For the Media

May 17, 2013

Rotational grazing, tire-based water systems on tap at June 24 Beef/Forage Field Day

JONESBORO, Ark. – An interactive tour of rotational grazing fields and a step-by-step how-to on tire tank watering systems are among the activities on tap Monday, June 24, for the Delta beef and Forage Field Day at Arkansas State University Farms.

May 15, 2013

UpStream Art on display during Rogers Third Friday festivities

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – One of the most unique public art projects n Arkansas is one that adorns storm drains across Bentonville, Fayetteville, Rogers and Springdale. Staring this Friday, art lovers will have a chance to see all of these sometimes-whimsical, but always educational, 2013 Upstream Art pieces in one place.

May 14, 2013

UpStream Art on display during Rogers Third Friday festivities

JONESBORO, Ark. – Arkansas’ cotton, rice and corn growers are making a late-inning rally after a spring-long rain-and-cold delay that kept them from planting their crops.

Next Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) Sign-up begins May 20

PINE BLUFF, Ark, -- The next general sign-up for the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) will begin May 20 and end June 14.

GAP and GHP Certification Food Safety Training May 23

PINE BLUFF, Ark. – A Food Safety Workshop emphasizing Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) and Good Handling Practices (GHP) Certification for fruit and vegetable producers is scheduled for Thursday, May 23, at the S.J. Parker 1890 Extension Complex Auditorium on the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff (UAPB) campus. The workshop begins at 9:30 a.m. with registration. The first session begins at 10 a.m.

National conference helps growers find new markets

LITTLE ROCK – A conference aimed at helping the nation’s farmers and rural communities find new markets and expand economically will feature a keynote by Doug O’Brien, USDA’s deputy under secretary of rural development.

Wheat growers should hold that itchy sprayer finger

LONOKE, Ark. – Yes, those are stink bugs in your wheat field. No, you probably shouldn't start spraying just yet.

May 10, 2013

An ecological lifesaver: Grassed waterways

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Many landowners are interested in preserving the wildlife on their land.  The water quality of the runoff flowing from their acreage is also a matter of concern for landowners.

Arkansas works to stay ahead of a fruit-robbing fly

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – A tiny fly may be the greatest threat that cobbler season in Arkansas has ever faced.

Spring is for strawberries, but winter may be, too

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – May may be National Strawberry Month, but imagine biting into a ripe, juicy Arkansas strawberry – in the middle of winter.

Have fun a second time at Arkansas Outdoor School’s ‘Greatest Hits Camp’

LITTLE ROCK – So what did you do this summer? If you attend the 4-H Arkansas Outdoor School this year, your answer could be making a battery out of lemons, earning an American Red Cross First Aid certificate, or cooking and surviving in the wild. And if you vote on one of these as your favorite activity of camp, you just may get to do it again.

Photo Opportunity - Youth Nutrition Garden Program

Come meet the second and third graders at Martin Luther King Interdistrict Elementary who are part of the Nutrition Garden program and join them for a tour of the garden. They will be harvesting and planting.

May 8, 2013

Mississippi rising again, minor flooding inside levee on Ark side [CORRECTION]

HELENA-WEST HELENA, Ark. – The National Weather Service has a flood advisory in effect at Helena with the Mississippi expected to crest just short of flood stage on Sunday.

Taste Arkansas-grown goodies at Horticulture Field Day May 30

HOPE, Ark. – Mouth-watering honey and biscuits, desserts and veggies. Who knew a Horticulture Field Day could taste so good?

Happy fish, sea monkeys help bring storm drain message home in NW Arkansas

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Happy fish, sea monkeys, flowers and local landmarks are all part UpStream Art 2013, the second year of a public art campaign to show that storm drains carry runoff directly into nature and not to wastewater processing.

‘Giddy up-and-whoa’ spring grows question marks in Ark tomato country

WARREN, Ark. – Cool days, cold nights and smatterings of warm sunshine have raised a few question marks in the tomato fields of southern Arkansas.

Bumpers College Awards Diploma to First Online Graduate in Latest Online Master's Degree Program

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – When a Lonoke County extension agent walks across the stage to accept her master's degree diploma May 11, she will be the first graduate of a new online degree program offered by the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences at the University of Arkansas.

May 7, 2013

Hay moisture and how to measure it

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Making good hay is not a guessing game – especially where moisture levels are concerned, said Dirk Philipp, assistant professor for the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture.

Caramelized sugars may taste good, but mean lower protein in hay

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – A little moisture in hay is normal, but higher levels will mean higher heat levels in the bale leading to destruction of proteins in the forage and at high enough temperatures, the storage barn, said Dirk Philipp, assistant professor for the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture.

May 3, 2013

Corn takes a bath in Craighead Co., flood warnings issued

JONESBORO, Ark. – Rising water in eastern Arkansas on Friday prompted flood warnings, a highway closure and submerged corn, rice and soybeans in two counties.

Freeze not expected in Ark row crop country, but cold, wet weather causing headaches

LITTLE ROCK – Arkansas’ row crop farmers will be keeping a wary eye on the thermometer Friday and Saturday as a front that has already brought record lows and snow to the state, fills the air with its coldest punch yet for the young month of May.

It’s May. It’s Arkansas. It’s snowing.

WINSLOW, Ark. – Hello snow. Goodbye zucchinis. Friday’s snowfall in northwest Arkansas was a record setter. Never before had snow been recorded in May in Arkansas, according to the National Weather Service. Temperatures dropped steeply with the snow and a freeze watch was posted for Benton, Carroll, Madison and Washington counties through Saturday morning.

Birds and windows: A bad combination, but not always a sad ending

LITTLE ROCK -- It's one of the signs of spring: That unnerving "thunk" when a bird flies into your picture window or storm door. It can be an upsetting experience, but the outcome isn't necessarily going to be as bad as it might look and there are steps you can take to help prevent those collisions.

Taking care of your latchkey plants

SEARCY, Ark. -- If you and your family are going on vacation, chances are that you’re not bringing your houseplants along. If you’re not there to water them, who is?

College funding changes for 2013 high school grads

LITTLE ROCK – This year’s high school graduates maybe done with exams, but with changes to Arkansas’ lottery scholarships and college loan interest rates, they’d better be cramming for the financial challenges ahead, said Laura Connerly, assistant professor for the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture.

May 2, 2013

Climate Prediction Center sees wetter days ahead for SW Ark

LITTLE ROCK – The Climate Prediction Center on Thursday projected a wetter summer for southwest Arkansas, an area where moderate drought continued clinging stubbornly. 

Number of Ark rabies cases rises to 84

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Pope County continued to lead the state in the number of reported rabies cases with 12, while the statewide total for animal rabies reports rose to 84 from 55 a month ago, the Arkansas Department of Health reported Wednesday.

May 1, 2013

Receding drought leaves deadly touch among Ark trees

HOPE, Ark. – Drought may be receding in Arkansas, but its deadly touch will be felt in landscapes and forests for years to come, said Jon Barry, extension forester for the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture.