Efforts underway to reduce Arkansas’ high maternal mortality rate

by Roby Brock (roby@talkbusiness.net)

Arkansas leads the nation in maternal mortality rates although nearly every state in the union struggles with the issue. However, a review committee that is raising visibility and eyeing policy changes believes the trend can be reversed.

According to the most recent statistics assembled from 2018-2020, Arkansas averages 40 maternal deaths per 100,000 births, ranking the state 50th among 50 states.

Dr. Nirvana Manning, chair of obstetrics and gynecology at UAMS, said southern states are particularly vulnerable in this area for a variety of reasons with access being crucial.

https://www.uaex.uada.edu/media-resources/news/2023/june/06-06-2023-ark-new-faculty-cengiz-koparan.aspx

Artificial intelligence in agriculture isn’t the future; it’s now

By Brittaney Mann
U of A System Division of Agriculture

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Cengiz Koparan knows first-hand the need for agricultural technology.

PRECISION AG — Cengiz Koparan is assistant professor of precision agriculture technology. (U of A System Division of Agriculture photo by Fred Miller)

Koparan planted 1,000 apple trees in Ankara, Turkey, in 2004. The demanding work of planting, maintaining and harvesting the apples in his orchard helped inspire his mission to put advanced robotics in the hands of more farmers.

Koparan, a new assistant professor of precision agriculture technology for the University of Arkansas and the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture, said the rapid rise of artificial intelligence is already making cutting-edge technology more available.

“It’s no longer a future,” Koparan said about automating agricultural systems and technology. “Fifteen years ago it was the future, but now it’s here.”

Koparan’s research aims to improve agricultural practices through robotic systems. Part of his research involves using artificial intelligence to reduce labor shortages and make farm technology more approachable for producers.

Koparan said that as technologies become more complex, artificial intelligence could make them more user-friendly.

“Someone needs to form a bridge between engineering applications and the operators,” Koparan said. “AI can fill some of this gap. If a machine or robot is based on artificial intelligence, then the end user won’t have to control all aspects and parameters of the robot.”

Researchers with the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station, the research arm of the Division of Agriculture, are already investigating numerous applications of artificial intelligence and machine learning. Experiment station scientists are evaluating new weed control technologies, designing systems to determine yield potential from aerial imagery and studying the use of artificial intelligence and robotics in chicken processing.

Encouraging student involvement

Koparan joined the University of Arkansas System in February. He has a dual role, working for both the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences and the College of Engineering. He is in the department of agricultural education, communications and technology in the former, and the department of biological and agricultural engineering in the latter.

Since arriving in Arkansas, Koparan has established an agricultural robotics club at the university and received a $5,000 Student Success Grant from the university’s Global Campus. The grant will fund a reoccurring capstone project course beginning in spring 2024. Throughout the course, Koparan will instruct students on how to build a quadcopter and subsystems for site-specific precision agriculture applications.

The robotics club will compete in the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers Annual International Meeting student robotics club competition in Omaha, Nebraska, on July 9, Koparan said.

“We need more student involvement in this type of research,” Koparan said. He said he learned a lot as a student in agricultural robotics clubs, and he sees the agriculture industry adopting these technologies more as time progresses.

Koparan received his bachelor’s degree in agricultural engineering from Ankara University in Turkey in 2008 and earned a master’s degree in business management from Cambridge College in 2012. Koparan then attended Clemson University, earning master’s and doctoral degrees in plant and environmental sciences in 2016 and 2020.

Koparan’s upcoming and current research includes using computer vision-integrated unmanned aerial vehicles, or drones, to count blackberry blossoms. He is also developing computer vision-based variable rate spraying systems focused on weed control in soybean crops using drones and unmanned ground vehicles.

As a doctoral student, Koparan worked on various projects using unmanned aerial and ground vehicles. His upcoming blackberry blossom research parallels one of his earlier projects that used image processing to count peach blossoms. He also contributed to research on developing water quality monitoring tools using drones, which helped improve watershed management in South Carolina.

His post-doctoral work focused on precision weed management using computer vision and artificial intelligence to drive a drone-based automated spraying system.

Koparan said his knowledge of engineering concepts combined with his awareness of agricultural practices allow him to explore possible solutions to issues in the industry.

“When you know how and you know there is a need, you do it,” Koparan said.

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. To learn about extension programs in Arkansas, contact your local Cooperative Extension Service agent or visit www.uaex.uada.edu.

Report shows Arkansas leading in construction job growth

by Paul Gatling (pgatling@nwabj.com)

Construction employment increased in 42 states from April 2022 to April 2023. Arkansas had the country’s most significant percentage increase (9.8%).

The Associated General Contractors of America (AGC) analysis of new government data showed that construction employment in Arkansas increased by 5,500 to 61,900 jobs in the 12 months that ended this past April.

