Census Bureau: Arkansas population grows by 0.6% in 2022

by Jeff Della Rosa (JDellaRosa@nwabj.com)

Arkansas is the 17th fastest-growing and the 33rd largest state, according to new estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau. The state grew by 0.6% to a population of 3.04 million in 2022, from 3.02 million in 2021.

The Census Bureau released Thursday (Dec. 22) estimates that show Arkansas added 17,515 people between July 1, 2021, and July 1, 2022. The release included state and national population estimates along with components of change, including natural change and net migration.

In Arkansas, the natural change was -3,936, or more deaths (40,187) than births (36,251). Total net migration was 21,523, with international migration of 3,314 and domestic migration of 18,209. The migration numbers show more people moved into the state than out, whether from other states or internationally.

https://talkbusiness.net/2022/12/census-bureau-arkansas-population-grows-by-0-6-in-2022/

Gov.-elect Sanders names Hugh McDonald to Commerce post, Shane Khoury to Energy and Environment

by Roby Brock (roby@talkbusiness.net)

Gov.-elect Sarah Sanders announced Thursday (Dec. 22) former Entergy Arkansas CEO Hugh McDonald as her choice to lead the Arkansas Department of Commerce, the cabinet post that oversees economic development and recruiting, and other agencies dealing with banking, securities and insurance.

McDonald, who has been retired from Entergy since 2016, said he is looking forward to the challenge of recruiting businesses to Arkansas and helping develop the state’s workforce. Sanders said improving Arkansas’ workforce training and coordination – with an eye toward helping younger, non-college bound students explore career opportunities – would be a top priority for her administration.

Mike Preston, the outgoing Secretary of Commerce, is transitioning to the private sector. He said an announcement about his future would be forthcoming.

https://talkbusiness.net/2022/12/gov-elect-sanders-names-hugh-mcdonald-to-commerce-post-shane-khoury-to-energy-and-environment/

Gov.-elect Sarah Sanders and Commerce Secretary nominee Hugh McDonald.

Update from State Representative DeAnn Vaught

This week, the Arkansas Legislative Council received a report regarding the state of mental and behavioral health in Arkansas. 

This report was months in the making. It makes clear that medical professionals are facing a mental health crisis in our state but the collaborative efforts involved in this study also provide a path forward to improving care. 

Act 802 of 2021 required a study of Mental and Behavioral Health conditions in Arkansas.

The purpose of the study was to assess the strengths and weaknesses of the mental and behavioral health resources and care currently available and to recommend legislation to the General Assembly. 

For the last several months, legislators, mental health providers, medical professionals, and behavioral health stakeholders have been meeting to discuss various services offered to persons suffering from mental health issues. The group has also been discussing the current difficulty is providing these services without a professionally trained workforce. 

Representatives of the Arkansas Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics testified that many pediatricians in the state are spending the majority of their day on working behavioral health right now and struggle to find access to proper care for their patients.  

Arkansas Children’s Hospital reported seeing a 25% increase in mental health and behavioral health cases since the beginning of the pandemic.

And medical professionals testified that more than 36,000 adolescents in Arkansas had a major depressive episode in the last year. 

Arkansas is not unique in facing these challenges. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), 1 in 5 Americans will experience a mental illness in a given year. The CDC also states that 1 in 5 children, either currently or at some point during their life, have had a seriously debilitating mental illness. 

The Department of Human Services participated in these working groups and discussed what could be changed by the policy. As a result of the concerns raised in the working group, DHS agreed to several policy changes which will allow Medicaid providers to be reimbursed for more preventive care and provide more oversight for at-home care. 

In the 94th General Assembly, we could see several pieces of legislation introduced as a direct result of this study.

 The final report states that legislation is being drafted, studied, and considered which will address several concerns raised including increasing the number of Psychological Examiners practicing in the state, enhancing the availability of intensive treatment for young children and adolescents, and advocating for school counselors to be trained on suicide awareness and prevention.  

We have posted the study on our website www.arkansashouse.org. 

We want to remind anyone struggling with a mental health crisis to call 988 to be connected to resources near you.

AUDIO: Governor Hutchinson’s Weekly Address | Joys of the Holidays

On behalf of the state of Arkansas, I would like to wish you a Merry Christmas and a blessed holiday season.

Christmas is my favorite time of year in the Natural State, especially in the halls of the Arkansas State Capitol.

During the month of December, student choirs travel from all over the state to sing in the rotunda in the center of the Capitol. Their songs echo to the ceiling and can be heard in all corners of the building. The beauty of their voices reminds me of the verse in Scripture about the angel and the multitude of heavenly hosts filling the sky and praising God at the birth of Jesus.

That’s what this season is all about. Despite the shopping, the crowds, and the stress, it is all about the birth in Bethlehem that changed the world.

This Christmas is a particularly special one as it marks the end of my final year as Governor. This year I am grateful for the gift of life, my family, and the privilege of a lifetime that has been serving the great state of Arkansas as Governor.

Some of the Christmas traditions I have been able to be a part of these past eight years have been especially memorable this year.

Last weekend, at the beginning of the Hanukkah season, I had the privilege of lighting the first candle of the Little Rock Chabad Menorah. In 2015, I was the first Arkansas Governor to light the Menorah publicly. It was a humbling experience then, and I’m grateful to have had the opportunity to join the Central Arkansas Jewish community in celebrating the eight days of Hanukkah each year since then.

A couple weeks ago, I once again got to host the “Christmas at the Capitol” event where we collected gifts for children in the foster care system in Arkansas. Those who donated gifts made a small gesture that will make more of an impact than they will ever know.

After all, giving is a core part of what Christmas is all about. Arkansans are some of the kindest, most giving people I have ever been around. That is especially evident during the holiday season. One of the best parts of being Governor is getting to meet Arkansans from every corner of the state and from all walks of life.

