Rutledge: long-time special agent in charge appointed as safe schools coordinator

Jerry Keefer

LITTLE ROCK – Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge applauded the appointment of her long-time Special Agent in Charge (SAC), Jerry Keefer, to the position of Safe Schools Coordinator for the Arkansas Department of Education.

“Special Agent in Charge Keefer’s leadership has been instrumental to the success of my administration’s ability to protect children from online exploitation and those who seek to harm them,” said Attorney General Leslie Rutledge. “SAC Keefer is a well-respected and dedicated member of law enforcement whose expertise will benefit the Department of Education, but more importantly, the schoolchildren of Arkansas.”

“It has been a privilege to serve Attorney General Rutledge for the last seven years,” says Special Agent in Charge Jerry Keefer. “I look forward to working together to provide a safer Arkansas for children.”

Keefer began his tenure at the Attorney General’s office in April 2015 as a Special Agent primarily tasked with providing statewide trainings on active shooter and critical incident scenarios for law enforcement and educators. He also developed and implemented the Metal Theft Prevention Program at the beginning of the Rutledge Administration, which inspected metal scrapyards to ensure compliance with state law. Keefer is also a member of the State’s Internet Crimes Against Children Taskforce which specializes in the identification and arrest of online predators. He was promoted to the role of Special Agent in Charge in November 2020 where he supervises a team of special agents who are assigned to the agency’s cybercrimes and Public Integrity Division. In 2022, Keefer served as Attorney General Rutledge’s designee for the Arkansas Safe Schools Commission, where he provided expert feedback on school safety issues.

New collaboration between Ag Law Center, 4-H opens opportunity to explore new career paths

By Mary Hightower
U of A System Division of Agriculture

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — A new collaboration between the National Agricultural Law Center and Arkansas 4-H will enable students to explore potential law careers in food, agriculture and the environment.

“Growing Careers in Ag and Food Law for Pre-College Students,” will kick off with a Sept. 14 webinar that runs from 4 p.m. – 5 p.m. CDT. The hourlong session will include ample time for a question-and-answer period. This is the first of a quarterly series. Online registration is available. 

PRESENTERS — Patrick and Jill Dillon, Iowa attorneys, will present at the first webinar for the Growing Careers series. (Image courtesy Dillon Law)

Patrick and Jill Dillon, both agricultural law attorneys and farmers, will discuss careers in law and agriculture, their individual career paths, and offer insight and advice to pre-college students and others who may be interested in agricultural and food law issues or careers. The two form Dillon Law, with three offices in Iowa.

Patrick Dillon regularly represents clients in district, associate district and magistrate courts for agricultural, real estate, criminal and collection issues. He is a recent past president of the American Agricultural Law Association and current member of the organization’s Board of Directors. He drafts wills and trusts, creates estate plans and helps clients through the probate process.

Jill Dillon is a former assistant Fayette County prosecutor and a certified family law mediator. She still has ties to her family farm operation which includes a dairy herd. Jill Dillon focuses on bankruptcy, adoptions, and mediations.

A unique field of practice

“Agriculture is unlike any other industry and has many nuances and unique legal and policy aspects that require specialized knowledge among attorneys,” said Harrison Pittman, director of the National Agricultural Law Center. “There is a great need to develop a long-term pipeline of talent into the ag and food industry, and this partnership with 4-H is a part of our effort to help do just that.”

Pittman said sessions in the Growing Careers program are perfect for high school students considering a law career, as well as educators preparing students for careers.

Both the National Agricultural Law Center and the Arkansas 4-H program are part of the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture.

“Arkansas 4-H is a program that has more than 100,000 participants all over Arkansas and is also part of the Division of Agriculture,” Pittman said. “Working in partnership with 4-H, the state’s premier youth development program, was a natural fit.”

Angie Freel, associate department head – 4-H, said “the Arkansas 4-H program is privileged to partner with the National Ag Law Center on this initiative to further educate 4-H members about the possibilities available to them in the area of agriculture.