Rhode Island (7.6%), which added 1,600 jobs, Indiana (7.3%), Nebraska (6.8%) and Idaho (6.3%) round out the top five in terms of most job gains as percentage.

https://talkbusiness.net/2023/06/report-shows-arkansas-leading-in-job-growth/

Dry weather patterns leave pastures thirsty; ranchers worried

By Mary Hightower
U of A System Division of Agriculture

NORTH LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — Arkansas livestock producers may be getting a little worried as their forage and hay pastures turn thirsty and rainfall is more random and scattered.

While Arkansas saw a very wet April, the May 30 Drought Center map showed nearly 42 percent of the state as being abnormally dry.

Justin Condry, meteorologist for the National Weather Service at Little Rock, said Monday that an emerging El Niño will mean the return of a more typical summer weather pattern for Arkansas.

“We’re going to see a lot of pop-up showers in the afternoon,” he said. “It’s that kind of thing where your neighbor down the road could pick something that you may not.”

A pattern of dry weather has set in, causing ranchers concern about their hay meadows and pastures. File photos.

Condry said the summer outlook from the Climate Prediction Center covering June, July and August projects “slightly above-average temperatures and slightly above-average rainfall.”

However, Condry cautioned that the three-month outlook is generalized and that not everyone will see above-average rainfall through the summer.

Smaller hay cuttings

Cody Burkham, executive vice president of the Arkansas Cattlemen’s Association, said he hasn’t heard of anyone resorting to hay for forage yet, he reports some cuttings in north central Arkansas are a “quarter to a third below average.”

The National Agricultural Statistics Service report on Monday showed 13 percent of non-alfafa hay in poor condition, with 11 percent of pastures in poor or very poor condition.

“We are becoming very concerned about the dry conditions in Van Buren County,” Danny Griffin, county extension staff chair for the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture, said Monday. “Most producers who fertilized early have made an average hay crop, but many are concerned about making a second harvest or having to feed the first due to lack of rain on pastures.

“Our soils dry out quickly,” Griffin said. “The old timers used to say that ‘we are always two weeks from a drought at any time’.”

Prussic acid

The drought brings an additional grazing concern, he said.

“I have been on the phone this morning with a producer concerned about grazing sorghum-sudangrass that he planted and fertilized,” Griffin said. “It can accumulate nitrates and prussic acid in drought conditions and become toxic to grazing animals.”

In Jackson County, which includes parts of the eastern Ozarks, “Hills are drying up fast from what I saw last week,” said Matthew Davis, Jackson County extension staff chair. “Many water holes are dry and any non-diverse forage areas are struggling. The higher up on the Ozarks you go the worse it is because of the shallow soil.”

Davis also said that “grazing rotations are being impacted by lack of water in places, and non-irrigated hay ground won’t be cut anytime soon because grass isn’t growing off.”

Back to forage management basics

Maggie Justice, assistant professor and extension beef cattle specialist, said now is not the time to forget basic forage management.

Water — “Make sure your animals have access to good clean water. Make sure to monitor natural water sources more closely during drier times,” she said.

Monitor your pastures — “Be more aware of toxic plants in your pastures,” Justice said. “Cattle grazing short pastures are more likely to consume toxic plants.”

Justice also said producers shouldn’t let cattle graze too long on short pastures, since it will make it more difficult for grass to recover.

“Let the grass grow back before grazing,” she said. “Concentrate cattle in a ‘sacrifice’ area if needed. Close the gates and give your remaining forage a chance.”

“Start thinking about long-term management decisions such as animals that might need to be culled,” Justice said. “Consider culling open cows, old and low producers in the herd. This will provide more feed for the younger and more productive cows.”

“If you have to start feeding hay due to lack of forage — don’t waste the hay!” she said. “Use recommended methods for properly feeding hay such as feeders that minimize waste, unrolling hay, and limiting the time cows have access to hay each day if needed.”

Find information on prussic acid and cattle and managing cattle in drought online and at your county Cooperative Extension Service office.

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.

Sessions on heirs’ property, health care planning for farmers to kick off Mid-South conference

By Drew Viguet

National Agricultural Law Center

U of A System Division of Agriculture

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — What happens to the farm when something happens to the current generation? The June 8-9 Mid-South Agricultural & Environmental Law has two sessions on topics that especially impact farm families: heirs’ property and long-term health care planning for farmers.

This week’s conference, held in Memphis, Tennessee, begins Thursday with a “Beer & BBQ” networking dinner held at The Rendezvous. The main program will be on Friday at the University of Memphis Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law.

The Mid-South conference presentations will kick off on Friday, June 9, with presentations by Ebony Woodruff and Robert Moore. The sessions highlight heirs’ property and long-term health care planning for farmers.

The 10th annual conference also has a livestream option for the main program. Registration and information for the conference can be found online.

Ebony Woodruff will present the first session on June 9, discussing “Heirs’ Property: Practical Tips and Pointers for Resolving Title.” Woodruff, a former legislator and consul, was the first woman elected to represent District 87 in the Louisiana House of Representatives. She is currently the director of the Agricultural Law Institute for Underserved and Underrepresented Communities at Southern University Law Center, one of the NALC’s partners.