The holiday season often brings out the best in people. I encourage you to extend goodwill toward our fellow man and find a way to serve someone who is less fortunate. Consider giving not only monetary gifts but giving your time. In the words of Mother Teresa, “It’s not how much we give, but how much love we put into giving.”

I encourage everyone to find a way to celebrate this spirit of giving not only this week but throughout the year. Tell your family, friends, and coworkers how much you appreciate them. Be kind to others – you never know what type of day they are having. You could be a light in their dark season.

I hope each of you are able to reflect on your blessings, remember the reason for this season, and find joy in being able to call Arkansas home.

Arctic front blasting the state on Thursday

An arctic front will blast through the state on Thursday with very cold air and gusty winds accompanying the boundary. 

Wind chill warnings and advisories have been issued along with a winter weather advisory across the north for several inches of snow. Strong winds will blow this snow about as it will be dry and powdery with low moisture content.

Arctic Air to Blast Arkansas This Week

The latest guidance is showing the front moving through earlier than previous thinking and crossing the Mississippi River by mid to late afternoon.

We are still expecting a blast of bitterly cold air behind the front with dangerous wind chills by Friday morning. The arctic air will settle over the state through Christmas with only some moderation expected. The winds will slacken on Friday as the system pulls away but the cold will remain. There is currently a wind chill watch in effect for the north with wind chill advisories or warnings likely across most if not all of the state with time.

Finally there could be some snow across mainly the north and northwest with an inch or two possible but most areas will see less than that as the system will be moving very quickly, moisture is limited and the window for accumulating snow is relatively small.

Arctic Cold Front Heading to Arkansas

Dangerous cold air is coming to Arkansas this week.

Areas of light snow are expected on Thursday, especially from northern into central Arkansas. Advisory criteria accumulations are possible. There could be some travel issues as temperatures turn sharply colder.

Arctic air will be in place at the end of the week, with well below normal temperatures in the forecast. Breezy northwest winds will create wind chill index values below zero across much of the region Thursday night and Friday morning. Temperatures will fall below zero in parts of the Ozark Mountains Friday morning, with readings below freezing statewide during the day.

Rutledge announces 2022 Officers of the Year, Regional Winners

LITTLE ROCK – Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge today hosted the 2022 Law Enforcement Officer of the Year awards and recognition luncheon at the Benton Event Center. There she announced Fort Smith Police Officer Robin Gaines and Hot Springs Police Officers Stephen Parrott and James Moore as the 2022 Law Enforcement Officers of the Year. Officer Gaines intervened in a domestic violence dispute, where he was seriously injured, which was pivotal to ending the tragic crime. Officer Parrott and Officer Moore were recognized for stopping a shooting after a high school graduation ceremony outside the Hot Springs Convention Center, ultimately saving countless lives.  

“Officer Gaines, Officer Parrott, and Officer Moore’s quick reaction and bravery halted extremely dangerous situations that easily could have turned into further tragedies,” said Attorney General Rutledge. “Each of these winners sacrifice so much to protect our communities. I cannot thank our law enforcement officials and their families enough for all they do on a daily basis.” 

On October 17, 2021, Officer Gaines was dispatched to a disturbance with weapons call. When Officer Gaines arrived, he found Christofer Conner violently assaulting his fifteen-year-old son with a brick. Officer Gaines confronted Conner and ordered him to drop the brick and get on the ground. Conner began to walk toward a residence instead of following the commands, so Officer Gaines placed himself between Conner and the house. Conner initially complied, but suddenly lunged at Officer Gaines and stabbed him in the neck with a large knife.

During the extremely violent attack, Officer Gaines was forced to fire his duty weapon to defend himself which ultimately ended the attack. Critically wounded, Officer Gaines was rushed to the hospital where he underwent emergency surgery. Officer Gaines continues to recover from injuries he sustained that morning. The fifteen-year-old boy did not survive. Further investigation into the incident revealed that Conner had killed his girlfriend inside the residence he was walking towards when Officer Gaines intervened. A young juvenile was located inside the residence relatively unharmed. 

Fort Smith Police Chief Baker states, “Officer Gaines acted with heroism and bravery in the line of duty when confronted with extreme danger to his own life by a subject on a murderous rampage. His exemplary actions truly displayed the Guardian mindset all members of the Fort Smith Police Department strive to have.”

On May 12th, 2022 a large fight broke out across from the Hot Springs Convention Center following a high school graduation ceremony. Officer Stephen Parrott and Officer James Moore, among others, were dispatched to the scene.

As officers were physically breaking up and attempting to disperse the crowd, one suspect drew a handgun and fired into the mass of people striking and ultimately killing one man. Officers Parrott and Moore were both nearby and immediately took action by drawing their weapons and firing upon the suspect, striking him multiple times, causing him to cease shooting and flee on foot from the scene. The officers then chased the suspect through the crowd to a vehicle parked some distance away, later seeking medical treatment from a local hospital, leading to his apprehension.

As Hot Springs Assistant Chief Hrvatin states, “The heroic actions carried out by Officer Parrott and Officer Moore on that night potentially saved countless other victims from injury or death. Not only did they make the difficult decision to use deadly force, they did so without hesitation and without any due regard to their own safety.”

During the event, Rutledge also awarded the Dwayne Yarbrough Distinguished Service Award to Sergeant George Edelen of the Van Buren Police Department. The award honors the legacy of distinguished public servant, Dwayne “Big D” Yarbrough, for his contributions to youth education and involvement initiatives. Over the last six years, Sergeant Edelen has served as a school resource officer at Butterfield Trail Middle School. During that time, Sergeant Edelen has created various programs to bridge the divide between students and law enforcement. Sergeant Edelen began the ENAF—Everyone Needs A Friend program in response to the rise in youth suicide and accidental overdoses. The program provides all students with an opportunity to meet one-on-one with Sergeant Edelen to learn life skills, inspire volunteerism and help students realize their own potential.

