arkansas

• By Ryan McGeeney • Despite a year dominated by major weather systems run amuck and a global pandemic, most of Arkansas’ major crops came out ahead in 2020, according to a Jan. 12 report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Overall, Arkansas growers harvested about 6.74 million acres of commodity crops in 2020, not including fruits and other specialty ... Read More »

Each fall, usually about mid-September (depending on the weather during the growing season), the cotton bolls would burst open and cotton picking would begin. White fluff began to gather on both sides of the road on our farm, particularly around the cotton gin. Mother always said every year, “My stars, it looks like snow.” And it did. It was ginning ... Read More »

Arkansas State University’s annual Agribusiness Conference will be a virtual event in 2021. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2021 virtual conference will be presented live via WebEx Wednesday, Feb. 10. The 27th annual conference will focus on the outlook for the economy and agribusiness, commodity markets, and the impact of the 2020 election on agricultural policy. The event will ... Read More »

• By Mary Hightower • Arkansas’ cotton crop got off to a slow, cool and wet start, endured a pandemic and the remains of two hurricanes, hinted at record yields and inexplicably ended the season with prices hitting a high note. “By May 18, only 47% of the crop had been planted,” Scott Stiles, extension economist for the University of ... Read More »

• By Bill Robertson • Harvest of the final large-plot county variety test was a long time coming with only one location where we were unable to beat the picker to the field. We strive to release yield information as quickly as possible to allow for unbiased comparisons to assist in the variety selection process for next year. Seed providers ... Read More »

An annual conference offering expert insights into managing weed, insect and disease pests in Arkansas crops is moving online. The Arkansas Crop Protection Conference is scheduled for Dec. 1-2 and will feature 22 presentations geared toward growers, consultants and other industry representatives. For crop consultants, the conference carries six continuing education credits. There’s no cost to attend, and participants must ... Read More »

Dr. Fred Bourland was born and raised on a cotton and soybean farm in northeast Arkansas. He began working in cotton breeding as a graduate student at the University of Arkansas in 1970 and has been actively involved in the discipline since then. During a recent webinar, Bourland shared his 50 years’ perspective on cotton. This synopsis highlights some of ... Read More »