“Heirs’ property is an issue that hits close to home for so many of those in agriculture,” Woodruff said. “It can lead to land loss and make the farming process difficult. My presentation at the Mid-South will discuss ways to prevent that from happening, along with ways to remedy the situation once it has already happened. I look forward to sharing practical tips on this important topic.”

Following Woodruff’s presentation, Robert Moore will discuss “Getting Down on the Farm: Long-Term Health Care Planning on the Farm.” Moore is an attorney and research specialist with the Agricultural and Resource Law Program at The Ohio State University, a partner of the NALC.

“Long-term health care planning might not seem like the most pressing issue to producers and farm families, but it is crucial and necessary to ensuring the best possible outcome for all those involved,” Moore said. “There can be a lot to take into consideration, but this presentation at the Mid-South will make the process clearer by providing key factors that should be accounted for during planning, and why careful planning is so important.”

The NALC has resources on heirs’ property and long-term health care planning available online.

NALC Director Harrison Pittman said the 10th annual event has an exceptional roster of talent.

“We’re very excited to get to Memphis and listen to these informative presentations from ag law experts,” Pittman said. “Whether attendees are joining in person or online, we’re thankful for their participation and for the sponsors who have contributed to this year’s program.”

This year’s Mid-South Agricultural & Environmental Law Conference sponsors include the NASDA Foundation, American Farm Bureau Federation, USDA National Agricultural Library, American Society of Farm Managers and Rural Appraisers, the Mid-South Chapter of the American Society for Farm Managers and Rural Appraisers, the University of Memphis Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law, Roux, Inc., Mississippi Farm Bureau, Alabama Farmers Federation and Southern Ag Today.

All net proceeds for the 10th Annual Mid-South Agricultural & Environmental Law Conference will be devoted to establishing The Scott E. Fancher Agricultural Law Scholarship, honoring the life and legacy of Scott Fancher. More information on the scholarship can be found in a short video online.

For information about the National Agricultural Law Center, visit nationalaglawcenter.org or follow @Nataglaw on Twitter. 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 newsletter highlighting recent legal developments facing agriculture, which issues twice a month.

Efforts to block LEARNS continue at the Arkansas Supreme Court

KUAR | By Josie Lenora

Briefs were filed Tuesday in a case challenging the constitutional legitimacy of Arkansas LEARNS. Plaintiff attorney Ali Noland is arguing the law was not passed through proper constitutional procedure.

Arkansas LEARNS is the name given to a package of omnibus education legislation passed by the legislature and signed into law by Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders this year. The bill has many objectives; one is that it plans to use tax dollars to fund so-called educational freedom accounts, pools of money parents can use to enroll their children in private schools. LEARNS also allows struggling public school districts to be taken over by charter companies.

When the legislature passed the law earlier this year, lawmakers voted for both the bill and the emergency clause at the same time. Emergency clauses make legislation to go into effect immediately and not 90 days after the end of the session. Under the plain language of the Arkansas constitution, emergency clauses should be voted on separately from laws.

https://www.ualrpublicradio.org/local-regional-news/2023-06-07/efforts-to-block-learns-continue-at-the-arkansas-supreme-court

Courts.Arkansas.Gov/Courts.Arkansas.Gov

Briefs were filed Tuesday in a case challenging the constitutionality of the Arkansas LEARNS education law.

Sanders Announces Shea Lewis as Interim Secretary of the Arkansas Department of Parks, Heritage and Tourism

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – Today, Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders announced Shea Lewis, currently Director of Arkansas State Parks, will be serving as interim Arkansas Department of Parks, Heritage and Tourism Secretary as Secretary Mike Mills steps away from the administration.

“Arkansas is the Natural State, and with his strong record of leadership in Arkansas parks and tourism, Shea Lewis is perfectly equipped to step seamlessly into this new role and continue our work to grow our outdoor economy and make Arkansas an unparalleled place to live, work, and raise a family,” Sanders said. “I thank Secretary Mills for his service to this administration and years of work as a pioneer in Arkansas’ tourism industry.”

Shea Lewis biography:

Shea Lewis was selected as the 10th director of Arkansas State Parks in 2022. In that role, he was responsible for the day-to-day operation of 52 state parks found in 48 counties, covering 55,000 acres across the state.

With over 9 million visitors on an annual basis, his areas of responsibility ranged from operations, maintenance, planning, development, emergency and program services, marketing, promotion, revenue, sales, outdoor grants, and general administration.

Shea started his career with Arkansas State Parks as a seasonal park interpreter in 1995. With nearly three decades under his belt, he has also served as a full-time interpreter, park superintendent, region supervisor, and deputy director for Arkansas State Parks.

He received a bachelor’s degree in parks, recreation, and leisure studies from the University of Memphis and a master’s degree in educational/instructional media design from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock.