“By building their networks now, they can rely on those relationships when they have a firm grasp on their chosen career field,” she said. “We are spreading the word nationwide about this unique opportunity for 4-H members to be involved in a national educational experience.”

 Bridges Initiative

The Growing Careers program is part of the National Agricultural Law Center’s Agricultural & Food Law Bridges Initiative, which is a student-focused, public-private partnership that offers professional development, networking, and increased legal knowledge to pre-college, undergraduate, and law students interested in agricultural and food law issues and/or careers.  

The goal of the Bridges Initiative is to help provide a legal-focused pipeline of talent into the agricultural and food industries while furthering the NALC’s national mission of serving as the nation’s leading source of agricultural and food law research and information. The Bridges Initiative includes a specific focus on minority students and others traditionally underrepresented in the agricultural and food law fields.

For information about the National Agricultural Law Center, visit https://nationalaglawcenter.org/  or follow @Nataglaw on Twitter.

https://www.uaex.uada.edu/media-resources/news/2022/august/08-18-2022-ark-nalc-growing-careers.aspx

UAMS Fay W. Boozman College of Public Health Basks in Two Decades of Success

By Kev' Moye

Standing behind a podium in the Rahn Auditorium, Joseph Bates, M.D., MS., prepared to present an award during the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences’ Fay W. Boozman College of Public Health’s 2022 Convocation.

Bates, the associate dean for Public Health Practice, marveled over how the auditorium was smoke-free and clean. After gazing around, he then addressed the many students, family members, faculty and staff who were in attendance.

“Believe it or not, there was a time in Arkansas where you could smoke anywhere. This auditorium would’ve been filled with smoke. Office buildings, restaurants, even hospitals … people smoked wherever they wanted to. Smoke was always around,” he said.

https://news.uams.edu/2022/08/16/uams-fay-w-boozman-college-of-public-health-basks-in-two-decades-of-success/

Joseph Bates, M.D., speaks to Samantha Wells, a doctoral student in the Fay W. Boozman College of Public Health, following her Grand Rounds presentation at the Arkansas Department of Health.

Crop quality, progress in Arkansas aided by rains

KUAR | By George Jared/ Talk Business & Politics

It rained very little during the months of June and July throughout most of northern and eastern Arkansas, plunging many parts of the Natural State into a severe drought. In recent weeks, that trend has changed dramatically and it comes at a time that is critical for many row crop farmers.

According to the United States Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) about 25% of the state’s corn crop is mature, as compared to the five-year average of 32% by this point in the growing season. There are an estimated 710,000 corn acres in the state.

Nearly 97% of the state’s soybean crop is blooming, which is 2% ahead of the five-year average. Arkansas farmers planted 3.2 million soybean acres, making it the state’s most widely grown crop.

https://www.ualrpublicradio.org/local-regional-news/2022-08-15/crop-quality-progress-in-arkansas-aided-by-rains

Conservation education grant funding open for Arkansas schools

KUAR | By Daniel Breen

The state of Arkansas is allocating over three-quarters of a million dollars to help expand conservation education in schools. The $808,146 grant program is a partnership between the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission and the Arkansas Economic Development Commission.

AEDC Director of Rural Services Becca Caldwell says enhancing education about the state’s natural resources is key to their goal of economic development, particularly in rural areas.

“We also manage other grant programs that focus on the infrastructure of these rural communities, but when it comes to the wildlife grants themselves, improving quality of life for the community is a big economic driver,” Caldwell said.

https://www.ualrpublicradio.org/local-regional-news/2022-08-18/conservation-education-grant-funding-open-for-arkansas-schools

USDA/McKeand

A grant program from the Arkansas Economic Development Commission and the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission will make over $800,000 available to schools for conservation education.

U.S. cotton farmers projected to harvest fewest acres since Reconstruction due to drought

by George Jared (gjared@talkbusiness.net)

If the newest harvest projections hold, U.S. farmers will harvest the least number of cotton acres in over 150 years. A crippling drought across many parts of the South and West is causing farmers to abandon fields at a record rate, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

“USDA projected this year’s harvested acres at 7.13 million,” said Scott Stiles, extension economist for the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture. “That would be the lowest since 1868.”

