, extension economist for the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture. “But now, the USDA  thinks animal receipts are going to offset low crop receipts.”

USDA put the value of production of livestock at $19 billion and the value of crop production at minus $25.6 billion.

Loy said “On the crop receipt side of things — driven mostly by corn and soybeans, because they have the most acreage overall — corn is going to be down about $16 billion. Soybean is going to be down about $8.6 billion.

“What they’re predicting is just the crop receipts alone is going to be down about 10 percent to about $249 billion,” he said.

Record yields

Corn and soybean stocks from the previous growing year were high, and 2024 looks like another high-yield year. USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service was forecasting record corn and soybean yields for the United States, including Arkansas.

Slide from USDA presentation on farm income. ((mage courtesy USDA)

Following supply and demand, those high supplies mean “we don’t have any supply constraints on prices,” Loy said, a situation made worse by the lowering Mississippi River preventing shippers from moving full barges of commodities out to the Gulf of Mexico.

USDA also said the cost of crop production would decline by $4.4 billion, or 1 percent, due to lower costs of inputs such as fertilizer and fuel. Loy said the decline in production costs might have another cause: “They might be a function of leaner operations” that simply aren’t buying as many inputs as they have in previous years.

The forecast said farm sector assets would increase 5.2 percent while debt would increase 4.2 percent.

Farm equity is also a factor in how net farm income is calculated. USDA is forecasting a brighter picture with farm equity increasing 5.3 percent, although it’s unclear whether its equity forecast includes tenants that are non-farm owners — those who rent land to farm.

According to 2017 USDA figures, 6.7 percent of Arkansas farmers are tenants.

“The tenants are the ones who are really going to be impacted this year,” Loy said. “They don’t have as much of their equity in land. Land appreciates over time, whereas tenants typically have equity in depreciable assets, such as machinery.

“In a time where cash on hand is important, having equity in machinery versus land means you may only recover a portion of your debt obligation through sales of machinery,” Loy said.

Shifting from market-based to emergency-based

Government assistance to farmers was another significant shift under the report’s surface, said Hunter Biram, an extension economist with the Division of Agriculture. Biram is also associate director of the Southern Risk Management Education Center. This assistance is also included in the calculations for net farm income.

USDA said direct government payments were forecast to decline $1.8 billion, or 15.1 percent from 2023 to 2024.

There are several types of government assistance to agriculture: programs that provide a safety net from commodity market fluctuations, supplemental assistance in case of natural disaster, resource conservation incentive programs and ad hoc programs.

ARC, or Agriculture Risk Coverage, and PLC, or Price Loss Coverage, are market-based programs that financially protect farmers from substantial drops in crop prices or revenues. Both programs are legacies of the 2014 Farm Bill. Non-market-based assistance available to farmers includes ERP, or Emergency Relief Program, and ad hoc programs such as the Pandemic Assistance Revenue Program, Coronavirus Food Assistance Program and the Pandemic Market Volatility Assistance Program.

“What I find particularly interesting is that shift in proportion of assistance from majority ARC and PLC — market-based assistance — to majority supplemental assistance and ad hoc assistance,” he said.

“From 2015-18, the percentage of government assistance attributed to these market-based programs averaged about 48 percent,” Biram said. “Supplemental programs, that average was about 18 percent and conservation programs was about 31 percent.

“Now, if you look at 2019 through the 2024 report released on Sept. 5, the ARC-PLC percentage is 7 percent, the supplemental proportion is 69 percent, and conservation is 22 percent,” he said.

“The implication I see immediately is that the current market-based programs are potentially outdated,” he said. “They were written for the 2014 Farm Bill with no significant changes in the ’18 Farm Bill.”

Asked if the shift from market-based to ad-hoc was due to higher incidences of natural disasters or other events, Biram said, “it could possibly be from more frequent what people call ‘black swan’ events — these events that have very low probabilities of occurring like the pandemic, like the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

“It could be that supplemental assistance is more feasible to roll out versus changing the existing commodity programs,” he said. “But it doesn’t diminish the fact that the commodity program has not provided adequate risk protection in recent years. I think there is an implication for an improved safety net. And while these are low-probability events, I don’t think they explain the difference in 48 percent versus 7 percent.”