Arkansas Archeological Society Survey in SW Arkansas

Dr. Michelle Rathgaber and Gillian Steeno of the Arkansas Archeological Survey

Dr. Michelle Rathgaber and Gillian Steeno were the guest speakers at De Queen Lions Club on Tuesday. Both are part of the Arkansas Archeology Society Survey, which has its 2023 Annual Training Program in Archeology and Public Programs in Southwest Arkansas on the De Queen Campus of UA Cossatot. Dr. Rathgaber is the Educational Outreach Coordinator at the Arkansas Archeological Survey. Rathgaber studies Archaeology, Zooarchaeology, and Bone Tools and earned a Ph.D. in 2019 studying the interactions of Mississippian people in Northeast Arkansas and Southeast Missouri with the earthquakes of the New Madrid seismic zone in the late AD1400s/early AD1500s. Gillian is the Society Liaison and recently received a Master’s degree in Anthropology from the University of Arkansas with a thesis that focused on the Carden Bottoms site, an Early Contact period Native American farmstead in the Arkansas River Valley.

Weekly Update from State Representative DeAnn Vaught

Agriculture has long been the backbone of our state’s economy.

Currently, the industry contributes more than $19 billion annually to our economy. The ripple effect of agriculture reaches far beyond the farm. It stimulates rural economies and supports local businesses. The industry supports more than 240,000 jobs statewide.

Every legislative session, the General Assembly introduces several bills aimed at addressing the needs of our farmers and surrounding communities.

The 2023 Regular Session was no exception. The following acts were signed into law this year:

Act 243 creates a fact-based agricultural education program for elementary school students in Arkansas. Starting in the 2025-2026 school year, the Arkansas Division of Elementary and Secondary Education will collaborate with industry stakeholders to establish a pilot program to introduce young students to the principles and practices of agriculture.

Act 706 creates the Agri Scholarship Program Fund to be used by the Department of Agriculture to create and maintain the Agri Scholarship Program. The act expands the uses of funds in the Veterinary Examiners Board Fund to include requiring the department to fund the Agri Scholarship Program and the Rural Veterinary Student Scholarship Program.

Act 746 creates the Rural Economic Development Initiative.

Act 161 authorizes a collaborative practice agreement between a veterinarian and a veterinary technician specialist and sets up procedures for the collaborative practice agreement.

Act 591 exempts from the licensure requirements for a pharmacist and a pharmacy the sale or shipping of antibiotics and microbials for veterinary medical use directly from a wholesaler, distributor, pharmacy, or farm store to a client is based on a prescription from a licensed veterinarian.

Act 367 places the burden of proof on a party bringing an action against an agricultural operation as a public or private nuisance.

Act 636 prohibits certain foreign parties from acquiring any interest in Arkansas agricultural land, provides penalties for violations, and creates the Office of Agricultural Intelligence for information analysis and enforcement.

Act 824 transfers the authority to manage liquid animal waste systems from the Department of Energy and Environment to the Department of Agriculture.

Act 530 amends the Arkansas Soil Nutrient Application and Poultry Litter Utilization Act to provide that nutrient management plans and poultry litter management plans are not public records.

You can learn more about our state’s agriculture industry by visiting agriculture.arkansas.gov .

Land-grants, collaborators launch Southern Ag Today digital platform

By the U of A System Division of Agriculture

LITTLE ROCK — More than a dozen land-grant institutions, including the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture, have collaborated with three other entities to launch Southern Ag Today, a digital platform aimed at providing timely, concise and insightful analysis facing Southern agriculture.

Collaborators include the Southern Extension Economics Committee, the Agricultural and Food Policy Center at Texas A&M, and the Southern Risk Management Education Center at the Division of Agriculture, as well as land grants from across the South.

Homepage of Southern Ag Today, a digital platform featuring analysis of challenges facing southern agriculture.

The platform offers daily peer-reviewed articles on topics including crop marketing, livestock marketing, farm management, agricultural policy, trade, and agricultural law. The platform features more than 100 contributors. 

“Farmers of every size and background across the South continue to adapt to the challenging agriculture environment made worse by the pandemic, current macroeconomic trends, climate variability, and disrupted supply chains,” said Ron Rainey, assistant vice president for the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture and Southern Risk Management Education Center director.

“We hope Southern Ag Today is a valuable tool for all of our southern producers including socially disadvantaged, small, and beginning farmers, so they can feel confident in the decisions they’re making about their operations,” Rainey said.

 The land grant partners are:

• Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service, part of the Division of Agriculture

• University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension

• Alabama A&M and Auburn as the Alabama Cooperative Extension System

• Texas A&M University AgriLife Extension

• University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture — Extension

• University of Georgia Extension

• Clemson Cooperative Extension

• North Carolina State University Extension

• Oklahoma State University Extension

• Mississippi State University Extension

• Extension University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences Extension

• Louisiana State University Ag Center Extension

• Alcorn State University Extension

• University of Maryland College of Ag and Natural Resources

• Virginia Cooperative Extension — Virginia Tech and Virginia State University.

