Butterball closing Jonesboro plant, 180 workers affected

by George Jared (gjared@talkbusiness.net)

Butterball will shutter its Jonesboro turkey processing facility next year impacting about 180 workers. The tentative plan is to close the plant by Feb. 3, 2025, according to a release from the company.

A reason for the closure was not released. Production at the Jonesboro plant, which produced cooked, ready-to-eat deli breasts, will be moved to other Butterball facilities.

Workers at the plant were informed during a meeting Wednesday (Dec. 4). Those who stay will be paid in compliance with the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notifications Act. It wasn’t immediately known if some of the displaced workers will be moved to other facilities within the company’s system.

Butterball closing Jonesboro plant, 180 workers affected

Weekly Update from State Representative DeAnn Vaught

As the holiday season approaches, many of us are starting to think about our shopping lists and where we want to spend our hard-earned money. Now is the perfect time to consider supporting small businesses in Arkansas.

First and foremost, shopping at small businesses is a direct way to support your local community. With over 280,000 small businesses across the state, they represent 99.3% of all Arkansas businesses. By choosing to shop locally, you’re not just supporting the owners and employees of these establishments; you’re contributing to the economic health of your neighborhood. Small businesses are often the backbone of communities, providing jobs and a unique sense of identity. In fact, 47.5% of all Arkansas employees work for small businesses, underscoring their importance in our local economy.

Many small retailers curate products made locally or sourced from independent artisans, allowing you to give truly one-of-a-kind gifts to your loved ones. By supporting these businesses, you are investing in the creativity and talent of artists and craftsmen within your community.

Moreover, when you spend your dollars at small businesses, you ensure that a significant portion stays within the local economy. Research indicates that 68 cents of every dollar spent at a small business remains in the community, creating a ripple effect that helps to create jobs and contribute to the overall economic well-being of your area. This reinvestment is crucial, especially during the holiday season when many businesses are counting on the influx of seasonal shoppers to sustain them through the year.

Additionally, small businesses play a critical role in job creation, accounting for two-thirds of net new jobs in our country. They drive innovation and competition, which ultimately benefits consumers by providing more choices and better services. 

This holiday season, let’s celebrate local businesses and the vital role they play in making Arkansas a vibrant place to live and work.

Attorney General Griffin Announces Hiring of Jeff Chandler as Deputy AG to Lead Special Prosecutions Division

Griffin: ‘As a longtime prosecutor, Deputy AG Chandler understands the unique needs and challenges of prosecuting attorneys’

LITTLE ROCK – Attorney General Tim Griffin issued the following statement announcing a new Deputy Attorney General for Special Prosecutions in his office:

“I am pleased to announce that I have hired Jeff Chandler as Deputy Attorney General to lead my Special Prosecutions Division. Deputy AG Chandler’s extensive experience as a prosecutor, public defender, and as an officer in the U.S. Army Reserve Judge Advocate General’s Corps make him an excellent pick to lead this division.

“My Special Prosecutions Division works with prosecutors across Arkansas to provide support when needed and assist in prosecutions, particularly in the areas of human trafficking, organized retail crime, internet crimes against children, and public integrity. As a longtime prosecutor, Deputy AG Chandler understands the unique needs and challenges of prosecuting attorneys.”

Chandler is a retired lieutenant colonel who served in the U.S. Army Reserve Judge Advocate General’s Corps and served as the Chief Deputy Prosecutor of the 5th Judicial District from 1998 to 2018. Since 2018 he has worked for the Arkansas Public Defender Commission – Capital Conflicts and Appellate Division, where he defended capital murder cases. Chandler received his undergraduate degree in microbiology and molecular genetics from Oklahoma State University and his law degree from the University of Arkansas School of Law in Fayetteville.

Boozman, Welch Lead Push to Protect Access to Medicare Services

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators John Boozman (R-AR) and Peter Welch (D-VT), along with 39 of their colleagues, are calling on Senate leaders to protect access to Medicare services by ensuring health care providers who treat Medicare patients are adequately compensated for the care they deliver.

The U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is proposing a rule to cut payments to Medicare-serving physicians by 2.8 percent in 2025. This would represent the fifth consecutive year that reimbursement rates were reduced.

“Persistent instability in the health care sector––due, in part, to consistent payment cuts––impacts the ability of physicians and clinicians to provide the highest quality of care,” the senators wrote to Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Republican Leader Mitch McConnell. “These continued payment cuts undermine the ability of independent clinical practices––especially in rural and underserved areas––to care for their communities. Some practices have limited the number of Medicare patients they see, or the types of services offered.”

Text of the letter can be found below and here.

Dear Majority Leader Schumer and Minority Leader McConnell:

We write to request that you urgently address the 2.8 percent cut to Medicare payments that will go into effect on January 1, 2025. Failure to address these cuts will threaten the continued ability of physicians and other healthcare providers to care for their patients.

On November 1, 2024, the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released the Calendar Year 2025 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (MPFS) Final Rule, which includes provisions subjecting all physicians and other clinicians treating Medicare patients in the outpatient setting to a 2.8 percent payment cut. The scheduled cut represents the fifth consecutive year that CMS has issued a fee schedule lowering payments to physicians and other clinicians.