ERP on its own is another factor in the improved forecast for net farm income, Biram said.

“Most of the government assistance for the years 2022-2024 are the Emergency Relief Program and conservation programs,” Biram said. “ERP assistance for the 2020-2021 crop years was delivered in two phases in 2022 and 2023. In 2024, another round of phase one payments are projected to be released due to a rule which limited ERP assistance to producers who received federal crop insurance indemnities.”

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.

Governor Sanders Receives Report from Strategic Committee for Maternal Health

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LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders today received the Strategic Committee on Maternal Health’s report outlining recommended policies and programs to improve maternal health outcomes in Arkansas.
 
The Governor established the Committee through executive order on March 6, 2024, and initiated a six-month timeline for stakeholders to meet and discuss potential reforms. In that time, more than 100 stakeholders representing dozens of organizations have met more than 20 times to craft and discuss the recommendations included in this report.
 
“As the first mom to lead Arkansas, maternal health is personal. I’m not interested in headline-grabbing policies or duplicative government programs that don’t actually change maternal health outcomes. Instead, this Committee pursued a comprehensive, coordinated approach that will help healthier moms have healthier babies,” said Governor Sanders. “I’m grateful to all the stakeholders who participated in this discussion and I look forward to continuing our work to turn these ideas into action.”
 
“Collaboration is key to improving the health and wellness of Natural State mothers and infants. That’s why we’ve brought together experts and advocates through roundtables and partnerships to champion solutions to Arkansas’s maternal health crisis. I am grateful for Governor Sanders’ leadership to build on this momentum and take action to better serve the prenatal and postpartum needs in our state,” said Senator John Boozman.
 
“We are incredibly grateful that so many partners came together to consider obstacles to maternal and postpartum care that exist, and to align around this set of meaningful solutions which promise to make a real and positive difference in our state,” said Department of Human Services Secretary Kristi Putnam. “We will act on these changes as quickly as possible because we know they have the potential to improve the health of countless women and babies, and to save lives.”
 
“We are proud to present these strategies and recommendations today,” said Renee Mallory, Arkansas Secretary of Health.“This report is the result of many meetings and listening sessions with stakeholders across the state. While we’ve already begun this important work, we look forward to continuing to enact solutions to improve the health and well-being of moms and babies in Arkansas.” 
 
“As someone who has spent her career taking care of Arkansas women, I am inspired by the many conversations this committee started and the actions we will take as a result,” said Dr. Kay Chandler, Arkansas Surgeon General. “It will take efforts from many different groups across the state to move the needle, and I believe we’ve put together a road map to make that happen.”
 
“Medicaid pays for more than half of the pregnancies in our state, so it’s critical that we implement reforms so that care is available and encouraged every step of the way before, during, and after birth,” said Janet Mann, Department of Human Services Deputy Secretary of Programs and State Medicaid Director. “These recommendations and changes will remove barriers, improve care, and deliver better health outcomes.”
 
“I am encouraged to see so many people from different sectors come together to address this issue. As Chair of the Arkansas Maternal Mortality Review Committee, I can attest that the challenges surrounding maternal health are complex,” said Dr. Sam Greenfield, ADH Medical Director for Family Health. “This is a significant step that addresses specific findings and needs in Arkansas. I am supportive of these recommendations and look forward to the role enactment will play in improving health outcomes for mothers in our state.”
 
The report is linked here.

State of the State Mid-Year 2024: Medical providers pinched by disparity in costs, payments

by Steve Brawner (BRAWNERSTEVE@MAC.COM)

Arkansas health care providers are facing increasing costs without matching payment increases from government payers and insurance companies. It’s a major issue in a state that ranks near the bottom in maternal and infant mortality rankings.

Dr. Joe Thompson, president and CEO of the Arkansas Center for Health Improvement, a healthcare research and policy development organization, said the state is “still in a recovery mode from the acute effects of COVID.” Thompson was referring to inflationary pressures caused by the pandemic, when labor and supply costs increased dramatically. While hospitals are no longer relying on high-paid traveling nurses, the use of that resource during the pandemic has driven up labor costs for full-time staff.

At the same time, Medicaid, which serves primarily lower-income individuals, hasn’t increased payments, while Medicare, which serves older Arkansans, hasn’t increased them enough. Commercial insurance, the health care system’s other primary payer, is trying to limit reimbursement increases.

