Read the latest Market Report.

Natalie Lester of Imboden competed in the Cattle Showmanship competition this morning at the Arkansas State Fair. In this video, she tells us about the event and what it takes to prepare yourself and your animal for the rigors of showmanship.

Celebrating 20 years in the agritourism business, Katie Peebles explains how this addition to Peebles Farm started during hard times and what it’s grown into today. Equipped with everything from hayrides to pig races and their famous corn maze, the farm has grown into a go-to destination for families during the fall season.

The port workers strike that made headlines last week is over, but how long will it impact the economy? We’ll discuss that and how your innovations can bring cash to the bank and help to the farm. Plus, several USDA announcements and more news you need. It’s all on this episode of the state’s only weekly ag news program, the Arkansas AgCast.

One of the most popular attractions of the fair is the eclectic food choices. In a must-see event, Farm Bureau’s own Matthew Magdefrau and John McMinn blind taste test this year’s food options and give us the top picks from this year’s lineup.

Critical surface water will soon flow from the Arkansas River to farms. An announcement Wednesday celebrating the completion of the historic Bayou Meto Water Project’s Marion Berry Pump Station in Scott will help irrigate up to 300,000 acres.

Mayhaws are a crab-apple like fruit too tart to eat whole but make a unique, rosy and coveted jelly. Richland Creek Farm and Market in El Dorado has a growing Mayhaw orchard on marshy land and is going commercial with its hard-to-find products.

A disease-resistant muscadine, crossed with wine and table grapes from the Mediterranean, could soon land a flavorful new fruit on supermarket shelves. A recent $7 million grant from USDA will bolster the high-valued crop effort led by the University of Arkansas Fruit Research Station in Clarksville.

Read the latest issue of the Farm Bureau Press.

Renewed state funding could revive Arkansas’ declining district fairs. Promoters and students at last week’s 85th annual Southeast Arkansas Fair and Livestock Show in Pine Bluff say survival of these annual events helps agriculture.