Persistent instability in the health care sector–due, in part, to consistent payment cuts–impacts the ability of physicians and clinicians to provide the highest quality of care. These continued payment cuts undermine the ability of independent clinical practices–especially in rural and underserved areas–to care for their communities. Some practices have limited the number of Medicare patients they see, or the types of services offered.

In addition to addressing the looming 2.8 percent payment cut, Congress must develop long-term legislative solutions to reform the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act (MACRA), such as enacting targeted reforms to statutory budget neutrality requirements and payment updates reflective of inflationary pressures. These efforts are critical to supporting patient access to high-quality Medicare-covered services and bolstering our healthcare workforce.

On behalf of patients and healthcare providers, we look forward to working together to address the 2.8 percent payment cut and create stability in the Medicare program for our nation’s seniors.

We appreciate your attention to this critical matter.

Sincerely,

Traditional Thanksgiving meal cost down 5% from 2023

by Kim Souza (ksouza@talkbusiness.net)

Families celebrating Thanksgiving with a traditional turkey dinner could pay about 5% less than a year ago, with the cost averaging $58.50 for a group of 10. The 2024 estimated cost is below the $61.17 in 2023, according to the American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF).

A Thanksgiving meal is still 19% more expensive than in 2019 as food inflation has remained sticky since the pandemic. Turkey prices are cheaper this year with supply outpacing demand. The average price for a 16-pound turkey is $25.67, about 6% cheaper than a year ago. Several retailers discounted turkey prices since the survey was completed the first week of November.

“The turkey is traditionally the main attraction on the Thanksgiving table and is typically the most expensive part of the meal,” said AFBF Economist Bernt Nelson. “The American turkey flock is the smallest it’s been since 1985 because of avian influenza, but overall demand has also fallen, resulting in lower prices at the grocery store for families planning a holiday meal.”

Traditional Thanksgiving meal cost down 5% from 2023

AGFC director announces resignation

BY Randy Zellers

MOUNTAIN VIEW — Arkansas Game and Fish Commission Director Austin Booth tendered his resignation during today’s monthly commission meeting at the Ozark Folk Center Visitor Center auditorium. Booth’s resignation becomes effective Jan. 4, 2025. He’s been the AGFC director since 2021.

Booth explained that the commitments of his family and faith had to be balanced with the duties of his position at the AGFC over the last three and a half years, and he wished to be able to devote more time to his family and allow someone else to take the reigns of the agency with the intensity needed to continue moving forward in the pursuit of conservation.

“I want to thank my wife and my kids and my mom and dad and my in-laws … for keeping me grounded, for pointing me to Jesus, for their encouragement and for making sacrifices so I can be effective,” Booth said. “It has been an incredible three and a half years and I have no people to thank more than my family.”

Booth said he will be transitioning to the private sector after 13 years of commitment to his country and state.

AGFC Commission Chairman J.D. Neeley thanked Booth for his service and dedication to the men and women who enjoy and depend upon Arkansas’s natural resources.

“On behalf of the other commissioners and the staff of the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, I want to thank Austin Booth, our director, for the last three and a half years of tireless dedication to the Commission and the people of the great state of Arkansas,” Neeley offered in a statement following the announcement. “There’s a saying, ‘Iron sharpens iron.’ His leadership has taken a tremendously skilled group of staff and strengthened our ability to put habitat and people first. His motto, ‘See you in the field,’ meant he had his sleeves rolled up and wanted to lead by example — a true servant leader.”

Neeley said Booth’s hiring in 2021 was one of the best decisions the Commission had made in his seven-year term as a commissioner. His role in the development of the agency’s five-year strategic plan, “The Natural State Tomorrow,” has left not only a footprint of success to build upon, but a blueprint to address the future of conservation in Arkansas.

“Booth’s plans and leadership will impact all hunters, anglers and conservationists; those present now and those yet to be born,” Neeley said. “While we are deeply saddened by his departure, we wish him and his family all the best and success in their future endeavors.”

In the last three years, Booth’s leadership has driven the AGFC to a level of performance and accountability never before seen in such a short period of time. The Natural State Tomorrow was only one of many milestones highlighting his time at the Commission. “People first, habitat always,” was a mantra often spoken during Booth’s presentations. He not only spoke these words, but lived them. In his first year at the AGFC, Booth took the challenge of restoring the AGFC’s famous greentree reservoirs head on, reinvigorating the efforts staff had placed in ensuring these valuable habitats continued to produce hunting memories for generations to come. He spoke to crowds at events promoting the AGFC’s actions, not preaching from a pulpit, but standing among the men and women he served.

“Would you rather stand here years from now and tell your grandchildren how great the duck hunting used to be, or have your grandchildren come to you and tell you how great the duck hunting is for them,” Booth would ask.

Tackling legacy issues was a common theme in Booth’s tenure as AGFC director.

The continued decline of aquatic habitat and infrastructure on Craig D. Campbell Lake Conway Reservoir was looming during the last decade. Never one to shrink from a challenge, Booth stepped up to the plate and convinced the Commission that a full-scale renovation was needed. Not only will the 76-year-old infrastructure be completely revamped to better accommodate water levels without manually lifted gates, but the entire lake is seeing a renewal. Nearly 30 miles of boat lanes will be upgraded to increase navigation safety, massive habitat projects will be completed to increase spawning, and brood-rearing habitat for fish and vegetation will grow along the lakebed to create a “new lake” effect, boosting productivity for the forage and game fish that will be stocked upon the lake’s return.

