Arkansas Farm Bureau Podcast

This week, we go in-depth on some critical issues facing agriculture in the wake of Covid-19. We talk with David Newman, president of the National Pork Board and Arkansas State University animal science professor, about troubles facing the pork industry, and we hear from the University of Arkansas National Ag Law Center Director Harrison Pittman about the President’s recent executive order designed to keep meat packing plants operating. We also hear from Arkansas Farm Bureau’s Travis Justice about the ongoing supply chain and processing issues hitting livestock and poultry growers.

This week, we talk to Farm Bureau’s Jason Smedley about levee restoration priorities and coordination of levee management in Arkansas. We also talk with Rusty Rumley of the National Agricultural Law Center in Fayetteville about issued related to the COVID-19 outbreak and we hear from State Representative Jeff Wardlaw about challenges facing produce growers and this year’s Arkansas tomato crop.

This week, we talk to Jara Settles of the Livestock Marketing Association in Kansas City about the importance of livestock auctions and we hear from Julia Fryer of the Cooperative Extension Service about produce safety. We also learn about a new website for local businesses and nonprofits called UpliftArkansas.

This week, we talk to Dr. Matthew Pelkki, an economist and professor at the University of Arkansas at Monticello, about the impact of the COVID-19 crisis on the timber industry. We also get an update from Arkansas Farm Bureau’s Jason Smedley on the new Farm Corps program that connects job-seeking National Guard and Reserve soldiers and other military veterans to jobs in agriculture. And we hear from Arkansas Farm Bureau’s specialty crops expert John McMinn about issues facing that sector of agriculture.

This week, we talk to Dr. Amanda Perez, a professor and Food Safety Specialist with the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture about how produce and specialty crop farmers are adjusting their businesses during the COVID-19 crisis, and we catch up with UA Division of Agriculture Wheat and Feed Grains agronomist Jason Kelley to discuss how rainfall has delayed this year’s corn crop planting and the impact Covid-19 concerns are having on crop farmers. And we also hear from John Gavin, staff chair of the Bradley County Cooperative Extension Service about tomato production in southeast Arkansas.

The second half of our extended interview with John Anderson, chair of Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness at the University of Arkansas Bumpers College, who explains the challenges facing the livestock market during this coronavirus crisis, as well as the impact of labor challenges and other key issues in agriculture.

This week, we talk to John Crangle, FFA advisor and vo-ag instructor at Bismarck High School in Hot Spring County, about adapting to at-home, online instruction and Jay and Valorie Lee of JV Farms near Bismarck about the adjustments their making to their direct-to-consumer sales operation. We also catch up with Randy Arnold, a strawberry grower near Alma who is facing uncertainty because his business relies heavily on providing produce to schools and a u-pick operation. Finally, we have part one of a special interview with John Anderson, chair of Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness at the University of Arkansas Bumpers College, who explains the challenges facing the livestock market during this crisis.

This week, we talk to rice agronomist Jarrod Hardke about the outlook for this year’s crop and what the current crisis means for farmers. We also talk to ag economist Scott Stiles about the impact of rains and the pandemic on agriculture and markets. Finally, we catch up with Andy Shaw of Cypress Valley Meat Company, to learn how they’re going about their work in the current environment, and farmer Tommy Tuckerman interviews the onwer of Zack's Flying Services.

This week, we talk to Fourth District Congressman Bruce Westerman about the impact of the corona virus on work at the U.S. Capitol, the importance of his Trillion Trees Act and other major issues for agriculture in the state. We also talk to an Oklahoma cattle broker about the impact of the virus crisis on beef cattle prices and to the Department Head of Animal Science at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville about how livestock at the university are being cared for during the school’s current shutdown. Finally, we chat about pesticide certification and training with a representative of the UA Division of Agriculture.

This week, we talk to representatives of the Arkansas Department of Agriculture about the recent Local Conversations event in McCrory, and we catch up with two recent inductees into the Arkansas Agriculture Hall of Fame. We also speak to Keith Perkins, an agent with the Lonoke County Cooperative Extension Service, about the implications of recent wet weather for planting season.

This week, it's all about policy issues, as we recap the just-completed Arkansas Farm Bureau President's Advocacy & Leadership Tour to Washington, D.C. We talk to the members of the Farm Bureau team who lead the trip about what was accomplished and why it's important for Arkansas farmers and ranchers to have their voices heard on Capitol Hill.

This week, we talk to Tracy Dunbar, Chair of the UAPB Department of Agriculture, about the school’s recent Rural Life Conference and we sit down with Arkansas Farm Bureau’s Brandy Carroll to learn more about the Arkansas Abandoned Pesticide Program. We also get an update on the latest Healthy Soils for Sustainable Cotton & Arkansas Soil Health Alliance meeting.

This week, we talk to John Lewis, a senior forecaster with the National Weather Service, about the long-range weather outlook and we sit down with Cooperative Extension Service entomologists to talk about insect problems farmers could face this year. We also visit with Ralph Pinkerton of Garland County Farm Bureau and Melony Ritter of National Park College in Hot Springs to talk about the recent Arkansas Farm Bureau Candidate Forum hosted by the college.

This week, we talk to Harrison Pittman, director of the National Agricultural Law Center at the University of Arkansas about legal issues in agriculture and we learn about the importance of agricultural activism from speaker and logging industry veteran Bruce Vincent. We also hear from Ed Swaim, Executive Director of the Bayou-Meto Water Management District.

A Diversity in Agriculture conference has been set for Feb. 27-28 in an effort expand the awareness of the career and business opportunities that exist in agriculture. The conference will allow participants to explore opportunities through success stories and networking. It also is intended to foster an expansion of public and private partnerships within agriculture, Arkansas’ largest industry sector, accounting for more than $20 billion annually.

This week, we talk with members of Arkansas Farm Bureau commodity boards about the recent Winter Commodity Meeting in Little Rock and we learn what's going on with the Arkansas Forestry Association.

This week, we talk with experts on the outlook for rice in Arkansas in 2020 and the potential impact of the EPA’s final rule defining “Waters of the U.S.” We also get some helpful tips on preventing timber theft on farms, ranchers and other private property.

This week, we attended the 101st annual American Farm Bureau Convention in Austin, Texas. We sat down with two of the event’s workshop leaders to discuss the economics of farming and the science of gene editing for agriculture. We also talked to Arkansas Farm Bureau President Rich Hillman, who gave us his thoughts on the event and explained the importance of the policy development process that wrapped up on the final day of convention.

This week, we talk with soybean and trade experts about the latest news on trade negotiations and the road ahead in 2020. We also get the latest on the pork industry from Dr. David Newman, president of the National Pork Board and Arkansas State University animal science professor and learn about new urban agriculture classes being offered at the St. Joseph Center in North Little Rock.

This week, we talk to Arkansas Secretary of Agriculture Wes Ward, as well as the new leader of the state Agriculture Department’s Feral Hog Eradication Program. We also talk to a waterfowl expert from the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission about the problems snow geese are causing for some farmers.