Faith Fritch of Benton County was recently elected president of Arkansas 4-H. She spoke with us to discuss her goals for her time in office and why members across the state should look forward to this year in 4-H, despite COVID-19.
This week, we learn about a new partnership involving the University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service and UAMS to help with COVID-19 testing in rural areas and we hear about more funding for rural broadband in the state. We also talk to Sara Gardner, who was recently named to the National 4-H Council’s Young Alumni Advisory Committee.
John Michael Bearden and his wife Rachel have a cow-calf and hay operation in rural Hot Spring County. They recently cut and baled hay to feed their cattle this winter. In this update from their farm, John Michael explains the challenges they've had with the weather and supply chain issues resulting from Covid-19. But he also says the pandemic has had positive aspects as well.
I.F. Anderson Farms Inc., of Lonoke is the 2019 Arkansas Farm Family of the Year. Anderson Farms is the nation’s largest baitfish hatchery, raising 1.3 billion fish annually on 3,334 water acres. It is a fourth-generation fish farm presently run by James Neal Anderson and his son Jamie. Learn more about the family and the history of their succesful business.
It's hot out there, and work on the farm doesn't stop. Summer work on the farm or ranch can lead to heat-related illnesses, so we spoke to Rebecca Simon of the Cooperative Extension Service about ways to prevent problems by following common-sense hot weather guidelines.
This week, we talk to the new, interim director of the Rice Research and Extension Center in Stuttgart, and we learn about new funding for research on improving management of crop burns. We also hear from University of Arkansas Professor Steven Ricke, who was recently honored for his work on poultry broilers and food safety and we get details on the Double Your Dollar farmers market program in Northwest Arkansas.
We talk to Heather Friedrich of the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture about the Double Your Dollar farmers market program she oversees in Northwest Arkansas.
Just in time for National Farmers Market Week, Fayetteville Farmers Market co-manager Teresa Mauer provides an update on this year's market and the adjustments they've made during the pandemic.
Valerie Lawson, a family and consumer science teacher at Clinton High School in Van Buren County, is Arkansas Farm Bureau's 2020 Ag in the Classroom Outstanding Teacher. She joined us to talk about the many ways she incorporates agriculture in her students' curriculum.
JA Farms Feed in Bismarck is expanding. Owner Jeremy Allen tells us about adding a pellet mill to his growing operation and installing a robotic stacking unit to make handling orders faster and more efficient. Allen says he hopes to have the pellet mill operational by the end of the year.