Van Buren Police Chief Jamie Hammond remarked, “We do not get many chances to make positive impressions on our youth, so we are lucky to have had people like ‘Big D’ make those positive impacts, and now Sergeant Edelen to carry on Big D’s legacy.”

Rutledge also presented Valor Tributes, which are given in honor of members of the law enforcement community who tragically lost their lives while in the line of duty as well as COVID-19. This year’s tributes were presented to Officer Gary Bean, Sergeant Joshua Caudell, Officer Vincent Parks, Senior Corporal Michael Springer, Sergeant William Shibley and Officer Jeremiah Story.

2022 Officer of the Year Winners

Arkansas County
Trooper Martino Green, Arkansas State Police

Ashley County
Trooper Charles (Ross) Allen, Arkansas State Police

Baxter County
Corporal Britt Clements, Arkansas State Police

Benton County
Trooper Zenda Staab, Arkansas State Police

Boone County
Corporal Wade Grayson and Officer Brandon Motley, Arkansas Game and Fish Commission

Bradley County
Corporal Byron Curry, Arkansas State Police

Calhoun County
Trooper Justin Harper, Arkansas State Police

Carroll County
Officer Pauline Knott, Berryville Police Department

Chicot County
Trooper Christian Morphis, Arkansas State Police

Clark County
Chief Aaron Collier, Caddo Valley Police Department

Clay County
Corporal Michael Tompkins, Arkansas State Police

Cleburne County
Deputy Nathan McClain and Sergeant Chris Gracey, Cleburne County Sheriff’s Office

Cleveland County
Corporal Greg Rowland, Arkansas State Police

Columbia County
Agent George Barnes, Arkansas Department of Community Corrections

Conway County
Trooper First Class Deston Linkous, Arkansas State Police

Craighead County
Corporal Anthony Maggitt, Arkansas State Police

Crawford County
Wildlife Officer Kurt VanMatre, Arkansas Game and Fish Commission

Crittenden County
Trooper Spencer Morris, Arkansas State Police

Cross County
Trooper Tanner Hess, Arkansas State Police

Dallas County
Trooper Jimmy Plyler Jr., Arkansas State Police

Desha County
Senior Corporal Mitch Grant, Arkansas State Police

Drew County
Trooper Tyler Grant, Arkansas State Police

Faulkner County
Trooper Ronnie Grace, Arkansas State Police

Franklin County
Trooper James Ray, Arkansas State Police

Fulton County
Trooper Jason Long, Arkansas State Police

Garland County
Officers James Moore and Stephen Parrott, Hot Springs Police Department

Greene County
Corporal Todd Harris, Arkansas State Police

Hempstead County
Corporal Justin Dean, Hope Police Department

Hot Spring County
Corporal William Whisenhunt, Arkansas Department of Corrections

Howard County
Officer Ashanti Burris, Arkansas Department of Community Corrections

Independence County (TIE)
Agent Melissa Stephens, Arkansas Department of Community Corrections
Corporal Brandon Trewyn, Arkansas State Police

Izard County
Corporal Ryan Warner, Arkansas Game and Fish Commission

Jackson County
Corporal Dustin Smith, Arkansas Game and Fish Commission

Jefferson County
Sergeant Tasha Clark, Arkansas Department of Corrections

Johnson County
Wildlife Officer Kirk Turner, Arkansas Game and Fish Commission

Lafayette County
Trooper Jordan Drake, Arkansas State Police

Lawrence County
Trooper Brady Bates, Arkansas State Police

Lee County
Trooper Tate Ledbetter, Arkansas State Police

Lincoln County
Sergeant Freddie Childs, Arkansas Department of Corrections

Little River County
Trooper First Class Joshua Broughton and Trooper Ian Nelson, Arkansas State Police

Logan County
Corporal Jed Bolyard, Arkansas State Police

Lonoke County
Corporal Jason Dooley, Arkansas State Police

Madison County
Corporal Jana Cordes, Arkansas State Police

Marion County
Trooper Matt Sanford, Arkansas State Police

Miller County (TIE)
Sergeant Kyle Caudle, Texarkana Police Department
Corporal Jay Thomas, Arkansas Game and Fish Commission

Mississippi County
Officer Michael Dannar, Blytheville Police Department

Monroe County
Corporal Damon Dobson, Arkansas State Police

Montgomery County
Trooper First Class Michael Summitt, Arkansas State Police

Nevada County
Trooper Robert Neese, Arkansas State Police

Newton County
Agent Jeffery Baumgardner, Arkansas Department of Community Corrections

Ouachita County
The late Deputy Parker Cox, Ouachita County Sheriff’s Office

Perry County
Deputy Terry Payne, Perry County Sheriff’s Office

Phillips County
Trooper Dairren Evans, Arkansas State Police

Pike County
Trooper Seth Smedley, Arkansas State Police

Poinsett County
Sheriff Kevin Molder, Poinsett County Sheriff’s Office

Polk County
Corporal Bo Hayes, Arkansas State Police

Pope County
Sergeant David Bevis, Russellville Police Department

Prairie County
Corporal Scott Troy, Arkansas State Police

Pulaski County
Detective Roy Williams, Little Rock Police Department

Randolph County
Officer Terry Tribble, Pocahontas Police Department

St. Francis County
Corporal Jason Martin, Trooper Heath Gurley, Detective Eric Varner, Arkansas State Police

Saline County
Chief Carl Minden, Bryant Police Department

Scott County
Special Agent Corey Mendenhall, Arkansas State Police

Searcy County
Corporal Buster Rinks, Arkansas State Police

Sebastian County
Officer Robin Gaines, Fort Smith Police Department

Sevier County (TIE)
Corporal Ernesto Echevarria, Arkansas State Police
Wildlife Officer Tyler Hill, Arkansas Game and Fish Commission