Stocking of fish saw a major turning point thanks to Booth’s vision as well. Thanks to his pursuits, Titan MAXX bass were stocked for the first time anywhere in a public reservoir. These thoroughbred Florida bass were chosen to be part of the building blocks of the newly restored Lake Monticello, another AGFC achievement that reached fruition during Booth’s time. A partnership with Red Hills Fishery of Georgia will ensure this same quality trophy bass will continue to be used in AGFC bass management and will be some of the first game fish to be placed into Lake Conway upon its completion as well.

The agency also saw a huge expansion in the state’s bear season, opening most of southwest and south-central Arkansas to bear harvest for the first time in modern history. He also tasked the agency’s Wildlife Management Division with a groundbreaking telemetry research project and developed a funding model for the technology needed to support this research through donations by Blood Origins to provide GPS collars to track and monitor bears in the newly opened zones during the inaugural season.

The entire structure of the AGFC saw many improvements during the last three years as well. Booth’s vision to elevate habitat enhancement on private land throughout the state as well as his commitment to grow recreational shooting in Arkansas prompted the development of two new divisions focused on these goals.

The Private Lands Habitat Division has hit the ground running, increasing habitat quality on private land throughout the state and championing many of the AGFC’s successful new initiatives. In the last five years, the agency’s Waterfowl Rice Incentive Enhancement Program has ballooned from 10 hunting locations to more than 65 spread across the state. Booth also pursued a special set-aside fund from the Arkansas General Assembly in 2023 which created the AGFC’s Conservation Incentive Program to deliver $3.5 million to private landowners for habitat work on their property.

“Private landowners hold nearly 90 percent of the land in Arkansas,” Booth said. “If we do an absolutely perfect job on all the land we manage at the AGFC, we’re still only improving 10 percent of what is possible. This program and division are here to change that.”

As for recreational shooting the Arkansas Youth Shooting Sports, Archery in the Schools and AGFC Shooting Range programs were all mainstays in the agency’s Education Division, but Booth had the forethought to break these programs into a standalone division to increase visibility and focus on the contributions recreational shooters provide to conservation.

“Shooting sports is absolutely integral to hunting, but recreational shooters contribute so much more to conservation even if they never set foot in the woods,” Booth said. “The money derived from firearms and ammunition sales funds conservation on its own through Pitman-Robinson excise taxes. We want to support those men and women as much as they support conservation.”

In his closing address, Booth thanked the Commission, staff and many partners who make conservation work possible in The Natural State.

“I have always called Arkansas home, even when I didn’t live here for 15 years,” Booth said. “I love this state so much and I always knew that it had so much to do with the hard work of the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission. Thank you so much to our staff and commissioners for letting me be a part of that even if it was just for three and a half years.

“I will let history and the next director say whether I’ve left it better than I found it,” Booth said as he closed. “But I do know that y’all have left me better than I was three and half years ago. Thank y’all, and I’ll see you in the field.”

In other business, the Commission:

• Heard presentation from AGFC Nongame Mammal Program Coordinator Blake Sasse updating them on the 2023-24 furbearer harvest and the status of many bat species in the state.

• Heard an update on the AGFC’s Private Lands Habitat Division and the many programs offered to benefit wildlife habitat for all Arkansans.

• Approved a $215,000 increase to the Information Technology Division budget to update and renovate the audio-visual capabilities in the AGFC’s Little Rock headquarters auditorium.

• Approved a $191,000 increase to the IT Division to install additional fiber optic lines and upgrade the security of the AGFC Mayflower Office and Enforcement Radio Dispatch Center.

• Approved a $36,000 budget increase to the Fisheries Division to replace items destroyed in May by a tornado at the AGFC field office in Rogers.

• Extended their condolences to the family of former Commissioner Craig D. Campbell, who died Nov. 9.

Take a chance on conservation with the AGFF’s ‘12 Guns of Christmas’

BY Randy Zellers

LITTLE ROCK — The Arkansas Game and Fish Foundation has the perfect opportunity to contribute to conservation efforts in Arkansas and maybe pick up a fantastic gift for that someone special on your holiday shopping list. Tickets for their annual “12 Guns of Christmas” membership drive are available now.

“We only have 1,000 of these tickets available, and each one gets you in 12 different drawings, each for a great firearm you can give to a loved one or put under the tree with your own name on the card,” Tyler Lawrence, director of events and programming for the AGFF, said. “Tickets are only $35, and you’ll also be added to the AGFF’s Gun Club membership, receiving a window decal and subscriptions to the AGFF’s newsletter.”

Lawrence says proceeds from this membership drive will go toward supporting the year-round work of the Foundation, which works closely with the Arkansas Game and Fish Foundation to promote outdoor activities and support many AGFC programs such as Youth Shooting Sports, Archery in the Schools, Becoming an Outdoors-Woman and the many nature centers across the state, including the recently developed Simmons Family Farm, which specializes in providing mentored hunting experiences for youths and other beginning hunters.

Drawings for the firearms will be held Dec. 10-21, with one gun given away each day. Winners will be posted on the AGFF Facebook page and notifications will be sent via phone and email to the lucky winners. All winners must pass a federal background check to claim their prize.

Visit the AGFF’s bid site at https://one.bidpal.net/agff/browse/fixedPrice(details:item/2) to enter. A complete list of AGFF events is available at www.agff.org/events.

Attorney General Griffin Partners with University of Arkansas to Secure State’s Constitutional Documents

Griffin: ‘It is well past time that we bring these historical resources into the modern age by digitizing them and making them available to everyone’

LITTLE ROCK – Attorney General Tim Griffin today issued the following statement announcing a joint effort by his office and the University of Arkansas, who will be working with the University of Oxford’s Quill Project to preserve historical documents related to the framing and ratification of the current Arkansas Constitution and previous versions and make them more easily accessible for research and public consumption:

“It is fitting that as we mark the 150th anniversary of the Arkansas Constitution, my office is working with the University of Arkansas to preserve and digitize the documents relating to our current constitution and previous versions dating back to our state’s founding.

“Thousands of legal opinions, law review articles, and legal memos are written every single year without the benefit of the documents that we possess in our archives. Why don’t we avail ourselves of the information that we possess? Because documents related to Arkansas’s constitutions, the current version of which was ratified in 1874, are publicly available, but not easily accessible. Someone wanting to research and read the documents must drive to their location and physically thumb through thousands of files.

“Not only are these documents difficult to access, but they also aren’t searchable. They aren’t digitized and, as a result, cannot be searched in the course of normal legal research as you would with cases, for example. While completing a recent research project, staff in my office spent several days rummaging through boxes of old documents, many of which are deteriorating and have been damaged over time.

“It is well past time that we bring these historical resources into the modern age by digitizing them and making them available to everyone. To do that, I am committing funding to the University of Arkansas to lead this initiative. The University of Arkansas will work in conjunction with the University of Oxford and its Quill Project that provides a portal for legal research involving all 50 states and the federal government and has established itself as the authority and leader on this type of research.
“This tool will revolutionize scholarship surrounding the Arkansas Constitution, providing a benefit not just to researchers and archivists, but also judges, attorneys, elected officials, and everyday citizens. This effort represents a collaboration between my office, the University of Arkansas, the University of Oxford, the Quill Project, and the State Archives. This is a monumental step for the State of Arkansas and an effort that will benefit generations of Arkansans to come.”

University of Arkansas Chancellor Dr. Charles F. Robinson provided this statement:

“As a land-grant institution, the University of Arkansas is dedicated to serving the people of our state and nation. Joining the Quill Project provides an incredible opportunity to fulfill this commitment by preserving Arkansas’s constitutional history and enriching our collective understanding of the foundations of American democracy.”

Senior Research Fellow and director of the Quill Project at the University of Oxford, Dr. Nicholas Cole of Pembroke College provided this statement:

“Democracy is stronger in America than anywhere else in the world, and Americans instinctively know that it is because of their federal system. Too little attention has been to the history of state constitutions. The history of institutions is something that, in the last few generations, has fallen out of the curriculum. If you understand the history of democratic institutions and how hard it is to reach agreement over very difficult issues, then I think you have more understanding of why things have evolved the way they have evolved.

“A minority of the world’s population have ever lived under democratic government at any one time. Democracy is a fragile and difficult thing. I think this project is about not taking it for granted.”

Dr. Cynthia Nance, Dean of the University of Arkansas School of Law, shared the following statement:
“The University of Arkansas School of Law is honored to contribute to this significant project, which will offer Arkansas citizens, researchers, and members of the judiciary and legal profession deeper insights into the origins of the state’s constitutional provisions. We commend the Attorney General for his leadership in pursuing this critical initiative.”

Dr. Colin Crawford, Dean of the University of Arkansas at Little Rock’s Bowen School of Law, issued the following statement:

“The Quill Project promises to be an outstanding resource for scholars, lawyers, and citizens in Arkansas. I was trained as a historian before going to law school, and I know that historical context matters to understanding the law and our legal traditions. Being able easily to access the sorts of historical legal materials that the Quill Project identifies is sure to lead to better-informed thinking about and understanding of the law.”

Dr. David Ware, State Historian and Arkansas State Archives Director, shared the following:

“Studying and debating the origins, intentions and the contents of state and national constitutions is an important, vital part of citizenship. Often, one hears assertions of constitutional rights or the original intent of constitutions’ framers, based on beliefs or wishful thinking, rather than acquaintance with and examination of the available evidence. The Quill Project will collect that evidence and promises to make it generally, conveniently available, which is a big step on the road to better general understanding of the ‘whats and whys and wherefores’ of our constitutions. This is a collection of good work – the work of archives, libraries, historians and any who love the principle of law and enjoy studying it.”

Jason Battles, Dean of the University of Arkansas Libraries, provided the following statement:

“The Quill Project is an exciting undertaking for the University of Arkansas Libraries and we are grateful to Attorney General Griffin for entrusting us with the task of incorporating the rich constitutional history of Arkansas. Our participation will achieve multiple worthy goals: preserve at-risk documents, bring these documents together into one searchable site, and add important context to convention proceedings, related committee activities, and even delegate correspondence thus providing a more complete story of how critical documents of our state’s history came to be.”