Stiles said the USDA’s latest report projected that about 43% of U.S. planted cotton acres are expected to be abandoned this year, “largely due to the extreme drought conditions in the southwest region, which includes Texas, Oklahoma, and Kansas.”

https://talkbusiness.net/2022/08/u-s-cotton-farmers-projected-to-harvest-fewest-acres-since-reconstruction-due-to-drought/

Fed governor: Banks looking to get into crypto

by Steve Brawner (BRAWNERSTEVE@MAC.COM)

Banks are wanting to offer cryptotechnology services, so the Federal Reserve is studying how those activities should be supervised while reminding them to manage risks and act legally, said Michelle Bowman, one of the Fed’s seven members of the Board of Governors.

Bowman spoke Wednesday (Aug. 17) in Little Rock at the inaugural VenCent Fintech Summit. The summit is a gathering of banking and information technology professionals sponsored by The Venture Center, an entrepreneur support organization based in Little Rock. “Fintech” stands for “financial technology.” Bowman first spoke and then answered questions from Arkansas State Bank Commissioner Susannah Marshall and from the audience.

Bowman said banks want to better understand and potentially provide cryptotechnology services in light of consumer demand. Deposits are flowing to crypto firms, so banks want to offer those services themselves. But before a bank offers crypto services, it needs to consider the risks to itself and to its customers.

https://talkbusiness.net/2022/08/fed-governor-banks-looking-to-get-into-crypto/

Hospital executives say financial conditions dire, closures imminent if no action

by Roby Brock (roby@talkbusiness.net)

After surviving the pandemic, Arkansas’ hospitals are anything but on a road to recovery. Mounting financial pressures from workforce to reimbursements to inflation are leading to reductions in services and access points and could lead to eventual closures of facilities if conditions don’t improve.

Two Arkansas hospital CEOs – Peggy Abbott, CEO of Ouachita County Medical Center, and Chad Aduddell, market CEO for CHI St. Vincent in Little Rock – said insurance companies and federal reimbursements must step up for the state’s healthcare community to survive.

“We’ve seen our expenses, we’re up more than 10%, which for us, our expenses are up over $100 million versus the pre-COVID year, and yet our revenues and volumes are actually down. So you don’t have to be, you know, a finance leader to know that that math’s not gonna work out, and not going to be sustainable,” said Aduddell.

https://talkbusiness.net/2022/08/hospital-executives-say-financial-conditions-dire-closures-imminent-if-no-action/

Single Parent Scholarship Fund of Sevier County

Arkansas 4-H awards college scholarships, sponsorships to outstanding youth

By Tracy Courage
U of A System Division of Agriculture

LITTLE ROCK — Years of detailed project work, community service and leadership efforts have paid off for 32 4-H members in the form of college scholarships. 

The Arkansas 4-H Foundation recently awarded $24,000 in college scholarships to youth across Arkansas. Amounts ranged from $500 to $8,000.

“These scholarships directly help our 4-H members continue to excel,” John Thomas, managing director of the Arkansas 4-H Foundation, said. “These would not be possible without generous donors, many of whom are former 4-H members who want to pay it forward for future generations.”

The Arkansas 4-H Foundation has awarded more than $170,000 to 4-H members this year, enabling them to attend summer camps and leadership and citizenship trainings. The foundation also provides sponsorships for more than 40 students with winning record books to attend National 4-H Congress in Atlanta each year, a trip valued at $1,500 per person.

Record books reflect each student’s achievements in leadership, community service and work in their chosen projects. 4-H offers more than 70 projects spanning the arts and humanities, healthy living, civil engagement, animal and plant sciences, engineering and technology.

This year’s scholarship recipients include:

Sue Marshall Scholarship — Abby Frizzell of Johnson County and Kristin Lehmann of Conway County each received $8,000 to pursue collegiate studies in family and consumer sciences.