State of the State Mid-Year 2024: Medical providers pinched by disparity in costs, payments

Cotton to Mayorkas: American people have a right to know who is crossing southern border

U.S. Senator Tom Cotton

Washington, D.C. — Senator Tom Cotton (R-Arkansas) today wrote a letter to Department of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas expressing his concern over the refusal to disclose the nationality of individuals on the FBI’s terror watchlist who illegally crossed the southern U.S. border. Senator Cotton questioned the justification of protecting the “personal privacy” of suspected illegal alien terrorists and suggested that the decision to withhold information is a politically motivated attempt to hide evidence of the Biden-Harris border crisis.  

 Full text of the letter may be found here and below.

September 5, 2024

The Honorable Alejandro Mayorkas 

Secretary, Department of Homeland Security 

Washington, D.C. 20528 

Dear Secretary Mayorkas,

I write about troubling reports that the Department of Homeland Security is refusing to disclose the nationalities of FBI terror watchlist suspects who illegally crossed the southern border. 

In October 2023, Fox News filed a Freedom of Information Act request seeking disclosure of the nationalities of FBI terror watchlist suspects who unlawfully crossed the southern border. A letter denying Fox News’ request stated that your agency is “committed to protecting the identity of individuals” on the terror watchlist, and that the request was an “invasion of personal privacy.” Your agency asserted that the “privacy interests” of illegal-alien terrorists “far outweigh whatever public interest, if any, exists in having their information released.”

Your letter also dubiously claimed that terrorist organizations could exploit nationality information by “infer[ring] a large percentage of its operatives from a particular nationality” raise fewer terrorism red flags. Of course, if the Biden-Harris administration impartially enforced our laws and deported illegal aliens regardless of their origin, terrorists wouldn’t be able to game the system in the manner you describe.

I suspect that the real reason you’re unlawfully withholding this information about terror suspects’ nationalities isn’t due to privacy or security concerns, but rather partisan concerns that it would alarm the American people. Once again, you’re attempting to hide evidence of the Biden-Harris administration’s border crisis.

But the American people have a right to know who is crossing our border, especially when those illegal aliens have ties to terrorism. And that right, contrary to your bizarre assertion, “far outweighs” the privacy rights of illegal aliens suspected of terrorism. Honestly, I can’t believe I even have to write that sentence.

Congress has an oversight interest in this information as well. Therefore, please provide my office with the information sought in the Freedom of Information Act request made by Fox News no later than September 10.

Sincerely,

____________________

Tom Cotton

United States Senator

Silent Spoiler: Listeria outbreak raises food safety concerns

By Jenifer Fouch
University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture
Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — From deli counters to dinner tables, food safety relies on careful research and strict sanitation. As a multistate Listeria monocytogenes outbreak linked to deli meats raises concerns, researchers continue to work behind the scenes to ensure food safety standards.

Food safety scientists like Jennifer Acuff at the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station are dedicated to improving fresh and processed food safety and protecting food products from microbial contamination. Some of her work involves understanding how pathogens like listeria survive and spread — including in ready-to-eat foods.

LUNCH IS SERVED — As a multistate Listeria monocytogenes outbreak linked to deli meats raises concerns, researchers continue to work behind the scenes to ensure food safety standards. (U of A System Division of Agriculture photo by Nick Kordsmeier)

“One of the things that my research program focuses on is trying to control environmental conditions so that pathogens are not welcomed guests into that environment,” Acuff said.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service is investigating a multistate outbreak of infections linked to Boar's Head brand meats. So far, 7 million pounds of products have been recalled. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported nine deaths and 57 hospitalizations from 18 states.

“Whenever we see Listeria monocytogenes outbreaks, we see high hospitalization rates and alarmingly high mortality rates. And that’s because listeria has this incredible ability to cause an invasive infection,” Acuff said.

Acuff said listeria is unique because it’s what scientists call a psychrotroph, meaning it can survive and grow at cold temperatures, unlike other foodborne pathogens such as Salmonella and E. coli.

This characteristic makes ready-to-eat foods like deli meats particularly vulnerable since they can remain in cold storage for extended periods. And listeria and other pathogenic bacteria, Acuff says, is particularly dangerous because it doesn’t visibly spoil food, unlike molds.