Howard Brill, Professor at the University Arkansas School of Law and former Chief Justice of the Arkansas Supreme Court, said:

“The Quill Project will be of singular importance to attorneys and judges. I teach a course on the Arkansas Constitution and these documents will provide valuable background information. In addition, when I was on the Court, I authored a dissenting opinion in Trujillo v. State, 2016 Ark. 49, which required an interpretation of a provision of the Arkansas Declaration of Rights as it appeared in all five Arkansas Constitution. These primary source documents would have been of great help in writing that opinion.”

Williams Baptist College Professor Dr. Rodney Harris, who has done extensive research on the Arkansas Constitution, shared the following:

“The handwritten 1874 Constitutional Convention journal presents one of the biggest obstacles for researchers when it comes to the present constitution. The framers of the Constitution either did not wish to spend the money to have the proceedings printed or they deliberately attempted to keep the public in the dark and we will never know which. I am confident that this project will make the intent of the framers better known and help shape our understanding of the 1874 Constitution.”

Extension’s Rowbotham humbled to be named to state influential list

By Mary Hightower
U of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture

LITTLE ROCK — Each day, Jeanie Rowbotham puts her heart into Arkansas agriculture, as a farmer and as an agent for the Cooperative Extension Service, working with its 4-H youth development program.

She and her husband, Theron, own and operate Infinity Ranch in rural Johnson County. They have two children, Mae and Tate, and the family manages four commercial turkey houses contracted to Butterball as well as a commercial cow and calf operation.

Johnson County Extension Agent Jeanie Rowbotham has been named one of Arkansas' 250 most influential. (U of a System Division of Agriculture photo)

This month, Arkansas Business named Rowbotham among the 250 most influential people in the state.

“From the state’s top CEOs to the rising stars and the behind-the-scenes businesspeople, these selections are made by our editors and publishers based on the merit of being an influencer in business and community around the state of Arkansas,” Publisher Eric Olson said.

“It is an honor to be named one of the 250 most influential people in Arkansas!” Rowbotham said. “I can honestly say I am a little shocked and very humbled to be mentioned in this group among some truly inspirational leaders in our state.  

“It’s a beautiful thing when a career and passion come together,” she said. “I feel very blessed to be in the Arkansas Agricultural Industry in my personal and professional life.”

John Anderson, director of the Cooperative Extension Service, said “We are really proud of Jeanie and what she has accomplished in her career with extension. As a county agent, Jeanie works hard for the people of Johnson County, but she is clearly having a great impact far beyond the county’s borders.”

Sherry Beaty-Sullivan, extension’s Ozark District director who oversees 25 counties, including Rowbotham’s, said "It is no surprise that Jeanie is a top influencer. Look at the countless young people she has been able to influence over the years in the Johnson County 4-H program.”

“I am proud that others recognize her influence not only with young people but the entire agriculture community. We are very proud to have her as part of our team,” she said.

“It’s gratifying to see Jeanie Rowbotham counted among the state’s most influential people,” said Deacue Fields, head of the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture. “It speaks to her dedication to agriculture and the big positive difference one person can make in her community. Congratulations to Jeanie on a well-deserved honor.”

Back in May, Rowbotham was named 2024 Arkansas Ag Woman of the Year by Arkansas Women in Agriculture, an organization dedicated to educating and supporting women in the field.

She has been an extension agent for the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture since 2007. She came to the extension service with a Bachelor of Science in agricultural business and management from Arkansas Tech University, and a Master of Science in agricultural economics from the University of Arkansas.

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. 

Arkansas Attorney General Provides $600,000 Grant to Support Women’s Mental Health Fellowship

By Tim Taylor

LITTLE ROCK — The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences has received a $600,000 grant from Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin to support a women’s mental health fellowship in an effort to address the impact of the opioid epidemic on women and to help reduce the state’s maternal mortality rate.

The grant will be used to train a new generation of psychiatrists in the treatment of women with opioid use disorder and other psychiatric conditions, specifically during pregnancy and the postpartum period.

The Women’s Mental Health Program, based in the UAMS Psychiatric Research Institute, has the state’s only three psychiatrists specializing in women’s mental health. The program recorded 3,758 patient visits between January 2023 and August 2024, 40% of which were for substance use disorders.

Arkansas Attorney General Provides $600,000 Grant to Support Women’s Mental Health Fellowship

Jessica Coker, M.D., serves as the medical director of the Psychiatric Research Unit’s inpatient units.

Second Arkansas Graveler bike event set for early June

by Talk Business & Politics staff (staff2@talkbusiness.net)

The Ozark Foundation’s second annual Arkansas Graveler, a five-day bike journey across county and forest backroads from the Ouachita National Forest in western Arkansas to scenic Greers Ferry Lake in north central Arkansas, will take place June 3-8, 2025.

The event will begin in Mena on June 3 and finish in Heber Springs on June 8. The course is known as The Bigfoot Route.

Approximately 400 touring and recreational cyclists from across the country are expected to participate in the ride which will include four stops in host communities along the route.

Second Arkansas Graveler bike event set for early June

Weekly Update from State Representative DeAnn Vaught

This week, members elected to serve in the 95th General Assembly gathered in the House Chamber for an Organizational Meeting. Members chose their seats and committees, and incoming freshmen drew numbers for seniority. You can find the seniority list and lists of committee memberships at arkansashouse.org.

