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Cooperative Extension Service |
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Dale Bumpers College
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Cooperative Extension Service
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Dr. Ivory W. Lyles |
Extension specialists who work with farmers almost daily are reporting that farmers are worried about making a profit in 2008.
With all of the bad weather this spring, farmers have had real problems getting crops planted on time, which means they could lose yields and be forced to spend more money for inputs.
Soybean planting is 20 percent or more behind normal for May 25, according to Dr. Jeremy Ross, our soybean specialist. Soybean farmers have run out of options.
The rice crop is two and a half weeks behind normal, reports Dr. Chuck Wilson, rice specialist. Overall yields could be reduced by 5 percent or more.
Dr. Tom Barber, our cotton specialist, tells us cotton farmers have been planting furiously between showers and have caught up. However, much of the earlier planted crop either didn't emerge or was unhealthy, causing many farmers to replant some of their acreage.
The pain doesn't stop there. Late planted crops face serious problems from insects, diseases and weeds.
According to Dr. Scott Akin in Monticello, all late planted crops will be magnets for late season insects such as stink bugs and caterpillar pests. Bollworms, for instance, can decimate a soybean crop in no time.
Scott is concerned that farmers will try to conserve money late in the growing season by choosing not to spray for infestations. But, with insects, we know that farmers can't afford not to spray to protect their investment.
The weed situation is a "mess," Dr. Ken Smith, a veteran extension weed scientist, reports. He believes many farmers may be fighting weeds the rest of the growing season.
Diseases love our recent rainy, cool weather. Look for blast and other diseases to get bad in rice if the weather doesn't improve, according to Dr. Rick Cartwright, extension plant pathologist.
His colleague, Dr. Scott Monfort, says corn and soybeans are also in the line of fire from the many serious diseases that can flare up and bite farmers in the pocketbook.
Scott says farmers have to do everything they can to minimize risk. The extension service can help them if they'll let us know their situation. We can help them plan a strategy to minimize risk.
One advantage farmers have in these tough times is access to our high-quality faculty and county agents with years of experience and the very best research-based information at their fingertips. We're all in this boat together.
Thanks for all you do to support Arkansas's number one industry.
- Ivory W. Lyles
Dr. Lalit Verma Named Interim Dean of Dale Bumpers College
Please join me in congratulating Dr. Lalit Verma, who has been named interim dean of Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences, and associate vice president for academic affairs in the University of Arkansas System, Division of Agriculture. Dr. Verma will begin his new assignment July 1, succeeding Dr. Greg Weidemann, who has accepted the position of dean and director of the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources at the University of Connecticut.
Dr. Verma came to the UA in 2000 as head of the biological and agricultural engineering department. He is internationally recognized for his research in rice and forage post-harvest engineering and technology. He holds a patent awarded for the "Process for Parboiling Rice" and led research on "Electrotechnology in Cereal Grains Processing." These focused on using microwave energy for rice parboiling that enabled rice and food processing operations to save more than 30 percent of energy, time and cost.
Among his many academic and professional honors, Dr. Verma received the President's Citation from the American Society of Agricultural Engineers in 2000 for his leadership in developing accreditation criteria for educational programs that involve engineering in agricultural, food and biological systems. He was named Engineer of the Year for the Louisiana section of the A.S.A.E. in 2001 and Outstanding Engineer for the Arkansas section in 2003. He was named president of the Institute of Biological Engineering in 2004.
"Dr. Verma has provided outstanding leadership in his department to match his contributions to his profession. We look forward to working with him in his new role," said Dr. Milo Shult, university system vice president for agriculture.
Verma has a bachelor of science degree in agricultural engineering from J.N. Agricultural University in India. He earned his master of science degree in agricultural engineering from Montana State University and his doctor of philosophy in engineering at the University of Nebraska. He served on the faculty of the biological and agricultural engineering department at Louisiana State University for 20 years, including eight years as the department head.
University of Arkansas professor Carl Griffis will serve as interim head of the biological and agricultural engineering department in Bumpers College. He is currently the associate chair of the department.