Sharp County
Chief Shane Russell, Highland Police Department

Stone County
Agent Kenny Kendrick, Arkansas Department of Community Corrections

Union County
Trooper Trevoris Tatum, Arkansas State Police

Van Buren County
Officer Timothy Baker, Clinton Police Department

Washington County
Captain Jeff Taylor, Springdale Police Department

White County
Corporal Mike McNeill, Arkansas State Police

Woodruff County
Chief Deputy James Dunham, Woodruff County Sheriff’s Office

Yell County
Trooper First Class Brandon Bird, Arkansas State Police

Democratic Party of Arkansas delays choosing a new chair during emotional meeting

KUAR | By Josie Lenora

The Democratic Party of Arkansas is opting to wait to choose its next chairman. Committee members had originally planned to be select one during a meeting over the weekend.

At its quarterly meeting at the dimly lit Teamsters Union building in southwest Little Rock, Senate Minority Leader Tippi McCullough of Little Rock successfully moved to adjourn the meeting until January. She told KUAR News after the meeting the delay would give interested candidates “time for thoughtful, unhurried consideration.”

“It's hard to consider something that is a four-year term when you only have two or three days,” McCollough said, hoping this will give prospective candidates time to talk to the state committee members.

https://www.ualrpublicradio.org/local-regional-news/2022-12-12/democratic-party-of-arkansas-delays-choosing-a-new-chair-during-emotional-meeting

Josie Lenora/KUAR News

Outgoing Democratic Party of Arkansas Chairman Grant Tennille discussed his decision to step down during a meeting on Saturday.

Arkansas flu cases, deaths continue to rise

KUAR | By Daniel Breen

Public health experts say Arkansas could be experiencing a peak in its flu season. New data released Wednesday from the Department of Health show the state’s death toll rose by 19 people for the week ending Dec. 10. A total of 64 Arkansans have died from the virus since early October.

Dr. Joel Tumlison, the department’s Medical Director for Immunizations, says this year’s flu season is more severe and longer than average.

“We’re certainly not used to seeing very high spread of flu in November as we’ve seen so far earlier this year, and certainly even in early- to mid-December,” Tumlison said. “Usually we’re just starting to see now the ramp-up of flu cases in an average year, which usually peaks in late January or early February.”

Darron Cummings/AP

Though hospitalizations appear to be falling, new cases and deaths from influenza continue to trend upward in Arkansas.

Governor Hutchinson’s Weekly Address | Commissions’ Reports Aim to Assist Women and Advance Future Mobility

LITTLE ROCK – This week I received reports from two important commissions I created earlier this year, and today I’d like to discuss those reports and what it means for the future of our state.

On February 17th of this year, I created the Arkansas Commission on the Status of Women. Their task was to study and analyze a number of factors relating to women in the labor force and in education.

The idea for this Commission came from the Arkansas Women’s Foundation and a look back at history. In the 1960’s and 70’s, governors, including Rockefeller, Pryor, and Bumpers, created commissions to study the role women play in the labor market, the economy, and in our politics. But it has been over 40 years since the last report, and the Commission’s review is much needed.

The Commission I created was chaired by my Chief of Staff, Alison Williams. She was joined in this work by elected officials, state government employees, and leaders in business and education.

The findings and recommendations of the Commission were instructive. Their research concluded that women continue to bear the greatest burden of family care. One of the barriers they determined for women in the labor force is often the lack of access to childcare.

Their report also included recommendations like increasing access to women’s physical and mental health resources, equity in entrepreneurship, and increased mentorship programs for women.

Based on these recommendations, I dedicated $200,000 for increased mentorship programs for women through Arkansas State University.

The second Commission report I received this week was from the Arkansas Council on the Future of Mobility, chaired by Cyrus Sigari. The Council was tasked with providing recommendations of policies and objectives that can be achieved by both the public and private sectors to grow Arkansas’s potential in future mobility.

This report included a number of recommendations, and they all had one goal: to ensure Arkansas is not only a national leader in future mobility innovation, but that we are globally competitive.

Some of the Council’s finding expand on our current efforts in computer science education and autonomous drone delivery for things like groceries. The key recommendations include creation of the Arkansas Innovation Fund, workforce training and education, infrastructure, and effective policymaking to foster growth in this field.

I’m hopeful the General Assembly will take up this report and build on these recommendations when they convene in January. Future mobility provides an opportunity for our state to continue leading the nation in innovation while growing our economy and creating the best paying jobs.

Gov.-elect Sanders to keep Wes Ward as Agriculture Secretary

by Talk Business & Politics staff (staff2@talkbusiness.net)

A lot of changes will come when Gov.-elect Sarah Huckabee Sanders takes office at the beginning of next year, but at least one thing will remain the same. Sanders announced Monday (Dec. 12) that she will reappoint Wes Ward as the secretary of the Department of Agriculture.

“As the current Secretary of Agriculture, Wes Ward has done an excellent job growing our largest industry and developing relationships with the men and women who work in agriculture, and I am excited that he will continue in this critical role for our state,” Sanders said. “He’s also done this work over the last seven years while continuing to serve our nation in uniform, giving credence to his character and dedication. Agriculture is the backbone of Arkansas’ economy, and I am proud that our hardworking Arkansas farmers, ranchers, growers, and foresters help feed and supply the state, nation, and world. As governor, we will work together to ensure that we remain a global leader.”