As we move forward, members have begun filing bills that will be considered during the upcoming 2025 Regular Session. More than 50 bills have been filed so far in the House. The proposed legislation addresses topics from maternal health coverage to voter registration. Our website also includes a link to the recently filed legislation.

There was another big development this week at the Capitol as Governor Sanders presented her balanced budget proposal to members. The governor’s proposal calls for a 2.89% increase in spending. The governor says her proposal prioritizes education, maternal health, public safety, and government efficiency.

As Education Freedom Accounts will be available to any student in the state next year, the governor said she is proposing $90 million in additional funding, plus an additional $90 million in set aside funding to create a reserve for the program.

The proposed budget also includes $13 million in new Medicaid funding for proposals created by the Strategic Committee on Maternal Health. The proposal includes $100 million for Medicaid sustainability.

The proposal includes $3.15 million in new funding for the proposed state employee pay plan and nearly $50 million for the Department of Corrections.

This proposal will be considered by the 95th General Assembly during the 2025 Regular Session. The session begins on January 13, 2025.

Veterans Day breakfast at UA Cossatot campuses

UA Cossatot hosted Veterans Day breakfasts at some of their school campuses on Monday. The pictures above were at the De Queen campus. The American Legion Post 54 Color Guard posted the flags, State Representative DeAnn Vaught and Chancellor Steve Cole were speakers at the event, breakfast was provided by UA Cossatot, area businesses donated many door prizes, and the De Queen High School Show Choir presented patriotic music.

The Supply Side: Natural State Beef seeks to place Arkansas beef in more stores

by Kim Souza (ksouza@talkbusiness.net)

Harrison-based Natural State Beef is the brainchild of Mike Fountain who said in 2020 when he could not find ground beef at the grocery store amid the COVID-19 pandemic, he began to think about the need for local beef supplies in his home state.

“It was very frustrating to see the local cattle supply backing up because commercial slaughter plants and feed lots were barely running because of worker shortages,” said the third-generation farmer and rancher.

Fountain said he has been in the cattle business his entire life, but when he was young his grandad also raised hogs. He said after feeding the pigs, he would sell them for profit. But over the years, family hog farms have died off, except for a few commercial farms for large companies. He said the Arkansas dairy industry also dried up, and he just could not sit back and watch the cow-calf industry also fold because of the lack of commercial markets.

The Supply Side: Natural State Beef seeks to place Arkansas beef in more stores

UAM Forestry Club shines at Texas Timbersports Competition

By Traci Rushing
U of A System Division of Agriculture – UAM College of Forestry, Agriculture and Natural Resources

MONTICELLO, Ark. — The UAM Forestry Club demonstrated exceptional skill and teamwork at the Lake Striker Axe Days competition in Texas on Nov. 2, securing a 2nd place overall finish.

Forestry colleges across the West Gulf gathered to compete in both physical and technical events hosted by the Sylvans, the forestry club and timber sports team at Stephen F. Austin University. For participating teams, the competition serves as an opportunity to bond as a club, network with other clubs across the region and practice for the Association of Southern Forestry Clubs Annual Conclave.

SAWING AWAY — Competitors in the log sawing competition. (UAM photo)

Nine UAM Forestry Club students, led by Laura Sims, traveled to the competition to compete in both technical and physical events. Technical events are designed to test the competitor’s knowledge and expertise in the field of forestry, while the physical events date back to the 19th century when lumberjacks would have friendly competitions outside of working hours to pass the time on a job site.

The UAM team’s impressive performance with technical events highlights the strength of the UAM forestry program and the hard work and discipline of its students. Team members Evan Beaver and Corbin Armon excelled in the wood identification and DBH estimation competitions leading the club to tie for 1st place in the technical events category.

“This group of students demonstrated a great attitude and showed enthusiasm in every event. Their success is a testament to the College of Forestry, Agriculture and Natural Resources’ commitment to forestry education and its dedication to training students in both the technical and practical aspects of the discipline,” said Sims.

“I’m proud of our forestry club; they have a great dynamic together and with their peers at other forestry programs around the Southeast,” said Michael Blazier, dean of the College of Forestry, Agriculture and Natural Resources and director of the Arkansas Forest Resource Center. “Their strong showing at this event is a testament to their work ethic and the guidance they get from their advisors and volunteers who help them. I’m also happy that Dr. Sims, who is director of our new Arkansas Forest Health Research Center, is as passionate about student success as she is her research program.”

Lake Striker Axe Days is held in preparation for the Association of Southern Forestry Clubs’ 66th Annual Conclave which will be hosted by Alabama A&M University in March of 2025 at Huntsville, Alabama. The 67th Annual Conclave will be hosted in Monticello by the UAM Forestry Club in March of 2026. 

The mission of the UAM Forestry Club is to educate others about natural resources, support the community, and provide students in natural resources with a welcoming group for assistance and friendship. For more information on the UAM Forestry Club and the forestry program, visit the College of Forestry, Agriculture and Natural Resources’ website.