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.

Restaurateur-turned-farmer gets first goods to local farmer’s markets

By John Lovett
University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture
Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station 

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — As farmer's markets reopen for the summer, communities are feeling and tasting the impact of the Center for Arkansas Farms and Food's programs.

FARM TO MARKET — Brian Foster started Sunny Acres Farm with knowledge gained from the Center for Arkansas Farms and Food. (U of A System Division of Agriculture photo by Paden Johnson)

The center, operated through the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture's research arm, the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station, teaches sustainable agriculture and business methods to the next generation of farmers.

Now, program graduates like Brian Foster of Sunny Acres Farms in Fayetteville, are taking the first fruits of their labor to market. Produce grown by Foster and his partner, Becca Davis, can be found at the farmer's markets in Fayetteville and Goshen.

Recipe for success

Before becoming a specialty crop farmer, Foster was in the restaurant business from the age of 15. With instability in the restaurant industry caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, Foster switched gears from plans of owning a restaurant to providing food for the community and carrying on his family tradition of gardening.

Foster was one of the first CAFF students to sign up for the program when it launched in 2020 with goals to train the next generation of farmers and strengthen farming and food systems in northwest Arkansas.

"I've been able to work in this area with a lot of very talented local chefs who have helped drive my passion for the food scene," Foster said. "What these creative and inspired people can do and what they can turn ingredients into was always really exciting for me."

In addition to fresh, locally grown produce, patrons of Sunny Acres may also receive recipes to take home from the farmer’s market.

"Food has always been my love language," Foster said. "Farming was the next logical step for me because it involved food, growing food, and I could continue to work with local chefs by providing them the ingredients to make cool dishes."

Foster is a 2021 graduate of CAFF’s Farm School. The 11-month program combines hands-on specialty crop farming with classes in production, business, and legal issues. He went on to work with Morgan Boehm at Middle Fork Farm the winter of 2022-2023 to get experience while building Sunny Acres Farms.

In addition to teaching sustainable and regenerative farming practices, Foster said the Center for Farms and Food taught him how to prepare a business plan better and market the produce. The center, he said, also provided networking opportunities to work with established farmers and learn from their experiences. There are 11 mentor farms cooperating with the center.

Training the next generation

Heather Friedrich, Center for Arkansas Farms and Food assistant director, said the center’s programs were developed to support new farmers and help maintain a secure, safe, and independent food system. Across the United States, farmers are aging. The mean average farmer age in Arkansas is 57 and it’s estimated that 70 percent of America’s farmland will change ownership in the next 20 years, she noted.

CAFF’s programs include the Farm School, which will begin taking applications in July for the 2024 session, and the Farm Apprenticeship program to match established farms with those who want to advance their farming skills in a working-farm setting. Both are 11-month programs beginning in January. Priority placement applications for 2024 Farm Apprentices open on Aug. 1.

CAFF Farm Stand opens in July

Beginning July 12, the CAFF Farm Stand will open at Agri Park on Garland Avenue in Fayetteville. Current students at the Center for Arkansas Farms and Food's Farm School will offer fruits and vegetables they have grown at the Milo J. Shult Agricultural Research and Extension Center.

The CAFF Farm Stand will be open 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. through Aug. 30.

The farm stand is completely operated by students as a learning experience and is part of the Farm School curriculum, Friedrich noted. Customer service, marketing and quality control are just a few of the many lessons from running the CAFF Farm Stand. It helps Farm School students set up their own operation after completing the program, she added.

To learn more about Division of Agriculture research, visit the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station website: https://aaes.uada.edu. Follow on Twitter at @ArkAgResearch. To learn more about the Division of Agriculture, visit https://uada.edu/. Follow us on Twitter at @AgInArk. To learn about extension programs in Arkansas, contact your local Cooperative Extension Service agent or visit www.uaex.uada.edu.

Division of Agriculture staff score 12 awards in APW annual competition

By the U of A System Division of Agriculture

BENTONVILLE, Ark.  — Seven University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture staffers shared a dozen awards in the 2023 Communications Contest held by Arkansas Press Women.

Mary Hightower, chief communications officer for the Division of Agriculture, was presented the APW’s highest honor, the Communicator of Achievement.

Hightower is now among 15 finalists for the National Federation of Press Women Communicator of Achievement. There have been four previous winners from Arkansas: Roberta Forster, 1960, honored for her coverage of the 1957 Little Rock desegregation crisis; Charlotte Schexnayder,1970, a state lawmaker and co-owner of the Dumas Clarion; Margaret Woolfolk, 1977, journalist, attorney and historian; and Eva Marie Pearson, 2002, formerly of the Pine Bluff Commercial.

The awards were presented May 20 at NorthWest Arkansas Community College in Bentonville. Work produced in a variety of communications fields during 2022 was eligible for the competition.