Ward is serving as the third Secretary of Agriculture for Arkansas. He was appointed to the position in March 2015 by Gov. Asa Hutchinson. He also serves as the Second Vice President for the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture (NASDA).

https://talkbusiness.net/2022/12/gov-elect-sanders-to-keep-wes-ward-as-agriculture-secretary/

YEAREND: Avian influenza, inflation drive up poultry prices; faculty additions allow for more specialized research

By Jessica Wesson
Center of Excellence for Poultry Science
U of A System Division of Agriculture

FAYETTEVILLE Ark. — The worst outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza in the United States disrupted production and led to increased poultry prices in 2022.

AVIAN INFLUENZA — Arkansas' poultry industry dodged a bullet this spring when highly pathogenic avian influenza ravaged other states and Canadian provinces. This file photo of a commercial poultry house at the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station's Savoy Research Complex shows 21-day-old broiler chickens. (U of A System Division of Agriculture photo by Fred Miller)

While the disease ravaged other states and Canadian provinces starting in spring, Arkansas dodged a bullet. However, the state’s luck ran out in October, with detection of its first 2022 case in Madison County. As of Dec. 7, three flocks were found to have the highly pathogenic strain of avian influenza, or HPAI.

The disease has been found in commercial and backyard flocks in 46 states and in wild birds in 47 states, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. As of Dec. 7, 52.87 million birds have been affected, making this the most significant outbreak in U.S. history in terms of number of birds affected.

“Arguably, it wasn’t the best year for poultry production in general in the U.S.,” said Jada Thompson, assistant professor of agricultural economics and agribusiness for the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station, the research arm of the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture.

Thompson said Avian influenza caused serious logistical and marketing challenges for Arkansas producers.

“Farms that were in control areas had limited movements on and off farm, which leads to disruptions in normal business, causes stress and may lead to financial losses related to productivity or timing of processing,” Thompson said.

Thompson said the increased demand for replacement birds resulting from HPAI also contributed to supply chain challenges.

“HPAI was a lot more concentrated in turkey layer farms, because they are more susceptible to it than broilers,” she said. HPAI spreads more easily in turkeys and older birds like turkeys and layers who spend more time on the farm than broilers.

While HPAI was a challenge for both broiler and turkey producers alike, there was an increase in hatchings, she said.

“We did see an increase in hatching for broilers and a slight increase for turkeys,” Thompson said. “Producers started putting eggs in incubators to try to adjust for HPAI.”

2022 vs 2015

This industry’s response in 2022 differed from 2015, which had been the worst avian influenza year until 2022.

“When we first had HPAI in 2015, we were a little behind trying to figure out what was happening,” Thompson said. “This year had a lot of proactive measures that were taken to try to address supply shortages and to mitigate them as much as possible.”

Other challenges, along with HPAI, caused the price of poultry products to increase for consumers.

“We also saw a hike with inflation, which added to the supply chain disruptions,” Thompson said. “Fertilizer has gotten expensive, which makes producing corn more expensive. That makes feeding birds more expensive.”

Broiler prices have gone up 47 percent over the last year, according to Thompson. Turkey prices went up approximately 27 percent in 2022.

As HPAI lingers in late 2022, Thompson said that surveillance and monitoring for HPAI will likely continue into 2023.

“I think there will likely be some adjustment in the number of birds to try to offset the potential losses in 2023,” she said. “There are still a lot of unknowns which both help or hurt the poultry markets.

“I would like to be hopeful that the industry’s preemptive measures will help reduce the spread of HPAI and can adjust to the market conditions quickly to maintain their business continuity for producers and help ease some of the pressures on consumers,” Thompson said.

Protecting flocks

The Division of Agriculture’s Cooperative Extension Service performed outreach with commercial and backyard poultry growers to strengthen biosecurity in an effort to protect flocks. The disease surveillance effort got a boost in November when the Division of Agriculture’s Tollett Veterinary Diagnostic Lab was added to the National Animal Health Laboratory Network, or NAHLN, as a branch to the Arkansas Department of Agriculture’s Veterinary Diagnostic Lab.

Bolstering research

The Division of Agriculture conducts research and outreach to aid the poultry industry and the Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences produces graduates prepared to enter the industry.

There were several new additions to the poultry science department and Center of Excellence for Poultry Science in 2022. Shawna Weimer was hired in January of this year to serve as the director for the Center for Food Animal Wellbeing, part of the Division of Agriculture.

In her role, Weimer is responsible for applying research to educate the public about animal welfare. She hosted the first Center for Food Animal Wellbeing symposium since 2017, and it focused on poultry welfare challenges.

“In one way or another all presenters spoke to the need for advanced poultry welfare research, the importance of team-oriented approaches and how humans are the most influential piece of the puzzle to improve the lives of poultry,” Weimer said.

Another addition to the Center of Excellence for Poultry Science is focusing her research on avian intestinal health. Danielle Graham, assistant professor, joined the center in July.

Graham said her long-term research goal is to utilize the existing knowledge base on parasitic diseases to investigate commercially applicable tools to enhance immunological protection in poultry.

Tomi Obe, assistant professor, joined the center in September to research foodborne pathogen control. She plans to improve control methods to benefit the poultry industry.

“Our goal is to use the information from our research to develop techniques to quickly identify virulent foodborne pathogens and establish targeted control strategies,” Obe said.

Obe also has a research appointment with the department of food science, making her the second faculty member having appointments in both poultry science and food science. Kristen Gibson, professor of food safety and microbiology with the food science department, was named director of the Center for Food Safety this year. In this role, Gibson has a partial appointment with the Center of Excellence for Poultry Science.

Smart farming research facility

The Poultry Science Smart Farming Research Facility, under construction at the Milo J. Shult Agricultural Research and Extension Center in Fayetteville, is expected to be completed in 2023.

“The facility will be equipped with the most technologically advanced, commercially relevant environmental control and rearing equipment available in the commercial industry today,” said David Caldwell, director of the Center of Excellence for Poultry Science and head of the department of poultry science.

The facility will also be used to teach students about poultry production.