U.S. Highway 67 designated as Interstate 57

by George Jared (gjared@talkbusiness.net)

A stretch of Interstate 57, formerly U.S. Highway 67 from North Little Rock to Walnut Ridge has been designated as an interstate. The 120 mile swath is part of a highway that connects Canada to Mexico and goes through large cities such as Chicago, St. Louis, Dallas and Little Rock.

“Designating the sections of U.S. Highway 67 that already meet Interstate standards as Interstate 57 highlights this route and the cities and counties along this route for economic growth and job creation,” said Arkansas Highway Commission Chairman Alec Farmer. “This designation’s true value is connecting this north-south interstate route from Interstates 30 and 40 in central Arkansas via an existing Interstate 57 Mississippi River Bridge with many of the nation’s other primary east-west routes such as Interstates 70, 80 and 90 – better connecting Arkansas with the rest of the country.”

Arkansas has about 16,400 miles of paved roads but only about 800 miles are designated as interstate. The more interstate miles a state has improves its economic viability, Farmer said. State officials have been pushing for I-57 to become an interstate for more than six decades.

U.S. Highway 67 designated as Interstate 57

Arkansas Highway Commission Chairman Alec Farmer.

Little Rock hosts PGA Champions Tour

KUAR | By Brock Sheets

The Simmons Bank Championship, the second of three Charles Schwab Cup tournaments, concluded last month and crowned a winner in Little Rock. The tournament had several legends from the Professional Golfers Association in attendance. There were 54 golfers in total competing, including World of Golf Hall of Famers Ernie Els and Padraig “Paddy” Harrington.

Their long drives, straight chips, and calculated putts reflected their dedication to the game. Tracy West, Pro Links Sports’ executive vice president of PGA Tour tournaments, spoke on the impact of these golfing pros at a press conference last September.

“The beautiful thing about the PGA Champions Tour is these guys have made their mark. They’re legends of the game,” she said. “When you literally go, and see them drive off the first tee, and see what they can do, it’s gonna thrill you, excite you, and make you feel incredibly inadequate in your golf game all at the same time.”

Little Rock hosts PGA Champions Tour

Arkansas winter ag production meeting schedule kicks off Jan. 9

By Mary Hightower
U of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture

These meetings, held between harvest and planting, are a time when land-grant extension and research personnel can share their findings and latest best practices with farmers in hopes of improving the following year’s crop.

Winter production meetings are an off-season staple to earn about new research and find ways to improve the next season's crop. (U of A System Division of Agriculture image)

UNDATED — Winter production meetings are a long-held tradition of agriculture’s off season, combining information, conversation and digestion — usually of catfish or barbecue — but sometimes even the most well-planned agendas can go up in smoke.

Jeremy Ross, extension soybean agronomist, and Scott Stiles, extension economics program associate for the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture, are both veterans on the winter production meeting circuit. Over the decades, the two have made dozens of appearances, and traveling thousands of miles to these county meetings, speaking to farmers across the Delta and the Arkansas River Valley.

“Over the years, we have had meetings in all types of venues,” Stiles said. “We've had meetings in warehouses, restaurants, churches, extension offices and research centers, country stores and country clubs, hunting clubs, civic centers, grain elevators, fire departments, community colleges, airports, armories, cotton gins, fairgrounds, and farm shops. 

“If it had a roof and four walls, we've had a meeting in it,” he said.

Technology changes

PowerPoints and videos may be the current standard for presentations, but that wasn’t always the case.

“For my first meeting, I went to the Oil Trough Country Store for the Independence County meeting. That was so long ago that we used transparencies and an overhead projector,” Stiles said.

“We met kind of off to one side of the store while lunchmeat was sliced for customers and the local quilters met in another corner of the store,” he said. “It was a hoot.

“I recall we had a meeting in a chemical warehouse down in south Arkansas once,” Stiles said. “We sat on boxes of chemical instead of chairs. Some of us got our pants all messed up with Prowl or some yellow herbicide. We all realized it when we were driving home and wondered what the smell was.”

Quite alarming 

However, there is one meeting in Cross County in the early 2000s that brings a twinkle to the eyes of both Ross and Stiles.

The meeting took place in an almost-new fire station. In a previous year, the presentations went on in an adjoining meeting room and lunch tables were set up in the bay with the fire engines. This time, the usual meeting room was in use, so the production meeting took place in the fire engine bay. This proved awkward, as light streaming through the garage’s big windows washed out the slide presentations, Ross said.

Being scheduled in January or February, “it was really, really cold outside, and cold inside the garage, even with the doors closed,” Ross said.

Two or three presenters had given their talks, and then Trey Reaper, who was the soybean verification coordinator at the time, stepped up to speak.

“Trey was about halfway through his talk, when the alarms went off,” Ross said. “And if you’ve ever been in a fire station when the alarms go off, it’s pretty loud.”

Then, “the firemen come out and put their gear on, and then they started the trucks,” he said. “They didn’t open the garage doors before they started the trucks. So here are these diesel engines just sitting there producing exhaust.”

Stiles said “the trucks had filled the station with a blue cloud of diesel exhaust and we all coughed the rest of the meeting. Nobody heard a word we said.”

“They finally opened the doors and this cold blast of winter air comes through and we’re all grabbing papers and stuff and coughing, and it’s about 20 degrees cold than it was,” Ross said. “It was pretty comical.”

“That was about the funniest experience I've had at a production meeting,” he said.