Ada & Tyrell Anderson Scholarship — Emma Gardner of Washington received the $6,000 scholarship awarded to a 4-H member from Madison or Washington County to attend a college or university in the University of Arkansas System.

Robert D. and Betty F. Oliver Scholarship — Jordan Thomas of Pulaski County, $4,000.

Rick and Lynette Cartwright Scholarship — Alec Frachiseur of Sevier County, $3,500.

Raydus Ree and Virginia Williams James Scholarship — Weston Penny of Washington County, $3,500.

C.A and Joye Vines Scholarship — Kallyn Sossamon of Saline County, $1,000.

Farm Credit Cooperatives Scholarship — Hannah Riggan of Hot Spring County and Alex Trombley of Howard County each received $1,000 to pursue an agriculture-related course of study in college.

Dennis R. Millard Memorial Scholarship — Savannah Barrentine of Grant County received the $1,000 award, which recognizes a person who has demonstrated outstanding leadership, community service and mentoring of other 4-H members.

Rotary Club of Fayetteville and Dale Killian Scholarship — Janna Morse of Washington County received the $1,000 scholarship, which is awarded to a Washington County student enrolling at the University of Arkansas.

Gladys Klepfer/ Bo & Peggy Cobb Scholarship — Rob Phillips of Arkansas County and Savannah Loving of Johnson County each received a $1,000 scholarship, which is awarded to members who have served as volunteer camp counselors at the Arkansas 4-H Center.

John W. White Scholarship — Erin Holland of Van Buren County received a $1,000 award to pursue agriculture or human environmental sciences at the University of Arkansas.

Zack O. and Jennie D. Jennings Scholarship — Annabelle Ferren of White County received the $1,000 award for outstanding leadership.

Division of Agriculture Livestock Scholarships

Ethan Wolcott, Hunter Frachiseur and Madison Bagley, all of Sevier County, each received $1,000. The scholarships are awarded to youth who have exhibited livestock at the Arkansas State Fair and Livestock Show within the past year and who plan to pursue an agriculture-related major in college.

Oaklawn Jockey Scholarships — $625 each
Rylee Kelley, Searcy County.
Riley Pearce, Faulkner County.
Mollie Leonard, Van Buren County.
Caylee Turner, Little River County.

Larry Sandage Arkansas Forage and Grassland Council Scholarship — Grace Rutherford of Clark County received the $500 scholarship to a pursue studies related to a career in forage, grass or the cattle industry.

Regions Bank Scholarship — Emmarie Savell, Izard County, $500.

Raymond Cox Scholarship — James Daniell of Clark County, Tayte Christensen of Benton County and Magon James of Arkansas County, each received $500 for outstanding 4-H work.

Maeda Asbell Scholarship — Josalyn Allbritton of Chicot County received $400 for outstanding 4-H work.

For more information about 4-H, visit https://4h.uada.edu/. To learn more about other extension programs in Arkansas, contact your local Cooperative Extension Service agent or visit uaex.uada.edu. Follow us on Twitter at @AR_Extension.

UAMS’ Ashley Nemec-Bakk, Ph.D., Awarded Postdoctoral Fellowship for Space Health Research

By Benjamin Waldrum

Ashley Nemec-Bakk, Ph.D., a postdoctoral fellow in the UAMS College of Pharmacy’s Division of Radiation Health and Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, is one of three researchers nationwide to receive a postdoctoral fellowship from the Translational Research Institute for Space Health (TRISH) at Baylor College of Medicine.

TRISH is backed by NASA’s Human Research Program, with a mission, in part, to support the upcoming Artemis missions, which aim to put the first woman and first person of color on the Moon. The institute funds innovative and disruptive research that can improve and protect the health and safety of humans, wherever they explore.