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 about extension programs in Arkansas, contact your local Cooperative Extension Service agent or visit www.uaex.uada.edu. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram at @AR_Extension. To learn more about the Division of Agriculture, visit https://uada.edu/. Follow us on Twitter at @AgInArk.

Division of Agriculture part of grant-funded effort to bridge small farms, regional food supply chains through data-driven agriculture

By the U of A System Division of Agriculture 

LITTLE ROCK — The National Science Foundation has awarded a grant of nearly three-quarters of a million dollars to the University of Arkansas’ Institute for Integrative and Innovative Research. The institute, referred to as I³R, is a cross-disciplinary team of consultants, startup companies and university researchers, including those with the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture.

CONVERGED — The National Science Foundation has awarded a grant of nearly three-quarters of a million dollars to the University of Arkansas’ Institute for Integrative and Innovative Research. The institute, referred to as I³R, is a cross-disciplinary team of consultants, startup companies and university researchers, including those with the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture. (Graphic courtesy National Science Foundation.)

The National Science Foundation Convergence Accelerator grant will fund a project designed to connect regional farmers with institutional buyers and ultimately expand access to healthy and nutritious food.

The project, “Data-driven Agriculture to Bridge Small Farms to Regional Food Supply Chains,” brings Division of Agriculture researchers together with colleagues from the University of Arkansas, University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff and University of Florida. The team also includes two startups, Cureate and Junction AI Inc., as well as several consultants. The project’s stated goal is to tackle challenges such as food insecurity while offering novel business solutions. 

NSF’s Convergence Accelerator was launched in 2019 to build upon basic research and accelerate solutions toward societal impact through convergence — the integration of ideas and approaches across research sectors. I³R is one of 16 multidisciplinary teams awarded under the NSF Convergence Accelerator’s Track J: Food & Nutrition Security.

Meredith Adkins, director of the University of Arkansas’ NWA Industry and Community Engagement within the Division of Economic Development, said the project will help open markets and resources to both producers and consumers.

“We’re excited to bring this team of experts and innovators together to empower regional food producers with data insights that could enable access to new markets,” Adkins said. “By leveraging our collective expertise and engaging in an extensive planning and user discovery process to deeply understand the needs of producers, buyers and other stakeholders, we have the opportunity to make both a positive societal and economic impact, particularly here in Arkansas.”

Adkins will be transitioning from her current role within the university to become an assistant research professor at I³R.

The overall objective of this project is to empower regional food producers to understand the economic value of specialty crop assortment and food animals on their farms in comparison to market demand for institutional sales and intervening factors such as food safety considerations.

The project team ultimately will create a scalable technology platform that provides market insights to small farmers via the convergence of multiple scientific research fields and modern technological innovations such as robotics, artificial intelligence and machine learning. 

Deacue Fields, University of Arkansas Vice President for Agriculture, said the project falls directly in line with much of the Division of Agriculture’s ongoing mission.

“It is encouraging to see this partnership with the Division of Agriculture, University of Arkansas and University of Arkansas Pine Bluff,” Fields said. “This project speaks to our mission of strengthening agriculture, communities and families.” 

The project will engage students, including those underrepresented in fields such as food science and computer engineering, in convergence research and in human-centered design across the three Arkansas land-grant institutions.

The investigators will lead outreach with small farmers in Northwest Arkansas, as well as the underserved regions of the central Arkansas Delta and the Cherokee Nation in Oklahoma through the U of A School of Law’s Indigenous Food and Agriculture Initiative, a grant collaborator. 

Erin Parker, executive director of the Indigenous Food and Agriculture Initiative, said the project will help work to make meeting food production and availability needs on tribal lands a more regularly considered part of the overall market equation.

“IFAI is excited to collaborate on this cross-disciplinary effort to support our region’s Indigenous food producers,” Parker said. “Supporting economic development through tribally-led agricultural investment in Indian Country is a key part of our mission, and we look forward to the opportunities this work will open up for Tribal producers.”

The grant totals $743,651 and will support market research, hiring of graduate assistants, development of the technology platform and other initiatives. Co-investigators include Chase Rainwater, professor of industrial engineering, U of A; Kristen Gibson, professor of food science, U of A System Division of Agriculture and U of A; Thi Hoang Ngan Le, assistant professor of computer science and computer engineering, U of A; and Yasser Sanad, assistant professor of food safety, University of Arkansas Pine Bluff. Multiple distinguished faculty and consultants serve as senior personnel and will advise on the project. 

To learn about extension programs in Arkansas, contact your local Cooperative Extension Service agent or visit www.uaex.uada.edu. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram at @AR_Extension. 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. 

YEAREND: War, weather drive 2022 ag rollercoaster

By Mary Hightower

LITTLE ROCK — Markets seeking stability after a year of COVID found new turbulence in 2022 as war erupted in the Ukraine and Mid-South farmers found themselves on a weather rollercoaster ride.

WEATHER — Widespread drought and a rainy planting season took farmers on a rollercoaster ride in 2022.

A spring with too much rain, followed by a summer of too much drought, overshadowed any market optimism going into planting time.

“As farmers were in the field preparing to plant their crop, Russia invaded Ukraine fueling uncertainty across the world and in agricultural input markets,” said Hunter Biram, extension economist for the University of Arkansas. “We saw prices paid for chemicals, fertilizer, and fuels increase by about 10 to15 percent over 2021 after there was a 30 percent increase in the prices paid for chemicals, 60 percent increase in prices paid for fertilizer, and 50 percent  increase in the prices paid for fuels relative to 2020

“Any potential relief the high commodity prices provided was essentially eliminated by these increases in input prices,” Biram said.     

