For the Media

November 28, 2011

Start 2012 off right at Jan. 4 Ag Day in Lonoke

LONOKE, Ark. – Start the 2012 rice and soybean season off right at Ag Day, set for Wednesday, Jan. 4, 2012, at the Lonoke Agricultural Center on U.S. 70, just east of Lonoke.

November 23, 2011

Stuffing or dressing? Either way, it’s delicious

TEXARKANA, Ark. – Are you having Thanksgiving dinner or supper? Is that fluffy side dish served with the turkey called stuffing or dressing? The difference depends on where you are, said Carla Haley, Miller County agent for the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture.

November 22, 2011

Drought-plagued SW Arkansas soaks up storm

LITTLE ROCK – Rainfall record after rainfall record tumbled Tuesday in areas north of I-30, while the state's drought-plagued southwest soaked up the storm.

Turkeys, sweet potatoes, green beans feed Thanksgiving appetites

LITTLE ROCK – Many of the mouthwatering foods that end up on this year's Thanksgiving table may have originated in Arkansas.

November 21, 2011

Ark producers hoping for quick drain after heavy rain

LITTLE ROCK – Widespread rain that dumped heavy amounts in parts of Arkansas on Sunday and Monday have thwarted some farmers' efforts to harvest the last fraction of summer crops, while winter wheat growers with flooded fields are be hoping for quick drainage when the rain ends Tuesday.

Arkansas Flower & Garden Show moves to Verizon for 2012

LITTLE ROCK – The Arkansas Flower and Garden Show will have a new venue for 2012, creating a multi-level music and horticulture experience in North Little Rock’s Verizon Arena.

November 18, 2011

News Briefs

To stuff or not to stuff? That’s one Thanksgiving food safety question

LITTLE ROCK – If there was ever a time to be safer than sorry, it's Thanksgiving. "The emergency room is no place to spend Thanksgiving," said Rosemary Rodibaugh, professor-nutrition for the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture.

Cranberries pack lots of good into small package

TEXARKANA, Ark. – Maybe cranberries should be called “cramberries” because of all the good that’s stuffed into a little package.

Should you rake, or ‘leaf’ well enough alone?

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Wind, weather and time are sending thousands of leaves cascading down onto your lawn. Should you rake, mulch or wait? That depends on your lawn, said Mike Richardson, professor-horticulture with the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture.

Immature soybeans complicating harvest

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Nature threw one more monkey wrench at soybean farmers working to harvest this year's flood-, drought- and insect-plagued crop.

November 15, 2011

Arkansas growers about done with harvest

LITTLE ROCK – A week out from Thanksgiving, Arkansas farmers were wrapping up the 2011 harvest and continuing to speed winter wheat into the ground.

Razorback Roundup horse auction funds UA Equine Program

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Pistol, Strider and Buddy are looking for new homes. They and 16 other horses will be auctioned at the 11th annual Razorback Roundup Saturday, Nov. 19, at the Pauline E. Whitaker Animal Science Arena on North Garland Avenue.

November 14, 2011

Food safety personnel examining Beaver Lake pathogens

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture Center for Food Safety's expertise in pathogenic bacteria and viruses is being called into service to examine their impact on Beaver Lake swim beaches and to identify the sources of fecal pollution in the lake.

November 11, 2011

News Briefs

Even evergreen leaves change color and drop in autumn

LITTLE ROCK – During autumn, “evergreen” may be a misnomer when it comes to pines and arborvitae, according to the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture.

Get a leg up by baking early for Thanksgiving

SEARCY, Ark. – Who says you have to do all the Thanksgiving meal prep on Thanksgiving Day?

Keep Thanksgiving foods out of the danger zone

MURFREESBORO, Ark. – The holidays are a time when the kitchen is at its busiest – cranking out multiple courses to keep family and friends well-fed. However, for many home chefs, the large quantities of people and food are more difficult to manage, making timing and temperature all the more important to maintain safe food.

Overeating, low physical activity can render Thanksgiving a turkey for diabetics

MARION, Ark. – With November designated National Diabetes Awareness Month, the Thanksgiving holiday is a good time to re-evaluate unhealthy eating habits, said VeEtta Simmons, Crittenden County staff chair for the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture.

Act now before cold prompts rats to move in with you

MARION, Ark. – A downturn in the thermometer means rodents will be looking for a warm place to spend the winter. "What better place than your house?" said Jason Osborn, Crittenden County extension agent for the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture.

In a relationship, abuse can occur financially

LITTLE ROCK – Even with a solid financial plan, money problems can still exist in a marriage if one partner feels he or she isn't being treated fairly, said Laura Connerly, instructor-family resource management for the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture.

Couples: Using credit can be helpful with careful use

LITTLE ROCK – Opposites may attract, but what happens when careful savers tie the knot with carefree credit card users?

Conference shows research on soy crop stress, alternative management

LITTLE ROCK – Soybean producers will learn the results of the 2011 research season, plus hear Jeremy Ross, extension soybean agronomist for the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture, offer an overview of the challenges of a growing season fraught with weather extremes and extraordinary weed and insect pressure.

November 4, 2011

News Briefs

SWREC Honored by NWS for 75 years of service

HOPE, Ark. – For more than 27,300 consecutive days, someone at the Southwest Research and Extension Center in Hope, Ark., has arisen early and dutifully recorded the temperature, precipitation and other weather conditions precisely at 7 a.m.

Dreaming big: an important step in financial planning

LITTLE ROCK – Before two partners despair about paying the monthly utility bills, they could set a few life goals to become financially motivated.

Yams or Sweetpotato?

PINE BLUFF, ARK. – Even though you may think you are having yams for Thanksgiving dinner, chances are you are enjoying sweetpotatoes which are not the same as yams, says Dr. Obadiah Njue, University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff (UAPB) researcher and Cooperative Extension Program horticulturist.

November 2, 2011

Hungry cattle turn to acorns, face poisoning

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – A lack of good forage has cattle searching for alternative food sources, including acorns, which can be deadly, said Shane Gadberry, associate professor-ruminant nutrition for the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture.

Weather cooperates, sparks surge for winter wheat

LITTLE ROCK – Mostly dry weather with an almost regular weekly rain has provided good conditions for winter wheat planting in Arkansas.

November 1, 2011

Ark drought continues to worsen, some cattle producers hauling water

HARRISON, Ark.  – Worsening drought is prompting some Arkansas cattle producers to do more than just haul hay to feed their herds: Now they’re hauling in water.

Wilson named director of Rice Research and Extension Center

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Charles E. "Chuck" Wilson Jr. has been appointed director of the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture's Rice Research and Extension Center (RREC) near here. He has served as interim director since October 2010.