“We can’t see them on our food. There’s never an indicator to us that the food is spoiled by a pathogen,” she said. “Doing the sniff test or looking at it to see if it looks okay doesn’t tell you if listeria is there.”

SCIENCE BEHIND SAFE FOOD — Food safety scientist Jennifer Acuff is a Cooperative Extension Specialist and also a member of the Center for Food Safety, which is part of the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station, the research arm of the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture. (U of A System Division of Agriculture photo by Fred Miller)

Acuff is a Cooperative Extension Specialist and also a member of the Center for Food Safety, which conducts research and develops technologies to detect, control and reduce foodborne pathogens, toxins, and chemicals, enhancing food safety from production to consumption. The center is part of the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station, the research arm of the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture.

“These appointments give me really good opportunities to integrate the research findings we’re looking into with what is actually applicable to our stakeholders in Arkansas — producers, consumers and scientists alike,” she said.

Where does listeria come from?

Listeria is a ubiquitous bacterium, meaning it’s naturally present in the environment, Acuff said, and that contamination often signals a sanitation problem in food processing.

“When we see listeria associated with a ready-to-eat food product, it automatically sends up red flags because we don’t want to see it in the processing plant,” she said. “It is so easy to accidentally track it in, whether through workers’ boots or clothing, leaks in the environment, or even pests.”

The FSIS reported several noncompliance violations at a Boar’s Head plant in Virginia, including the visible presence of mold, trash and insects.

Mitigating risks

According to the CDC, symptoms of listeriosis, the illness caused by Listeria monocytogenes, can take up to 10 weeks to appear, making it difficult to promptly trace the infection’s source. Many people who are immunocompetent recover without medical care, so the actual number of cases is likely higher than reported. Immunocompromised individuals, such as pregnant people and those taking immunosuppressant drugs, are at particular risk, though.

Acuff said consumers can take steps to reduce their risk of listeria exposure. If you have any of the recalled products at home, throw them away immediately. It is also a good idea to clean any surface area the product might have encountered.

For general consumption, one effective prevention method is to heat deli meats to 165 degrees Fahrenheit, reducing the risk of listeria infections. Acuff also encourages consumers to be proactive about food safety when dining out, especially during an ongoing outbreak.

“People should feel empowered to ask a restaurant where their deli meat comes from. It’s okay to ask for more information,” she said.While it’s impossible to produce food in a sterile environment, Acuff says it’s important to maintain strict sanitation standards to minimize risks.

“We don’t get to eat no-risk food,” she said. “So, being informed and knowing, ‘Am I willing to take this risk?’ is crucial.”

To learn more about the Division of Agriculture research, visit the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station website. Follow us on X at @ArkAgResearch, subscribe to the Food, Farms and Forests podcast and sign up for our monthly newsletter, the Arkansas Agricultural Research Report. To learn more about the Division of Agriculture, visit uada.edu. Follow us on X at @AgInArk. To learn about extension programs in Arkansas, contact your local Cooperative Extension Service agent or visit uaex.uada.edu.

UAMS Receives $3 Million NIH Grant to Address Feeding Practices at Early Child Care Sites

By David Robinson

LITTLE ROCK — University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) researcher Taren Massey-Swindle, Ph.D., and a Louisiana Tech University collaborator have secured a $3 million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to address feeding practices at 80 early childhood care and education sites in Arkansas and Louisiana.

Massey-Swindle and Julie Rutledge, Ph.D., from Louisiana Tech University in Ruston, found in prior studies that early childhood care and education settings frequently use inappropriate feeding practices such as hurrying children and encouraging them to eat more. Such practices contribute to eating less healthy foods, overeating and long-term food rejections.

A big part of the five-year, $3,043,419 grant from the NIH National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases is its “de-implementation” plans for eliminating inappropriate feeding practices.

UAMS Receives $3 Million NIH Grant to Address Feeding Practices at Early Child Care Sites

UAMS' Taren Massey-Swindle, Ph.D. (right), with her collaborator, Julie Rutledge, Ph.D., from Louisiana Tech University.