- Ivory W. Lyles
Arkansas County Agriculture Agents Association Honors Members
The Arkansas County Agriculture Agents Association (ACAAA) held its annual awards and recognition banquet during its annual meeting at Mount Magazine State Park on March 27-28.
The following were awarded on March 27:
Communication Awards Program
ACAAA 2008-2009 officers were elected as follows:
President, Mark Keaton; Vice President, Brian Haller; Secretary, Sherry Beaty; and Treasurer, Stewart Runsick.
- Brian Haller
Newton County Agent Receives Presidential Award
Jack Boles, county Extension agent in Newton County was awarded the President's Volunteer Service Award. This award is issued by the President's Council on Service and Civic Participation on behalf of the President of the United States to recognize the best in the American spirit and encourage all Americans to contribute through volunteer service.
Boles received this award in recognition of his international volunteer work with Winrock International's John Ogonowski Farmer-to-Farmer Program. The program currently operates in 25 countries in four regions - Africa, Asia and the Near East, Central Asia and Latin America. Program funding from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) covers volunteer travel expenses and makes the program possible.
- Jack Boles
Pennington Places in Senior Division of Hoard's Dairyman Cow Judging Contest
Jodie Pennington, professor of animal science, recently placed second in the senior division of the Hoard's Dairyman Cow Judging Contest with a score of 486 out of 500. He was two points behind the winner out of 5,669 contestants in the senior division. Overall, he tied for third out of the 23,980 entries. For his efforts, Dr. Pennington received a cash prize and a commemorative plaque.
- Jodie Pennington
Morris Graduates From the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville
Alyce Rin Morris, secretary II for the Jefferson County Cooperative Extension Service, obtained her master's degree in Workforce Development Education from the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville and participated in the All University Graduation ceremonies on May 10, 2008.
- Don Plunkett
Ouachita District FCS Agents Make Presentations
Posters were presented during the recent Children, Youth and Families at Risk (CYFAR) conference in San Antonio, Texas, by the following FCS agents in the Ouachita District:
LaVetta Davis, Hempstead County, "Shifting Financial Attitudes" is an interactive technology financial resource program designed to help preteens become better prepared to make financial decisions. This is the second year of the program supported by the Innovative Grant made possible by Dr. Lyles.
Rebecca Reynolds, Little River County, "F.U.N. and G.A.M.E.S. (Families Understanding Nutrition and Getting Active - Monitoring Each Step). The exhibit explained the collaboration between Little River County CES and Foreman Elementary School to establish a walking trail on the school campus to increase physical activity and increase awareness in students and parents of the importance of healthy eating through hands-on workshops. This project was made possible by the Healthy Lifestyles grant through National 4-H Council.
Robbie McKinnon, Pike County, "Healthy Lifestyles" was conducted through a school program titled "Health on the Range" using summer day camps such as "Color Me Healthy" and "Tie One On: An Apron That Is." The program's goal focused on reversing the climbing trend of overweight and obesity in youth. The program concluded with a family night with parents and other siblings. This program was made possible by the Healthy Lifestyles grant through National 4-H Council.
Jean Ince, Howard County, "Kids Cooking Up Some Fun!" focused on teaching youth to meet the challenge and take charge of their health by learning basic concepts in food preparation and meal planning following the Dietary Guidelines for Americans and MyPyramid and the importance of exercise and taking care of their bodies.
Carla Haley, Miller County, "4-H Hands-on Science Day Camps" shared the results of the program for the past 15 years. This program was made possible through the collaboration of many agencies in the county and the support of teen leaders as teachers. Through weeklong day camps, the students realized the impact of science on their everyday life.
Terrie Treadway, Lafayette County, "Elementary School-Based Nutrition and Physical Activity Intervention in the Arkansas Delta." The session focused on elementary school-based nutrition and physical activity intervention in the Arkansas Delta through the Delta HOPE (Healthy Options for People through Extension) multi-state, school-based project designed to integrate physical activity and nutrition education into core subject areas. County Extension agents trained teachers to use the curricular materials, asked that they fit the lessons into their usual classroom routine, supplemented lessons with food tastings and evaluated the program for positive results.