Several Division of Agriculture staffers came up winners at the 2023 APW Communications Contest.

First-place winners in the APW Communications Contest are eligible to advance to the National Federation of Press Women competition if they are members of NFPW. National winners are announced during the NFPW’s annual conference  June 22-24 in Cincinnati. 

Kristin Netterstrom Higgins, Public Policy Center program associate at the Division of Agriculture won:

• Third Place in Communications Programs and Campaigns > Public Service Program or Campaign for Who Are All These People On My Ballot? 

• Second Place in Communications Programs and Campaigns > Public Service Program or Campaign for 2022 Arkansas Ballot Issue Education Program, co-entrants: graphic designers Julie Thompson, Chris Meux, videographer Kerry Rodtnick, and Stacey McCullough, head of Community, Professional and Economic Development for the Cooperative Extension Service

• Second Place in Web and Social Media > Blog > Nonprofit, government or educational for What Are These Voluntary Property Taxes On My Bill? 

• First Place in Web and Social Media > Electronic Newsletter > Nonprofit, government, or educational for Board Rejects Marijuana, Casino Ballot Titles

• First Place in Web and Social Media > Blog > Nonprofit, government or educational for Thousands of Arkansas Voters Skipped Ballot Issues. 

Mary Hightower, chief communications officer for the Division of Agriculture won:

• Third Place in Specialty Articles > Agriculture for Backyard vineyard a lifeline for Southern Sensation grape 

• First Place in Feature Story > Online publication for Giant dust devil turns Tuesday into ‘Windsday’ at rice research center 

Fred Miller, science editor of the Division of Agriculture’s Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station, won:

• Honorable Mention in Photography > Single Photograph > News or feature photo for Insect Toxicology Lab-Bees 

• Third Place in Specialty Articles > Science or technology for Researcher employs microorganisms to counter major disease affecting beef industry 

• Second Place in Specialty Articles > Green/environmental for Researchers investigate health impacts of residual pesticides on wild bees 

• First Place in Specialty Articles > Green/environmental for Experiment station researcher in search of a more water-efficient chicken 

• First Place in Specialty Articles > Science or technology for Entomologist wants to know if invasive mosquitoes, native biting midges make good neighbors 

For a complete list of the award recipients throughout the state please visit https://arkansaspresswomen.org/apw-celebrates-2023-award-winners/.

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.

During the 2023 legislative session, lawmakers passed fewest amount of bills since 1971

KUAR | By Ronak Patel

In an interview with Talk Business & Politics, Misty Orpin, executive director of Common Ground Arkansas, shared data that she compiled on the past legislative session. She said that 62% of the bills that were filed did pass, while 38% failed.

Most of the bills that failed to pass were related to taxation. Orpin said that 61% of the bills filed in the revenue and taxation committees didn’t pass.

“The biggest graveyard was actually revenue and tax [committees]. I think that because the state is absorbing some of the big tax cuts that they ran in the previous sessions,” Orpin said. “There are really big ticket expenses that they passed that are coming down the pipeline. I think whether they would admit it or not they’re a little skittish about the budget.”

https://www.ualrpublicradio.org/local-regional-news/2023-05-31/during-the-2023-legislative-session-lawmakers-passed-fewest-amount-of-bills-since-1971

Jacob Kauffman/KUAR

The Arkansas Legislature meets every two years to pass legislation. During the 2023 legislative session, lawmakers passed the least amount of bills since 1971.

Arkansas medical marijuana spending spikes on April 20; sales up 5.1%

by Michael Tilley (mtilley@talkbusiness.net)

Average per day spending on medical marijuana in Arkansas is $787,000, but that tally toked higher to more than $2 million on April 20, a date – 4/20 – associated with the celebration of marijuana use.

Data from the Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration (DFA) also show that licensed medical marijuana patients in the state spent $94.44 million for 18,847 pounds of medical marijuana, above the $89.835 million for 15,768 pounds in the same period of 2022. The sales total was up 5.1%, and the amount sold was up 19.5%.

The Arkansas Department of Health reports 94,282 active patient cards as of May 30, above the 93,977 active patient cards as of April 21, and up from 89,855 at the end of 2022.

https://talkbusiness.net/2023/05/arkansas-medical-marijuana-spending-spikes-on-april-20-sales-up-5-1/

Gov. Sanders sending 80 from Arkansas National Guard to Texas-Mexico border

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

Gov. Sarah Sanders announced Thursday (June 1) that she is directing about 80 soldiers from the Arkansas National Guard to the Texas-Mexico border.

Blaming the Biden administration’s recent halt of Title 42, Sanders said the guardsmen will support the Texas National Guard in border control efforts during the month of July.

Title 42 is a policy started during the COVID-19 pandemic by former President Donald Trump and kept in place until May by President Joe Biden. It curtailed rights for petition for asylum seekers at the U.S.-Mexico border.

https://talkbusiness.net/2023/06/gov-sanders-sending-80-from-arkansas-national-guard-to-texas-mexico-border/

Arkansas LEARNS education overhaul put on hold temporarily

An Arkansas judge put a major education bill on hold while a procedural lawsuit goes forward.