According to the 2023 Division of Agriculture crop enterprise budgets, nitrogen fertilizer is projected to be about 6 percent lower relative to 2022 but still 14 percent higher relative to 2021. Phosphate and potash are projected to be up some over 2022 at around 1.6 percent and 0.5 percent higher, respectively. Diammonium phosphate, known as DAP, and defoliant, key inputs used in cotton production, are projected to be up 7 percent and 10 percent respectively over 2022. Insecticides and fungicides, which are key inputs used in rice production are projected to be up 98 percent and 18 percent, respectively, over 2022.  

Spring rains came — lots of it — as farmers were getting crops in the ground, slowing progress and worse, “causing a great deal of yield loss. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture Risk Management Agency,  of the $1.4 billion in rain-related losses across the U.S., $0.4 billion were primarily in the Mid-South states,” Biram said. "In Arkansas, we saw $171 million in losses account for half of the total coverage purchased in 2022. Prevented planting claims were the primary driver of losses with 81 percent of the losses directly attributed to prevented planting." 

Economist Hunter Biram

Too much water turned to too little as summer began. Farmers in Arkansas had to make some tough choices.

“Drought struck the entire United States which resulted in significant crop losses in Texas, Oklahoma, and parts of the east coast,” Biram said. “Of the $3.9 billion in total drought-related losses across the U.S., $2.4 billion were in the Southeast.”

Arkansas weathered the drought better than other states, thanks to irrigation. Arkansas ranks third nationally in terms of acres under irrigation. However, the drought would find another way to hit farmers in Arkansas and elsewhere, as it dropped the Mississippi River to historically low levels. The levels were so low, the river was closed to traffic between Osecola and Greenville, Mississippi. Elevator prices followed the river levels.

“These price losses at the local grain elevator came in the form of extremely weak basis during arguably the most unfortunate time: harvest,” Biram said. “During the usual harvest window, basis or the local cash price less the relevant futures price, fell from about 40 cents over to 125 under at Helena, Arkansas.

“Once the river levels increased, basis strengthened to about 50 over and has stayed relatively consistent at this level even though most new crop delivery from the 2022 harvest is finished,” he said.

According to the November estimates from the National Agricultural Statistics Service, Arkansas corn was expected to yield 176 bushels per acre, down from 184 bushels per acre in 2021. Cotton was forecast to yield 1,166 pounds per acre in 2022, compared to the record-setting 1,248 pounds per acre in the previous year. Peanuts were expected to yield 5,000 pounds per acre, same as 2021. All rice was expected to yield 7,450 hundredweight per acre in 2022, down from 7,630 the previous year. Soybeans were expected to improve on 2021, rising to 53 bushels per acre — which would be a new state record average yield — up from 52 bushels the previous year.

To learn about extension programs in Arkansas, contact your local Cooperative Extension Service agent or visit www.uaex.uada.edu. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram at @AR_Extension. 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.

Hallie Shoffner returns to her roots; pushes for environmentally friendly farm practices

by George Jared (gjared@talkbusiness.net)

Hallie Shoffner grew up on a farm near the township of Shoffner, named for her family in rural Jackson County. When she left to attend college at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn., she decided to study one of her passions, literature.

After graduating, she received a master’s degree from the University of Arkansas Clinton School of Public Service and went to work at a nonprofit in North Little Rock that focused on the local Hispanic community. She loved her job, but the row crop fields in the Arkansas Delta kept calling her home, she told Talk Business & Politics.

Her parents, John and Wendy Shoffner, started SFR Seed in 1988, a soybean and rice research farm. Among other things, the company specializes in new seed plot trials. Shoffner decided to return to the family business in 2016, which included a 1,500-acre farm.

https://talkbusiness.net/2022/12/hallie-shoffner-returns-to-her-roots-pushes-for-environmentally-friendly-farm-practices/

Applications now open for 2023 F2OCUS: Future of Food undergrad summer program

By John Lovett
University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture
Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Opening the realms of possibility in food science is the goal behind the Future of Food: Opportunities and Careers for Undergraduate Students (F2OCUS) Fellowship Program. 

FIRST FELLOWS — The inaugural class of the Future of Food: Opportunities and Careers for Undergraduate Students (F2OCUS) Fellowship Program in 2022 included Maya Henderson, left, Amanda Stuber, Natalie Blake, Derek Mullins, Luke Norman, Sarkis Kalajyan and Addie Gerstner. Application deadline for the 2023 summer fellowship program is Jan. 13, 2023. (U of A System Division of Ag photo)

Applications will be accepted until Jan. 13, 2023, for the paid, summer program, which is open to undergraduates in degree programs that can be complementary to food science, like physics, biology, chemistry, animal science, consumer sciences, psychology and agricultural studies like horticulture.

Kristen Gibson, professor of food safety and microbiology for the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station, the research arm of the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture, is the F2OCUS Fellowship Program director. The program was created in 2022 with a $730,000 Research and Extension Experience for Undergraduates grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture to increase understanding of food supply safety, quality and security. The grant supports the program for five years. 

“We are looking forward to having the second cohort of F2OCUS Fellows on campus in summer 2023,” Gibson said. “We are hoping to select from another great pool of applicants.”

Gibson, who is also director of the Center for Food Safety, is joined by food science faculty members Jennifer Acuff, assistant professor of food microbiology and safety, and Jamie Baum, associate professor of nutrition, as fellowship project directors. Jill Rucker, associate professor of agricultural education, communications and technology for the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences at the University of Arkansas, is also a project director and fellowship mentor.

In addition to the four project directors, 10 collaborating mentors with extensive mentoring experience have been chosen to assist with the fellowship program. Industry partners, many of whom are University of Arkansas graduates and serve as adjunct faculty, will also participate in the fellowship program.