Kaye Shrout, Montgomery County; Lameria Colclough, Saline County; Cheryl Maxwell, Hot Spring County; and Lisa Gilmore, Garland County, shared "To Your Health - Marketing FCS Programs to Underserved Community Leaders" in four counties in the Ouachita District. The program targeted leaders of faith-based organizations, focusing on minority churches, which had many of the same goals as Extension but lacked educational resources. Issues were identified by leaders relative to their churches and communities, and plans were developed to resolve these issues. This program was developed and supported by funds from Dr. Lyles for the multi-county programming in the District.
- Alberta James
Disaster Survival Workshops Held
Business operators throughout Arkansas learned how to serve and supply public agencies during and after a disaster by attending the Arkansas Procurement Assistance Center's free workshops at Harrison, Wynne and Magnolia.
These workshops addressed such a scenario and explained what you need to do not only to survive your own damage but to avoid termination for default when the disaster wasn't your fault.
The workshops were offered three times - at Community First Bank, 220 East Ridge in Harrison on May 20 from 9 a.m. to noon; at Cross County Chamber of Commerce, 1790 North Falls Blvd. in Wynne on May 21 from 1 to 3 p.m.; and at Farmers Bank and Trust, 217 East Union, Trust Building, in Magnolia on May 28 from 9 a.m. to noon.
- Lamar James
APAC Gains Three New Sponsors
The Arkansas Procurement Assistance Center (APAC) has received letters of commitment from three sponsoring organizations to provide meeting space for presenting monthly workshops related to government contracting: 1) Cross County Chamber of Commerce in Wynne, 2) Community First Bank in Harrison and 3) Farmers Bank and Trust in Magnolia.
- Sue Coates
Podcasts Provide New Agent Outlet
Videographer Kevin Quinn has been traveling the state teaching counties to use a new tool to help them get answers to their clients: podcasting.
"Thousands of potential clients are searching the web right now for podcasts with information that our county agents and specialists deliver every week in other forms, such as workshops, meetings, newspapers and fact sheets," Quinn said.
"Participants are surprised to learn that they have easy access to all the equipment necessary to begin podcasting immediately at no cost," Quinn said. "A PC microphone, such as the USB mics used in Centra training, is all that is necessary for audio podcasting. Just add images from any digital camcorder or digital still camera, and you're ready for video podcasting, or vidcasting."
- Mary Hightower
School Yard Garden Established in Arkansas County
Students at Park Avenue Elementary in Stuttgart have been busy this spring planning for their new vegetable gardens. The goal of this project is to include each grade level in some aspect of the garden based on the science standards for their age. The area will also be used by the after-school program and the PAE Summer Camp program. A 4-H club is also being established in the after-school program.
Funding for the gardens has been provided by the Statewide Children's Gardening Program and the Lennox Math and Measurement Grant. Materials have also been donated from Hoskyn Enterprises in Stuttgart.
- Carly Prislovsky Bokker
Grants and Contracts
| Project Title | Award Amount | Principal Investigator | Granting Agency |
| Cardiovascular Health Programs | $5,500 | Susan Hecke | Arkansas Department of Health |
| Engaging Youth, Serving Community 6 | $25,000 | Brian Helms | National 4-H Council |
| Corn and Grain Sorghum Outreach Programs | $2,000 | Jason Kelley | Corn and Grain Promotion Board |
| Pyrolysis of Wastes to Produce Bio-Oil | $22,000 | Samy Sadaka | Applied Optical Engineering, Inc. |
| MOA - Stormwater Education Program/EPA | $130,760 | Katherine Teague | Northwest Arkansas Planning Commission |
| Spatial Statistical Analysis of Field-Scale Precision Cotton Research Implemented and Collected With Site-Specific Precision Agriculture Technology | $5,000 | Terry Griffin | Cotton Incorporated |
| Soil Compaction Patterns by On Board Module Builders-Cotton Pickers | $10,000 | Subodh Kulkarni | Cotton Incorporated |
| Determining the Optimum Time to Defoliate Cotton Cultivars | $14,600 | Tom Barber | Cotton Incorporated |
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Total |
$214,860 |
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