Arkansas LEARNS is a 145-page law passed this year by the Arkansas legislature and signed into law by Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders. Among many things, the law raises teacher starting salaries, gives parents money to enroll their children in private schools, and allows charter school companies to take over struggling school districts. The struggling Marvell-Elaine School District in east Arkansas entered into a contract with Friendship Charter shortly after the lawsuit was passed.

Attorney Ali Noland is representing Marvell-Elaine citizens who do not want the contract to go forward. Her challenge argues the law was unconstitutionally passed. When LEARNS moved through the legislature it was passed with an additional emergency clause tacked on to the bill, meaning it goes into effect immediately. Under the plain language of the constitution, emergency clauses should be voted on separately from bills. The Arkansas Legislature customarily votes on emergency clauses and bills at the same time records the votes separately.

https://www.ualrpublicradio.org/local-regional-news/2023-05-30/advocates-detractors-react-to-arkansas-learns-being-put-on-hold

Commons.Wikimedia.Org/

A Pulaski County Circuit Court Judge decided to temporarily keep LEARNS from going into effect.

Medical industry to move from ‘sick’ care to focus on ‘health’ care

by George Jared (gjared@talkbusiness.net)

A paradigm shift in the way medical care is paid for and administered will occur during the next decade or so, healthcare consultant Eric Shell told Talk Business & Politics.

Shell recently gave a lecture, “The Future of Healthcare: Strategies for Success,” at the Fowler Center on the Arkansas State University campus. New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine hosted the event.

Shell is the chairman of Stroudwater Associates, a Maine-based healthcare consulting firm that provides research and strategy for rural and community hospitals, health systems and large physician practices. He is the leader of the firm’s rural practice and chairman of the firm’s board of directors.

https://talkbusiness.net/2023/05/medical-industry-to-move-from-sick-care-to-focus-on-health-care/

UAMS-TRI Training Program Helps Postdocs Develop Entrepreneurial Spirit, Form Competition-Winning Pharmaceutical Startup

By David Robinson

Only two years ago, the idea of commercializing their future research discoveries was a novel concept for Julia Tobacyk, Ph.D., and Megan Reed, Ph.D. Today they can say they created a startup company as postdoctoral fellows in the Health Sciences Innovation and Entrepreneurship (HSIE) training program, which is the National Institutes of Health’s (NIH) National Research Service Award training core of the Translational Research Institute at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS).

The HSIE program is unlike traditional academic postdoctoral education — the goal is to transform scientists to think like entrepreneurs and channel their research discoveries into commercial ventures to bring new health care products to patients.

Tobacyk and Reed are in their second year of the HSIE training program, and it is intensive. In addition to mentored laboratory research, HSIE postdocs take business classes in the Graduate Entrepreneurship Program in the Sam M. Walton College of Business at the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville. They attend mentoring workshops from entrepreneurs and venture capitalists, form teams to develop a business plan for a health science discovery with classmates from diverse ethnic and academic backgrounds, and compete in pitch competitions.

https://news.uams.edu/2023/05/24/uams-tri-training-program-helps-postdocs-develop-entrepreneurial-spirit-form-competition-winning-pharmaceutical-startup/

Megan Reed, Ph.D. (left), and Julia Tobacyk, Ph.D., formed the company Pediatrica Therapeutics.

Cooperative Extension Service welcomes new professor of organizational accountability and evaluation

By Rebekah Hall
U of A System Division of Agriculture

LITTLE ROCK — Jeantyl Norze, a new extension associate professor of Organizational Accountability and Evaluation for the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture, said he looks forward to increasing the visibility of extension, particularly in urban communities.

EVALUATIVE THINKING — As the new extension associate professor of Organizational Accountability and Evaluation for the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture, Jeantyl Norze hopes to increase the visibility of extension services in the state and ensure that the organization will "no longer be a 'best kept secret.'" (Division of Agriculture photo.)

“The Cooperative Extension Service has done an excellent job bringing about change in Arkansas communities,” Norze said. “However, we do not often have data to evidence the impact of extension in the lives of the individuals and communities we serve. I hope this position will help foster and sustain a culture of evidence in extension — a culture where everyone is actively seeking evidence of the impact being achieved and engaging in evidence-based storytelling.”

Norze said doing so is critical for scholarships and other necessary funding for extension.

“Extension should no longer be a ‘best kept secret,’” he said. “It’s imperative that our stakeholders — including our counterparts on campus, our partner organizations and the public — know and understand what we do.”

Stacey McCullough, extension assistant vice president of Community, Professional and Economic Development for the Division of Agriculture, said her team is excited to welcome Norze and his expertise.

“Under Dr. Norze’s leadership, we will strengthen our capacity to better evaluate the impact of Cooperative Extension Service programs and tell our story,” McCullough said.