Seven-Ag coalition secures temporary restraining order against Biden-Harris Administration's latest attempt to unlawfully cancel student loans

LITTLE ROCK – Attorney General Tim Griffin issued the following statement after the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Georgia granted a request by a seven-state coalition of attorneys general for a temporary restraining order against the U.S. Department of Education’s latest unlawful attempt to cancel student loans:

“The Biden-Harris administration keeps trying to go around Congress, and they keep losing. This is the third attempt this administration has made to unilaterally erase student debt on the backs of taxpayers who either paid back their student loans or never took one out.

“I am proud to stand with my colleagues from Missouri, Georgia, Alabama, Florida, North Dakota and Ohio to stop the election-year theatrics of the Biden-Harris administration and remind the administration once again that only Congress has the authority to change the law. I look forward to continuing this fight in court.”

The temporary restraining order was granted after the court found that “Plaintiffs have obtained documents revealing the Secretary [of Education] is implementing this forgiveness plan … without publication and has been set on doing so since May.”

The court scheduled a hearing in the case for Wednesday, September 18.

To read a copy of the court’s order, click here.

For a printer-friendly version of this release, click here.

Upcoming webinar to address legal issues in farmers’ right to repair equipment

By Drew Viguet
National Agricultural Law Center
U of A System Division of Agriculture

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Can farmers legally repair their own equipment?

The question is more complex than it appears. With continued technological advancements, companies that manufacture farming equipment may use sophisticated and proprietary technology and software which only the manufacturer has the ability and permission to repair.

The National Ag Law Center's Sept. 18 webinar will feature a discussion on the right to repair as it applies to agriculture. The presentation will be led by Ross Pifer, director of the Penn State Center for Agricultural and Shale Law. (U of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture photo by Kevin Lawson)

Such was the case with John Deere, which eventually entered into a memorandum of understanding with the American Farm Bureau Federation in January 2023 allowing farmers access to tools and diagnostic equipment for repairs. The MOU is one example of the outcome of conversations surrounding the “right to repair.”

“This has been a topic of discussion in the agricultural community and beyond for some time now,” said Ross Pifer, director of the Penn State Center for Agricultural and Shale Law. “The right-to-repair movement advocates for policies that enable farmers to fix and modify their machinery without facing legal or technical barriers. In agriculture, there is widespread interest in right to repair, though there are differences of opinion on how to define and implement it.”

Last year, Minnesota became the sixth state to enact a right-to-repair law with its Digital Fair Repair Act. Of the six states that have enacted such laws — Minnesota, California, Colorado, Maine, Massachusetts and New York — Colorado is the only state to have enacted a law that specifically gives farmers the right to repair their own equipment.

More information on the American Farm Bureau Federation MOU and the right to repair is available online from the National Agricultural Law Center, or NALC.

“Each statute is similar in its general purpose, but they differ in their approach and the scope of coverage,” Pifer said.

Pifer will discuss the status of the right-to-repair movement as it applies to agriculture during a Sept. 18 NALC webinar, “Right to Repair and Agriculture.” The webinar is free to attend, but registration is required. Interested participants can register and find more details on the National Agricultural Law Center’s website. The presentation will begin at 11 a.m. Central/Noon Eastern.

“The right to repair is a critical issue that affects every farmer's ability to manage and maintain their equipment,” according to NALC Director Harrison Pittman. “We're excited to have Ross guide us through the legal landscape and practical challenges surrounding this important topic. This webinar is a must for anyone invested in the future of agriculture.”

For information about the National Agricultural Law Center, visit nationalaglawcenter.org or follow @Nataglaw on X. 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 twice-monthly newsletter highlighting recent legal developments facing agriculture.

Attorney General Tim Griffin leads bipartisan coalition securing nationwide $190 Million unclaimed property settlement with Delaware

LITTLE ROCK – Attorney General Tim Griffin today issued the following statement announcing that Arkansas, Pennsylvania, California, Texas, and Wisconsin—on behalf of a bipartisan coalition of 30 states—have agreed to a settlement with officials from Delaware to end the outstanding damages phase of an unclaimed property dispute won by Arkansas before the United States Supreme Court in 2023:

“This settlement concludes nearly eight years of litigation over unclaimed Official Checks and returns more than $190 million to the people of Arkansas, our coalition partners, and other states. I’m proud of our work on this important case, and I’m grateful to our coalition partners—particularly the attorneys general of California, Texas, and Wisconsin, and attorneys for Pennsylvania—for their hard work on this matter.

