For the Media

April 25, 2008

LITTLE ROCK - Do you love fresh produce and want a good reason to get out of the house and relax after work? Well, home gardening is a great activity for you!

New Web page by our 'Pest Guys' helps gardeners tackle pest nightmares

LITTLE ROCK - Are you having a problem with a plant disease, insect or weed in your garden or lawn? Help has arrived, and it's as close as your Internet browser.

Residual herbicides for soybeans making comeback

LONOKE, Ark. - There was a time when you could barely think of a weed control program for soybeans that didn’t include starting off with some kind of residual program, according to Dr. Bob Scott, extension weed scientist with the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture.
 

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Ark. - Arkansans have dealt with more than their share of Mother Nature's wrath during the past few months.

Cook once, eat twice

MURFREESBORO, Ark. - By planning ahead, you can make getting food on the table easier, says Robbie McKinnon, Pike County extension agent with the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture.

Discover the joy of soy: April is Soyfoods Month

MARION, Ark. - It's a good thing that soybeans are so abundant in this state, because they offer tremendous health benefits! Arkansas has traditionally been one of the top ten national soybean producers.

April 18, 2008

MONTICELLO, Ark. - When the flooding along rivers in eastern Arkansas subsides, row crop farmers will likely have something else to worry about in addition to lost planting time and debris cleanup: new weeds, especially herbicide resistant ones.

Victor Ford named Southwest Center director

HOPE, Ark. - Victor L. Ford, who was an extension forester at the Southwest Research and Extension Center from 1983 to 1988, has returned to Hope as the center's director. Ford began his duties as center director on April 7.

Spend your tax rebate and save it!

JONESBORO, Ark. – A tax rebate is scheduled to make its way to tax filers in the next few months. With personal savings at an all-time low, many Americans are in a quandary about whether to spend the money or save it, says Debbie DeRossitte, Craighead County extension agent with the University of Arkansas Divison of Agriculture.
 

MURFREESBORO - Staying healthy as you age includes keeping a sharp mind as well as a strong body.

Horse bits are an essential component of training

LITTLE ROCK - The role of horse bits in managing horses is often misunderstood by people outside of the horse industry.

Bitter is Better - Bitter Vegetables Are A Healthy Addition to Garden

PINE BLUFF, Ark. - When planning or planting a garden, think bitter is better, advises Dr. Obadiah Njue, University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff (UAPB) Cooperative Extension Program horticulture specialist.

Dena Childs receives extension's top early career award

FERNDALE, Ark. - Dena Childs of Pine Bluff, extension personnel assistant with the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture, received the Early Career Award - Classified Employee and $1,000 Tuesday, April 15 at the C. A. Vines Arkansas 4-H Center.
 

April 11, 2008

LITTLE ROCK - Arkansas hay and vegetable producers may be losing a favored fertilizer over concerns that it can be used to make explosives, according to extension experts with the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture.

Flooding endangers trees

LITTLE ROCK - For certain Arkansas tree species, just a few hours of flooding can prove fatal, says a forestry expert with the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture.

Not every storm-downed tree requires emergency clean up

LITTLE ROCK - Don't be panicked into paying premiums to clean up storm-damaged trees, says Dr. Tamara Walkingstick, an extension forester and associate professor with the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture.

Take life-saving safety precautions in grain bins

LITTLE ROCK - In January, Sylvester Jackson, a 21-year employee of the McAlister's Grain Company in Helena, lost his life after falling inside a grain elevator. Authorities say Jackson became trapped under the pressure of flowing soybeans and suffocated before he could be rescued.

Spring is good time to vaccinate heifers against brucellosis

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. - If you have heifers that are between four and 12 months old and you're planning to keep them in your herd, the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture recommends that you have them vaccinated against brucellosis, also called bangs, according to Dr. Jeremy Powell, extension veterinarian.

Tactics for stretching your food dollar

SEARCY, Ark. - Food prices continue to rise and all of us need to watch how we spend our food dollar.

Indulge in a little sugar from time to time

HOT SPRINGS, Ark. - Life without sugar is hard to imagine for some of us, and if you know the facts, it is OK to give in to your sweet tooth occasionally, says Lisa Gilmore, county extension agent with the University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service in Garland County.
 

LITTLE ROCK - Thirty-eight years after the first Earth Day, and it's still a relevant reminder that we have a powerful tool to help protect our natural resources: recycling.

UAPB will Celebrate Earth Day with Festival and by 'Going Green'

PINE BLUFF, Ark. – "Fill the Recycle Bin - UAPB is "Going Green" is the theme of this year's Earth Day activities at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff (UAPB). The School of Agriculture, Fisheries and Human Sciences is inviting its neighbors, area residents and the community to turn out en masse to recycle goods on April 22 in celebration of this 39th annual Earth Day.

April marks emergence of mayapples

LITTLE ROCK - April means mayapples in Arkansas.

Welcome to, or there goes, the neighborhood

BENTONVILLE, Ark. - Change, such as is occurring throughout northwest Arkansas, seems to bring an equal portion of problems and opportunities.

Creating breakthroughs in our lives

LITTLE ROCK - This is about keeping our head up, and taking advantage of time – every day, starting with today.

Community leaders to learn keys to creating jobs, wealth and quality of life

LITTLE ROCK - The annual Breakthrough Solutions Conference on May 1 will feature speakers from Arkansas and beyond sharing insights and stories for successfully competing in the 21st century global economy.
 

April 9, 2008

PINE BLUFF, Ark. - Farmers should keep a close eye on stock and fish ponds as more rain is forecast to fall on already saturated ground, an extension fisheries specialist with the University of Arkansas system, said Wednesday.

April 4, 2008

Can't make that putt? Blame the nematodes

LITTLE ROCK - Sports Illustrated may have given desperate golfers an excuse for a bad putting game: nematodes.

How to protect your family photos from disaster

LITTLE ROCK - The recent image in a statewide newspaper of a family trying to dry out its irreplaceable photos after flooding in east Arkansas should warn us that a natural disaster can claim some of our most precious possessions.

Spring brings beauty to the garden and pain in back

DANVILLE, Ark. - Spring is here, and you're probably itching to get after a long list of gardening projects, but don't overdo it, warns Van Banks, Yell County extension agent with the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture.

When plague of 'porcupine eggs' falls from the sky

HOPE, Ark. - Shakespeare may think "a rose by any other name would smell as sweet," but he never dealt with sweet gum balls, according to Gerald Alexander, Hempstead County extension staff chair with the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture.
 

Crop protection equipment invaluable for farmers, homeowners

BENTONVILLE, Ark. - Farmers and homeowners alike meet with confusion when making decisions about crop protection equipment.

Put fork in charge in salad eating

HOT SPRINGS, Ark. - Many dieters eat salads as part of their regimen. But while they're in pursuit of a slimmer figure, many dieters often pile their leafy greens with cheese, croutons and fat-laden salad dressing.

Fire council offers workshop for forest landowners

BATESVILLE, Ark. - The Arkansas Prescribed Fire Council is conducting a prescribed burn workshop for private landowners beginning at 9 a.m. on Saturday, April 19, at the University of Arkansas Livestock and Forestry Branch Experiment Station, near Batesville.