“Cultivating the next generation of space health researchers is one of our strategic goals,” said Dorit Donoviel, Ph.D., TRISH executive director. “We aim to prepare a diverse workforce from a variety of scientific backgrounds to help us solve the challenges facing space explorers on future missions to the Moon and beyond. We are thrilled to welcome this next batch of postdocs as they help bring us closer to that goal.”

https://news.uams.edu/2022/08/15/uams-ashley-nemec-bakk-ph-d-awarded-postdoctoral-fellowship-for-space-health-research/

COVID Vaccines Recommended as Students Return to Classroom

KUAF - Daniel Caruth

Many students across Arkansas return to school this week. With new COVID-19 variants emerging, some health officials are urging students, parents and school staff to take precautions that could prevent virus outbreaks.

https://www.kuaf.com/show/ozarks-at-large/2022-08-15/covid-vaccines-recommended-as-students-return-to-classroom

Courtesy/CDC

In June, COVID-19 vaccines were approved for kids as young as six months old.

Crop quality, progress aided by rains

by George Jared (gjared@talkbusiness.net)

It rained very little during the months of June and July throughout most of northern and eastern Arkansas, plunging many parts of the Natural State into a severe drought. In recent weeks, that trend has changed dramatically and it comes at a time that is critical for many row crop farmers.

According to the United States Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) about 25% of the state’s corn crop is mature, as compared to the five-year average of 32% by this point in the growing season. There are an estimated 710,000 corn acres in the state.

Nearly 97% of the state’s soybean crop is blooming, which is 2% ahead of the five-year average. Arkansas farmers planted 3.2 million soybean acres, making it the state’s most widely grown crop.

https://talkbusiness.net/2022/08/crop-quality-progress-aided-by-rains/

Legislative leaders wrap up special session, offer thoughts on January regular session

by Roby Brock (roby@talkbusiness.net)

With the recent special session behind them, legislative leaders on both sides of the aisle are sizing up issues for the next regular session of the Arkansas Legislature.

On the Sunday (Aug. 14) edition of Talk Business & Politics, Senate President Pro Tempore-elect Bart Hester, R-Cave Springs, and House Minority Leader Rep. Tippi McCullough, D-Little Rock, shared their thoughts on the agendas expected to play out at the state capitol.

Hester said criminal justice reform will be a top priority for him as he eyes ways to reduce violent crime and repeat offenders.

https://talkbusiness.net/2022/08/legislative-leaders-wrap-up-special-session-offer-thoughts-on-january-regular-session/

Adult-use cannabis makes Nov. 8 ballot, votes might not count

by Jeff Della Rosa (JDellaRosa@nwabj.com)

A group recently submitted more than twice the number of signatures for a ballot issue that, if approved, would allow for adult-use or recreational cannabis in Arkansas. While the issue was conditionally certified to be on the November ballot, the Arkansas Supreme Court will decide whether the votes will count.

Responsible Growth Arkansas gathered more than 193,000 signatures, more than twice the 89,151 signatures required to make the ballot. In late July, Arkansas Secretary of State John Thurston confirmed the group had the signatures to meet the requirement. But in early August, the Arkansas Board of Election Commissioners, on which Thurston is chairman, denied certifying the ballot issue amid concerns regarding sufficient background checks for dispensary owners and limits on THC, tetrahydrocannabinol, a marijuana chemical.

Steve Lancaster, attorney for Wright Lindsey Jennings and spokesman for Responsible Growth Arkansas, appealed to the Supreme Court, and it ruled to conditionally certify the ballot issue. Lancaster said the ruling was needed to meet the Aug. 25 certification deadline, so the ballots could be printed on time.

https://talkbusiness.net/2022/08/adult-use-cannabis-makes-nov-8-ballot-votes-might-not-count/

Steve Lancaster is an attorney for Wright Lindsey Jennings and the spokesman for Responsible Growth Arkansas. The group recently submitted more than twice the number of signatures needed for a ballot issue to legalize adult-use or recreational cannabis in Arkansas.

J.B. Hunt gives $1.5 million to UA department, named after it

by Jeff Della Rosa (JDellaRosa@nwabj.com)

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Inc. announced (Aug. 11) a collaboration with the Sam M. Walton College of Business at the University of Arkansas that includes the Lowell-based carrier giving $1.5 million to its supply chain department and renaming it after the company.