“I want to express my appreciation to Solicitor General Nicholas Bronni, who argued the case before the United States Supreme Court. I look forward to reuniting the people of Arkansas with their money.”

The settlement effectively ends the remaining damages phase of the consolidated actions Delaware v. Pennsylvania and Arkansas v. Delaware. Arkansas’s share of the settlement totals $761,907.91 plus interest earned and expenses.

In February 2023, the United States Supreme Court unanimously agreed with Arkansas’s arguments in Arkansas v. Delaware, which centered on which state is entitled to take custody of funds payable on unclaimed official checks sold by MoneyGram, a money transfer services company that operates in all 50 states and internationally.

In 2016, Arkansas brought an original jurisdiction action in the Supreme Court seeking more than $250 million in unclaimed funds from uncashed MoneyGram official check products that were wrongly handed over to Delaware.

Under the Federal Disposition Act, proceeds on unclaimed money orders, traveler’s checks, and similar items must be turned over to the state where the item was purchased. Yet since 2005, MoneyGram has turned those funds over to Delaware, as its state of incorporation.

In the opinion issued by Associate Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, a unanimous court agreed that those funds are governed by the Federal Disposition Act and that MoneyGram should have turned those funds over to Arkansas and its coalition partners, not Delaware. As a result of that opinion, since February 2023, MoneyGram has been required to report sums on unclaimed unofficial checks to the state of purchase and funds associated with instruments purchased in Arkansas have been deposited with the Auditor of State’s unclaimed property fund.

The settlement resolves what happens with money deposited with Delaware prior to the Supreme Court’s unanimous opinion. Under the terms of the settlement, Delaware will transfer more than $102 million of the property that MoneyGram reported to Delaware from 2011 to 2017 to the coalition states, based on each monetary instrument’s place of purchase. Delaware’s transfer represents roughly half of the report years disputed in the litigation.

In addition, approximately $89 million deposited by MoneyGram in a litigation escrow account from 2018 to 2022, plus interest earned, will be distributed among all 50 states based on each instrument’s place of purchase. The coalition states will receive nearly $55 million, plus interest earned, from the escrow account.

States will assume custody and responsibility to return any property received under the terms of the settlement or from the escrow account to the owners, including paying any claims of property. The settlement and escrow funds will be deposited with the Auditor of State’s unclaimed property fund, where they can be reclaimed by Arkansans.

To read the Supreme Court’s unanimous opinion, click here.

To read the agreement, click here.

For a printer-friendly version of this release, click here.

Boozman: Biden-Harris Administration is Failing Farmers and Rural America on Trade

WASHINGTON—U.S. Senator John Boozman (R-AR), ranking member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, issued the following statement after the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) released its latest outlook projecting a record negative agriculture trade deficit for fiscal year 2025. 

“We have entered uncharted territory with the latest projected data on the U.S. agricultural trade deficit.

The Biden-Harris administration is failing our farmers, ranchers and foresters when it comes to maintaining our competitive advantage in the global marketplace.

The President and his team simply must do more to actively engage and aggressively advocate for our agriculture producers on the world stage. There is just no way around it.

Congress must also step up to the plate and pass a new farm bill that makes a robust investment in USDA’s trade promotion programs. The framework Senate Republicans released doubles funding for the Market Access Program and the Foreign Market Development Program, the farm bill’s premier trade promotion programs. This is an excellent place to start. Anything less is yet another a step in the wrong direction.” 

Background: The first USDA U.S. agricultural trade forecast for fiscal year (FY) 2025 reveals the agricultural trade deficit growing from a previous record of negative $30.5 billion in FY 2024 to a new record of negative $42.5 billion. U.S. agricultural exports in FY 2025 are projected at $169.5 billion, down $4 billion from FY 2024 and the lowest since FY 2020, while imports are projected to grow by $8 billion from FY 2024 to a record $212 billion.

2024 Avian Influenza Summit to address virus’ impacts on global health beyond poultry

By Ryan McGeeney
U of A System Division of Agriculture 

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — While surges in colds, flu and even COVID may come and go, agricultural producers are always on the lookout for avian influenza — and not just in poultry flocks. In 2024, highly pathogenic avian influenza has been detected not only in birds, but cattle, swine and humans as well.