2025 winter schedule

With any luck, the 2025 slate of meetings will be less eventful.

Please note that the meeting times may be subject to change due to inclement weather or other factors. Be sure to contact the local county extension office for location, times and other details.

JANUARY

• Jan. 9 – Conway County – corn and soybeans

• Jan. 10 – Poinsett / Craighead counties – rice and soybeans

• Jan. 16 – Greene County – technology

• jan. 24 – Miller / Little River / Lafayette counties – corn, cotton, soybeans and rice

• Jan. 30 – morning: Cross County – corn, rice and soybeans

• Jan. 30 – afternoon: White County – corn, rice and soybeans

• Jan. 31 – morning: Greene County – corn, rice and soybeans

• Jan. 31 – afternoon: Clay County – corn, rice and soybeans

FEBRUARY

• Feb. 5 – Clay / Greene counties – cotton and peanut

• Feb. 6 – morning: Arkansas County – rice and soybeans

• Feb. 6 – afternoon: Jefferson County – corn, rice and soybeans

• Feb. 6 – Mississippi / Crittenden counties – corn, cotton and agricultural economics with Hunter Biram

• Feb. 7 – Jackson / Independence counties – corn, rice and soybeans

• Feb. 10 – Woodruff County – corn, rice and soybeans

• Feb. 11 – morning: Ashley / Chicot counties – rice and soybeans

• Feb. 11 – afternoon: Lincoln / Desha / Drew counties – rice and soybeans

• Feb. 12 – Crittenden / Mississippi counties – soybean, rice and agricultural economics with Hunter Biram

• Feb. 13 – Prairie / Lonoke / Pulaski counties – rice and soybeans

• Feb. 14 – Craighead/Poinsett counties – corn and cotton

• Feb. 18 – Ashley / Chicot / Desha / Drew / Lincoln counties – corn and cotton

• Feb. 20 – Phillips / Monroe / Lee / St. Francis counties – corn, cotton and agricultural economics with Scott Stiles

• Feb. 21 – Randolph / Lawrence counties – corn, rice and soybeans

• Feb. 27 – Clark County – cotton, corn, rice and soybeans

• Feb. 28 – Phillips / Lee counties – rice and soybeans

MARCH

• March 4 – Craighead / Poinsett / Greene / Mississippi counties – peanuts

• March 4 – Arkansas River Valley – rice and agricultural economics with Ryan Loy

• March 6 – St. Francis / Monroe County – rice, soybeans and agricultural economics with Ryan Loy.

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. 

Cherokee Nation Entertainment sues Arkansas over passage of anti-casino amendment

KUAR | By Antoinette Grajeda / Arkansas Advocate, Mary Hennigan / Arkansas Advocate

From the Arkansas Advocate:

The Pope County casino license holder sued the state of Arkansas Friday after voters approved a statewide ballot initiative that repealed the license and requires countywide elections for future casinos in the state.

Plaintiffs have asked a federal judge to declare the amendment unconstitutional and issue a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction to prevent the amendment from taking effect on Nov. 13.

Arkansans supported the constitutional amendment, known as Issue 2, on Tuesday 637,110 to 505,038, according to complete but unofficial results from the secretary of state’s office. The majority of voters in seven counties, including Pope County, rejected the proposed amendment.

Cherokee Nation Entertainment sues Arkansas over passage of anti-casino amendment

Legends Resort & Casino

A rendering of Legends Resort & Casino in Pope County.

Attorney General Griffin announces plan to honor Arkansas D-Day "Band of Brothers" hero SSG Denver "Bull" Randleman with statue in Downtown Little Rock using private funds

Griffin: ‘I can think of no better person to sculpt and honor Denver Randleman than Kevin Kresse’

LITTLE ROCK – Attorney General Tim Griffin today issued the following statement announcing plans to erect a statue in downtown Little Rock honoring Arkansas native Staff Sergeant Denver “Bull” Randleman, who participated in the D-Day invasion as a member of Easy Company, 2nd Battalion, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division that was portrayed in the book-turned-miniseries “Band of Brothers:”

Denver “Bull” Randleman - Facebook Image

“It is past time that we honor the selfless service of Staff Sergeant Denver Randleman, and today I am announcing that acclaimed sculptor Kevin Kresse has agreed to sculpt a statue that will honor Staff Sergeant Randleman and be placed in downtown Little Rock near the new home of the Office of the Attorney General. Kevin’s talent for capturing the spirit of his subjects through posture, expression, and countless other details is extraordinary, and his work was recently heralded for his statue of Johnny Cash, which now sits in the United States Capitol. I can think of no better person to sculpt and honor Denver Randleman than Kevin Kresse.

“Preserving Staff Sergeant Randleman’s legacy through this statue will add to the quality of downtown Little Rock, and it will call attention not just to this single man but to all of Arkansas’s military heroes, particularly those who served in World War II.”

Randleman was born in Rector and died in 2003 in Texarkana, Arkansas, where he is buried.

Staff Sergeant Randleman’s service in Europe after the D-Day invasion was immortalized in Stephen Ambrose’s book “Band of Brothers,” which later was developed into an award-winning miniseries by Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks, in which Randleman was portrayed by actor Michael Cudlitz.

The statue is being funded completely with private funds.