According to a news release, the two entities are working together to make “Northwest Arkansas an epicenter for developing tomorrow’s industry and its leaders.” The money will be used to enhance the UA’s supply chain department, which has been renamed the J.B. Hunt Transport Department of Supply Chain Management.

In a Thursday event at the company’s headquarters, J.B. Hunt and UA leaders noted the company is the first to name a supply chain department and emphasized that Gartner recently ranked it No. 1 in North America. The department’s graduate program is ranked No. 2.

https://talkbusiness.net/2022/08/j-b-hunt-gives-1-5-million-to-ua-department-named-after-it/

Shelley Simpson, president of J.B. Hunt

AUDIO: Governor Hutchinson’s Weekly Address | Special Session Successes

LITTLE ROCK – Today I’d like to talk about the excellent position our state is in to provide additional financial relief for Arkansans.

In December, we cut nearly $500 million in taxes which was the largest tax cut in Arkansas history. This gave the people of Arkansas some financial relief and continued my promise of cutting taxes for everyone.

But as the cost of living continues to go up, Arkansans need more money in their pockets now. Because of the work we have done to be more efficient in state government, we have created a record surplus in the last fiscal year, and it is clear the state is collecting more than it needs. This gives us the ability to provide financial relief in a time when Arkansans need it most.

Just eight months later, I have signed into law an acceleration of the historic December cuts while also signing into law funding for a new grant program to help schools better protect our children.

With the support of the Arkansas General Assembly, we have been able to lower the individual tax rate to 4.9%, which will save taxpayers a total of $295 million just this year. In 1929, the state income tax was at 5.0%. In 2014, the state income tax was at its highest level at 7%, but our reserves were empty. Less than eight years later, we will have the lowest income tax in state history since its creation, all while having more than $2 billion in state reserves. We also created a $150 nonrefundable tax credit for low- and middle-income Arkansans, saving taxpayers another $156 million this year.

This means the total individual tax relief this year alone is more than $400 million.

My other goal for this special session was to ensure our children are protected in their schools. When parents drop their children off at school, they want to have confidence their children are going to be safe. I proposed we transfer $50 million from the state surplus for the purpose of a school safety grant program. The General Assembly concurred with this plan.

At the beginning of the month, the Arkansas School Safety Commission presented an interim report to me highlighting recommendations for schools to ensure the best protections for our children.

With this grant program, we can provide funding for school districts to increase security measures on their campuses. This will benefit all schools, but especially those who need the most help meeting the recommendations.

I applaud the work of the General Assembly for putting more money back into the pockets of Arkansans and for ensuring schools have the proper resources to keep our children safe.

VIDEO: Governor Hutchinson Signs Tax Cut, School Safety Legislation

Governor Asa Hutchinson held a news conference Thursday, August 11, 2022, with members of the Arkansas General Assembly to sign legislation into law regarding the second-largest tax cut in state history and to provide $50 million for a school safety grant program.

USDA’s Risk Management Agency taps Division of Agriculture for crop insurance analysis, stakeholder feedback

By Mary Hightower
U of A System Division of Agriculture

LITTLE ROCK — The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture will be collecting stakeholder feedback and providing data analysis for the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Risk Management Agency to help RMA improve its products and services to farmers.

Established in 1996, RMA manages the Federal Crop Insurance Corporation to provide crop insurance products to America’s farmers and ranchers.

LIGHT MOMENT — Group shares a light moment about a common experience. From left, Hunter Biram, extension economist; Richard Flournoy, deputy administrator for product management for the Risk Management Agency; Marcia Bunger, RMA administrator. Taken Aug. 10, 2022, at the Cooperative Extension Headquarters in Little Rock. (U of A System Division of Agriculture photo by Mary Hightower)

The RMA Navigator program is rooted in a $1.3 million grant proposal by Ron Rainey, assistant vice president for the Division of Agriculture. Rainey, who also serves as the director of the Southern Risk Management Education Center, said the project will provide a better understanding of federal crop insurance products and the performance of those risk management tools.