Norze said evaluation will help more Arkansans benefit from extension’s services.

“I hope my position will help evaluative thinking become the new way of doing business at extension,” Norze said. “This is critical for quality programming and helps us focus on the programs that have greater public value. My position will help foster long-lasting collaborations with our internal and external stakeholders, including community partners, for broader impact. Relationships are key to making extension more effective.”

Norze received his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine in 2009 from the Agrarian University of Havana in Cuba. In 2015, he received his Master of Science in Human Resource Development and Leadership from Louisiana State University, where he later received his Ph.D. in Agricultural and Extension Education in 2018.

“I could not be more excited about joining the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture’s Cooperative Extension Service,” Norze said. “I hope to bring all that I have learned from my previous positions at other land-grant institutions. My colleagues are passionate about their work and eager to learn more about evaluation, which will help them continue improving their programs and achieve greater community change.”

Norze began his new extension role on April 3. He can be reached at jnorze@uada.edu. For more information about Community, Professional and Economic Development, visit uaex.uada.edu/business-communities/default.aspx.

To learn about extension programs in Arkansas, contact your local Cooperative Extension Service agent or visit www.uaex.uada.edu. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram at @AR_Extension. To learn more about Division of Agriculture research, visit the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station website: https://aaes.uada.edu. Follow on Twitter at @ArkAgResearch. To learn more about the Division of Agriculture, visit https://uada.edu/. Follow us on Twitter at @AgInArk.

Supreme Court WOTUS ruling narrows definition of wetlands, but what about levees?

By John Lovett
University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture
Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — The U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling this week narrowed the definition of what is considered “waters of the United States” in the Clean Water Act. But there remains room for discussion on wetlands separated by levees for flood control and dry creek beds, said the National Agricultural Law Center’s Brigit Rollins.

WOTUS RULING —The U.S. Supreme Court's latest WOTUS ruling provides guidance for the EPA to revisit definitions of wetlands subject to the Clean Water Act, says National Agricultural Law Center attorney Brigit Rollins. (U of A System Division of Agriculture photo)

The high court’s opinion on a case out of Idaho, Sackett vs. Environmental Protection Agency, rejected the EPA’s argument that a wetland near Priest Lake on the Sackett's property should be considered “waters of the United States,” or WOTUS, because it did not share a continuous surface connection to the lake. Thus, the court found, the wetland should not be subject to the Clean Water Act, and the Sacketts are now cleared to build their home on the land after 16 years of litigation.

“The EPA is probably going to have to revisit its most recent definition of WOTUS, in no small part because what is in the EPA’s 2023 definition does not comport with what is in this opinion,” Rollins said.

The justices held that the Clean Water Act’s definition of “waters” should be limited to “geographic[al] features that are described in ordinary parlance as ‘streams, oceans, rivers, and lakes’ and to adjacent wetlands that are ‘indistinguishable’ from those bodies of water due to a continuous surface connection.”

Rollins said the opinion gets to the heart of what wetlands can be covered by the Clean Water Act by stating it has to share some kind of continuous surface connection.

However, she said, discussion may remain for narrowing what is considered an “adjacent wetland” if it contains a manmade levee for flood control.

“If it is a wetland that would share a continuous surface water connection with, say, the Mississippi River, if not for a levee … are those now no longer jurisdictional? Questions like this will be left for agencies and lower courts to determine how the opinion is interpreted,” Rollins said.

A question also remains, Rollins said, how the ruling will impact land in Western states that contain dry creek beds, also known as “washes,” that drain into a body of water covered by the Clean Water Act.

Rollins, who specializes in environmental law as it intersects with agriculture, will present a webinar on the recent Supreme Court decision on July 19 as part two of a two-part webinar series from the National Agricultural Law Center. Register for the free webinar by visiting the National Agricultural Law Center website. To watch the recording of the first WOTUS webinar in the series visit the website https://nationalaglawcenter.org/webinars/wotus/.

To learn more about Division of Agriculture research, visit the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station website: https://aaes.uada.edu. Follow on Twitter at @ArkAgResearch. To learn more about the Division of Agriculture, visit https://uada.edu/. Follow us on Twitter at @AgInArk. To learn about extension programs in Arkansas, contact your local Cooperative Extension Service agent or visit www.uaex.uada.edu.

For information about the National Agricultural Law Center, visit nationalaglawcenter.org or follow @Nataglaw on Twitter. The National Agricultural Law Center is also on Facebook and LinkedIn.

About the National Agricultural Law Center

The National Agricultural Law Center serves as the nation’s leading source of agricultural and food law research and information. The NALC works with producers, state and federal policymakers, Congressional staffers, attorneys, land grant universities, and many others to provide objective, nonpartisan agricultural and food law research and information to the nation’s agricultural community.

The NALC is a unit of the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture and works in close partnership with the USDA Agricultural Research Service, National Agricultural Library.