F2OCUS Fellow experiences include the 4-H ExCEL Leadership Program at the C.A. Vines Arkansas 4-H Center in Little Rock, which features a high-ropes course and zipline. Gibson said there will also be numerous food industry visits in northwest Arkansas, such as the Tyson Discovery Center and Newly Weds Foods, as well as a visit to the annual Blackberry Field Day at the experiment station’s Fruit Research Station near Clarksville.

Hands-on learning activities with professors as mentors are expected to result in the development of technical skills in food science research. Participants will take part in the creation of a novel food product with a team of F2OCUS Fellows and engage in externships with food industry and cooperative extension partners. 

 While scientific research is a significant part of the fellowship, there is also a heavy emphasis on team building, leadership development, and communications skills, Gibson said.

The 2023 summer F2OCUS fellowship program runs for 10 weeks from May 22 through July 28. Each student awarded a fellowship will receive a $5,000 stipend, in addition to room and board. Additional financial support for necessary travel is also possible. 

Eight undergraduates who are not enrolled in a food science program will be chosen to spend the summer in Fayetteville, Gibson said.

For more information and to apply, please visit the F2OCUS Program website at https://future-food-reeu.uada.edu.

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.

New Sevier County Medical Center Aerial Views

Photos provided by Monte Bartek of Bartek Recon

Weather Briefing from the National Weather Service in Little Rock

Confidence continues to increase on a severe weather event for most of the southeastern half of the state beginning Tuesday afternoon/evening and potentially persisting into the early morning hours of Wednesday.

The Day 3 Storm Prediction Center Convective Outlook brought an expansion of the Enhanced Risk area into much of eastern and northeastern Arkansas. Specific timing details will become more evident in the next day or so, however additional changes to the forecast risk area are still possible within the next few days.

Drones in agriculture research propels multistate award

By John Lovett
University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Unmanned aircraft flying over farms, forests and plant nurseries are not such an unusual sight these days. A lot of research has gone into making the drones more economically beneficial in agriculture, from taking inventory at plant nurseries to spotting early signs of crop stress.

DRONE TECH — Collaborative research across many states within the Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities has helped adapt drone technology as an agricultural tool. (U of A System Division of Ag photo by Fred Miller)

The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture’s research and extension arms were among the institutions recently recognized for drone research and outreach with the National Excellence in Multistate Research Award from the Experiment Station Section of the Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities’ Commission on Food, Environment, and Renewable Resources.

The award recognizes experiment station scientists who are conducting “exemplary research and outreach efforts across multiple states” for unmanned aircraft system applications in U.S. agriculture and natural resources. Scientists from 23 institutions across the nation share the award for their contributions to the project titled, “Research and Extension for Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Applications in U.S. Agriculture and Natural Resources.”

The project is supported by the State Agricultural Experiment Stations from the Hatch Multistate Research Fund provided by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute for Food and Agriculture.

Jim Robbins (U of A System Division of Agriculture photo)

Jim Robbins, a recently retired horticulture professor and extension specialist with the Division of Agriculture, was among the authors of agricultural drone research projects recognized in the award. He took part in studies that measured the accuracy and efficiency of drone-based systems for inventory in nurseries using RFID (radio frequency identification), as well as using cloud-based artificial intelligence software like IBM Watson Visual Recognition to identify early indicators of water stress in row crops.

Robbins conducted outreach work for the Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service and research for the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station.

Randy Raper, administrative adviser for the multistate drone research program, said collaboration between researchers across the country has been key to adapting the new technology to agricultural uses. Raper also serves as assistant vice president of facilities for Oklahoma State University and assistant director of OSU Ag Research.

“One thing we saw with this committee is that we have people very versed in different areas,” Raper said. “We have people who are astute in flying the UAVs and then others who are interested in sensors, and others who apply the research. Every institution can’t have experts in every area, so collaboration has been very important to shepherding this technology.”

He compares the emerging technologies and applications of UAVs to the RTK-GPS tractor guidance systems that emerged in the early 2000s and have now become universally adopted. Satellite imagery was also being used to analyze crop production before UAV systems gave advantages to researchers, he said.

“Satellite images can be problematic because of cloud coverage, and what we are looking at is time sensitive,” Raper said. “UAVs and UAS technology allow you to have more control. You can collect the data and make rapid decisions on how you want to treat it. This naturally fits into the management we recognize.”

Numerous researchers working together have enabled the committee to get the technology to where it is today, Raper said. Annual meetings between researchers across the country allowed for the exchange of ideas and experiences using the UAVs to open potential for further applications. For example, he said researchers in the Northwest experimented with using UAVs for spot pesticide application in orchards. This inspired researchers from other parts of the country to explore related applications in other crops.

Gary Thompson, executive director of the Southern Association of Agricultural Experiment Station Directors, noted that this southern region multistate project has direct impacts for agricultural producers.

“Landscape-level management decisions are increasingly reliant on obtaining accurate and reliable data that can be analyzed in real-time,” Thompson said. “Remote sensing with drones provides a versatile means of getting high-resolution information to agricultural managers. I am excited about the work of this group of researchers and congratulate them on this well-deserved recognition.”

Thompson said that the association administers this ongoing southern region project, which focuses on challenges in the southern region while being open to participation from institutions across the nation.

The “Research and Extension for Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Applications in U.S. Agriculture and Natural Resources” multistate project committee is made up of scientists in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Montana, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and Washington.

“Over the past five years, this project has evaluated and identified reliable, cost-effective, and user-friendly drone platforms and sensors for monitoring and managing stressors in agriculture and natural resources,” the Experiment Station Section award noted. “To maximize the accuracy of the data collected, project members have developed hardware, software, and detailed protocols for calibrating and using drones. New drone-based strategies are helping address many different issues in agriculture.”

The Southern Association of Agricultural Experiment Station Directors represents 15 agricultural research centers at land-grant universities in the southern U.S., where scientists collaborate to conduct research and outreach focused on conserving the region’s natural resources and sustainably feeding a growing global population.

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.