Winter Forage Conference to focus on coping with drought

By Ryan McGeeney
U of A System Division of Agriculture 

EL PASO, Ark. — Drought conditions in 2022 had an extraordinary impact on the cattle industry in Arkansas as well as much of the country. As water supplies became increasingly scarce throughout the summer, pastures and forage stocks throughout the Mid-South and beyond dwindled, and many producers were forced to cull their herds.

BE PREPARED — On Feb. 2, the Arkansas Forage & Grassland Council will present “Warding Off the Next Drought,” a one-day winter forage conference featuring researchers, agricultural economists and other experts presenting facts and strategies to stay profitable in 2023. (Graphic courtesy Arkansas Forage & Beef Council.)

While the situation can’t be reversed overnight, experts with the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture hope to prepare the state’s cattle producers and pasture managers to navigate the year ahead and make the most of whatever hand they may be dealt.

On Feb. 2, the Arkansas Forage & Grassland Council will present “Warding Off the Next Drought,” a one-day winter forage conference featuring researchers, agricultural economists and other experts presenting facts and strategies to stay profitable in 2023.

The conference is scheduled to be held at Crossroads Cowboy Church, located at 3071 Arkansas 5 in El Paso, Arkansas. Registration will begin at 8:30 a.m. The cost is $25 to attend; students pay only $10.

John Jennings, professor and extension forage specialist for the Division of Agriculture, said the conference will help producers manage their resources in the coming year.

“Drought cannot be stopped,” Jennings said. “But by understanding the seasonal production and needs of your forage operation, you can plan ahead to reduce the impact.”

The conference’s agenda includes:

8:30     Registration   
9:00     Welcome
 Joel Reagan, President, Arkansas Forage and Grassland Council

9:15     How we got ahead of last year’s drought
Shane Gadberry - U of A Professor and Livestock and Forestry Research Station Director

10:00   Using the forage calendar
John Jennings – U of A professor and extension forage specialist

10:30   Break
11:00   Annual forages and using them to your advantage
            Kenny Simon, U of A animal science instructor

11:45   AFGC business meeting

12:00   Lunch / Vendors / Posters

1:00     Managing your fertilizer dollar
Bronc Finch – U of A assistant professor and extension soil fertility specialist

1:30     Fertilizer outlook for 2023
Hunter Biram - U of A assistant professor and extension agricultural economist

2:00     Insuring your forages against the next drought
James Mitchell – U of A assistant professor and extension livestock marketing and management specialist

2:30     What can you do with drones and other emerging technologies
Jason Davis – U of A extension application technologist

3:15     Questions

3:30     Adjourn

For more information or to pre-register, contact Linda McCargo at 501-671-2171.

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.

Consumers can expect egg prices to decline, but not to 2021 levels

By Mary Hightower
U of A System Division of Agriculture

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Egg prices won’t stay high forever, but with no clear end in sight for the current round of highly pathogenic avian flu, prices won’t descend to bargain basement levels, said Jada Thompson, a poultry economist for the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture.

In 2022, average U.S. retail prices for eggs rose from just under $2 per dozen to more than $4 a dozen. That compares with 2021, in which egg prices in January were below $1.50. The average retail price rose lazily through the year, but never reached $2 a dozen.

WHERE ARE ALL THE EGGS? — Empty space in the grocery store were the dozen egg containers were. Only a few stragglers, plus flats of 18-egg cartons remained. Taken Jan. 23, 2023. (U of A System Division of Agriculture photo)

“Highly pathogenic avian flu, or HPAI, has devastated the poultry industry in the U.S.,” Thompson said. “We are about 5 to 6 percent down in our layer flock, leading us to be down in our egg supply 5-6 percent year over year.”

However, HPAI is just one of the factors driving up the price of eggs since last fall.

“Add other factors like inflation,  and there’s fuel, which is impacting our transportation. Plus, you have driver shortages and that increases the cost of production and getting eggs to the market.

You have things like high demand in November and December — everybody wants those deviled eggs,” she said. “Then you add the war in Ukraine, which you don’t think about affecting eggs directly, but that affects global feed supply and trade around the world.”

Corn and soybeans play a big role in chicken feed, she said. Raising those crops has become more expensive thanks to fertilizer and diesel prices pushed higher by the Ukraine conflict.

“The cost of feed for eggs has gone up something like 29.5 percent,” she said. “That’s a substantial portion of the cost that goes into producing an egg.”

Outlook

Consumer price index, or “CPI, numbers are coming out and we are seeing some reduction in inflation, so that’s the easing of food prices in general,” Thompson said. “We’re seeing some of the wholesale, even retail prices coming down.”

Thompson said she and other economists will be looking at how bird flu affects the markets and the supply chain. However, there is no instant fix, since replenishing the supply of hens takes time.

“We don’t have a million birds laying around,” she said. “It’s six months before we have a bird ready to lay an egg. It takes 21 days to hatch an egg; five months or 20 weeks to get that chick to maturity.”

Thompson said that in November and December of ’22, the supply of birds was down.

AVIAN FLU — The current outbreak has been more widespread than 2015. (U of A System Division of Agriculture images courtesy Jada Thompson)

However, “pullets — birds that are between chicks and adults — are up 5 percent,” she said. “The replenishment chain has been trying to reduce the short supply. We’re still hatching.”

While all those activities are easing the supply and prices, Thompson said “egg prices won’t be declining to 2021 levels.”

Worse than 2015

The current avian influenza outbreak is worse than 2015, which was considered the largest animal health event ever. Laying hens are turkeys are more susceptible than other poultry, Thompson said.