“Bottom line, we hope to help the crop insurance sector support more farmers and ranchers with more effective policies,” Rainey said.

Work on the program begins Sept. 1.

Vision for RMA

The program fits squarely in the vision outlined Wednesday by RMA Administrator Marcia Bunger during a visit with Division of Agriculture leaders at Little Rock. Among her objectives for the RMA are better service to underserved audiences, recruiting agents and loss adjusters locally, and helping specialty and organic crops.

She spoke about her years conducting outreach in South Dakota for the Farm Services Agency, another arm of USDA, reflecting on how best to serve stakeholders.

“How do we move that needle? I spent a lot of time in my years giving advice,” she said. “I think it’s time we do a better job of listening to hear what stakeholders believe would work the best.”

Another part of her vision “is to elevate some of the specialty crops, the organic crops, the crops we don’t currently have policies with and elevate them to the point that they are on the same playing field as the corn and bean, cotton and wheat guys,” she said.

At a Farm Bill field hearing held June 17 in Jonesboro, Sens. Debbie Stabenow of Michigan, chair of the Senate ag committee and Arkansas’ John Boozman, ranking member, heard about the lack of affordable protection for specialty crops.

Being part of the community

To build trust within a community, “it’s important to have a crop insurance agent in your community. It’s important that they go to church with you. The kids go to the same schools that your kid is going to. They have a cultural understanding of the area,” she said.

“I think with that vision of having crop insurance agents from their communities and loss adjusters from their communities, will also help farmers and ranchers have an easier time going into their county offices as well,” she said.

Accompanying Bunger were Roddric Bell, RMA’s director of the southern region insurance office; Michael Heiserman, director of the risk management education division; and Richard Flournoy, deputy administrator for product management. Deacue Fields, vice president-agriculture for the University of Arkansas System, and Vic Ford, who heads up agriculture and natural resources for the Cooperative Extension Service, and Rainey represented Division of Agriculture administration.

“The Division of Agriculture is uniquely suited for this project because it is home for both the Fryar Price Risk Management Center of Excellence and host for the Southern Risk Management Education Center,” Fields said. “We have the in-house expertise to accomplish this mission with an aim to helping farmers in Arkansas and across the nation. I appreciate Dr. Rainey’s vision and leadership for this valuable program.”

RMA and the RMA Navigator are not affiliated with the Risk Management Association or its services.

To learn more about Division of Agriculture research, visit the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station website: https://aaes.uada.edu. Follow on Twitter at @ArkAgResearch. To learn more about the Division of Agriculture, visit https://uada.edu/. Follow us on Twitter at @AgInArk. To learn about extension programs in Arkansas, contact your local Cooperative Extension Service agent or visit www.uaex.uada.edu.

UAMS Researcher Co-Authors Nature Communications Article Showing Higher Heart Failure Rates in Some COVID-19 Patients

LITTLE ROCK — Patients previously hospitalized with COVID-19 had a 45% higher risk of heart failure than other hospitalized patients, according to the first national study of its kind, which was co-authored by a University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) researcher.

Lead author Husam M. Salah, M.D., at UAMS said the findings reported in Nature Communications also revealed an even higher risk of heart failure for younger, white patients previously hospitalized with COVID-19, surprising the research team.

“We were seeing this increased trend in heart failure among patients previously hospitalized for COVID-19, but until our study, we did not have evidence to confirm the relationship to COVID-19,” said Salah, chief medical resident in the College of Medicine Department of Medicine. “Inflammation of the heart muscle and the coronary arteries as well as formation of small clots in the coronary arteries caused by COVID-19 may be major players in the association between COVID-19 and heart failure.”

https://news.uams.edu/2022/08/11/uams-researcher-co-authors-nature-communications-article-showing-higher-heart-failure-rates-in-some-covid-19-patients/

UAMS' Husam Salah, M.D., is lead author on the national study.