MORE THAN FOWL — The 2024 International Avian Influenza and One Health Emerging Issues Summit will feature 55 speakers over four days, addressing the virus' effect not only in birds, but other species as well. (Division of Agriculture image.)

To address the current state of HPAI, the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture’s Center of Excellence for Poultry Science will host the International Avian Influenza and One Health Emerging Issues Summit on Sept. 30 – Oct. 3 at the Don Tyson Center for Agricultural Sciences in Fayetteville, Arkansas.

While the general public may be most familiar with the H5N1 strain of HPAI, multiple viruses have infected tens of millions of birds and more than 20 species of mammals worldwide since 2022. In response, event organizers have expanded the scope of this year’s annual summit to address emerging issues affecting cattle, swine, bees, humans and more as part of the “One Health” concept.

This year’s summit will feature 55 speakers over four days, more than doubling the number of speakers at the 2023 two-day conference. More than 1,800 individuals from 81 countries registered for the 2023 summit.

In-person attendance is limited to 200 people and online attendance is limited to 1,000 participants this year. There is no cost to attend either way, but registration is required. To register, visit https://internationalavianinfluenzasummit.uada.edu/registration/. To see a complete agenda listing speakers and topics, visit https://internationalavianinfluenzasummit.uada.edu/agenda/.

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.

State of the State Mid-Year 2024: Arkansas’ manufacturing sector producing more ‘with fewer workers’

by Michael Tilley (mtilley@talkbusiness.net)

Arkansas’ manufacturing sector accounts for 12% of the state’s total payroll jobs and could add more than 1,000 jobs if recent growth rates continue, according to economist Greg Kaza. Job numbers in the sector remain well below peak employment in February 1995.

Kaza, executive director of the Little Rock-based Arkansas Policy Foundation, said the sector, once the largest jobs sector in the state, still is a big job generator.

“The manufacturing private industry sector continues to make a significant contribution to Arkansas’ economy. One might say, ‘It’s firing on four cylinders with the potential for six.’ In terms of jobs, manufacturing adds nearly one in eight jobs, or 12% of total Arkansas payroll employment, according to U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics records,” Kaza noted in a brief analysis provided to Talk Business & Politics before July numbers were available.

State of the State Mid-Year 2024: Arkansas’ manufacturing sector producing more ‘with fewer workers’

For 10th Year, UAMS Nationally Recognized for Commitment to High-Quality Stroke Care

By Linda Satter

LITTLE ROCK — The American Heart Association (AHA) and the American Stroke Association awarded the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) with its highest level of stroke recognition for the 10th consecutive year for providing stroke patients with the most advanced treatments, leading to the best outcomes.

In addition to the Get With The Guidelines – Stroke Gold Plus quality achievement award, the AHA recognized UAMS with three Honor Roll awards for its quick treatment of stroke patients after arrival and its up-to-date, evidence-based care for stroke patients with Type 2 diabetes, who face a higher risk of complications.

The other awards are the Target: Stroke Honor Roll Elite, the Target: Stroke Advanced Therapy Honor Roll and the Target: Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll. UAMS previously received the honor roll elite and Type 2 diabetes honor roll recognitions, but 2024 marks the first time that UAMS was named to the Target: Stroke Advanced Therapy Honor Roll as well.

For 10th Year, UAMS Nationally Recognized for Commitment to High-Quality Stroke Care

State of the State Mid-Year 2024: Arkansas tourism continues to be a strong industry

by Tina Alvey Dale (tdale@talkbusiness.net)

Arkansas Tourism Director Dalaney Thomas said the state’s 2% tourism tax collections continue to rise with fiscal year 2024 (June 2023-July 2024) closing out at a record $26.363 million, up 5.13% compared with the recent fiscal year.

“Arkansas’ travel industry continues to see growth in large part thanks to the expansion of the state’s marketing footprint and the return of strong business and corporate travel,” Thomas said.

The tax collections are directly allocated toward promotion of the state, and Thomas said those efforts are working.

State of the State Mid-Year 2024: Arkansas tourism continues to be a strong industry