Some 50.4 million birds in 15 states were affected by the 2015 outbreak, but the current outbreak has affected 57.9 million birds in 47 states. In 2022, layers comprised 75 percent of the poultry affected by HPAI. Turkeys were next at 16 percent, followed by broilers at 4 percent and breeders at 3 percent. In 2022, Arkansas had HPAI in three flocks affecting 56,470 birds.  

What’s difference?

The virus has adapted to not kill its host. “The wild birds are not as susceptible to it. Ducks and geese are not getting it as bad as turkeys and chickens” enabling a wider spread and giving the outbreak a longer life, Thompson said.

In 2015, “hot summers stopped the spread and we saw it die out,” Thompson said.

The only reason the current outbreak isn’t even worse is because industry and backyard flock owners are practicing biosecurity protocols learned from the 2015 outbreak.

“We have doubled down on biosecurity with truck washes, more personal protective equipment, which are used even during non-HPAI times,” she said.

Plus, Thompson said, there is increased surveillance and better reporting “and more communicating and social media reporting of that, and they are helping us know where the wild birds are migrating.”

"I have to give props to producers who have been increasing biosecurity, as well as local, state and federal agencies in communicating a lot more about biosecurity,” Thompson said. “As bad as this current outbreak is, this is us trying to slow this down.”

Fighting fatigue

“Outside this hemisphere, they’ve been fighting it for several years,” said Dustan Clark, extension poultry veterinarian for the Division of Agriculture. “We’re at a lull right now since migration is ceased, but we will fight it through this spring and probably again this fall.”

Clark says he’s seen the effects locally.

“I go to the grocery store and see people look at the eggs and move on,” he said. “Or sometimes, they just don’t find eggs.”

Over the last year, Clark has spoken dozens of times to producers and backyard flock owners and others through meetings and webinars, hammering home the need for biosecurity protocols. He said he would schedule more webinars this spring, when wildfowl start their northward migration.

“Since this virus has been detected in wild waterfowl in every state but Hawaii,” Clark said. “It’s an ongoing concern.”

“We are trying to keep everyone vigilant and hope they don’t get fatigued,” he said. “Once the virus slips in on you, it’s going to be problematic.”

In Arkansas, chicken eggs ranked No. 4 in terms of cash farm receipts at $568 million. Broilers topped the list with at nearly $2.7 billion, according to the latest Arkansas Agriculture Profile.

The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, or APHIS, which is part of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, has a site detailing confirmations of HPAI in flocks and a dashboard for tracking wild bird infections.

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.

Arkansas colleges join forces for new degree program

KUAR | By Daniel Breen

Two institutions of higher education are partnering to offer a new degree program to students in central Arkansas.

Officials with the University of Arkansas at Monticello on Tuesday announced the partnership with National Park College. Starting next fall, students at NPC’s Hot Springs campus will be able to earn credits for a bachelor’s degree of business administration.

Speaking at the University of Arkansas System Office in Little Rock, UAM Chancellor Peggy Doss said the new partnership has many benefits, especially for students.

https://www.ualrpublicradio.org/local-regional-news/2023-01-24/arkansas-colleges-join-forces-for-new-degree-program

Daniel Breen/KUAR News

University of Arkansas System President Donald Bobbitt delivers remarks at the UA System Office in Little Rock Tuesday alongside Peggy Doss, chancellor of the University of Arkansas at Monticello.

Arkansas Senate approves bill limiting drag performances

by Ronak Patel (rspatel.personal@gmail.com)

The Arkansas Senate on Tuesday (Jan. 24) voted 29-6 along party lines to approve SB43, which is a bill intended to regulate drag performances. The bill will be sent to the House for approval before heading to Gov. Sarah Sanders.

SB43 would classify drag performances as “adult-oriented business” and will add additional location restrictions for performances. Following is the list of activities classified as adult-oriented business.
• An adult arcade
• An adult bookstore or video store
• An adult cabaret
• An adult live entertainment establishment
• An adult motion picture theater
• An adult theater
• A massage establishment that offers adult services
• An escort agency
• A nude model studio

The bill states that adult-oriented businesses can not be located on public property. Sen. Gary Stubblefield, R-Branch, who sponsored the bill, told colleagues he thought about the legislation after hearing criticism and didn’t change his mind.

https://talkbusiness.net/2023/01/arkansas-senate-approves-bill-limiting-drag-performances/

State of the State 2023: Trucking industry braces for easing demand, recession

by Jeff Della Rosa (JDellaRosa@nwabj.com)

The trucking industry overcame multiple challenges in 2022, including some surprises, as the industry shifted from the COVID-19 pandemic into something more normal. With 2022 in the rearview, 2023 brings uncertainty and rising recession risk.

Shannon Newton, president of the Arkansas Trucking Association, said 2023 is not expected to be as healthy financially as 2022, especially in the first half of 2023. She’s hopeful the softer demand will begin to return to more normal levels and leads to growth opportunities by the end of the year.

“There’s a healthy amount of uncertainty,” said Newton, noting the economic forecasters who are predicting a recession in 2023. “Whether it is deep or wide or short or long, I think the opinions vary. But I think the industry expects there to be a recession of some sort in the early part of 2023.”

https://talkbusiness.net/2023/01/state-of-the-state-2023-trucking-industry-braces-for-easing-demand-recession/

Winter weather on the way to Arkansas; winter storm warning and winter weather advisory issued

Here is the latest update for the Winter Storm expected Tuesday through Wednesday. 

We've slightly increased snowfall amounts across western and northwestern Arkansas. 

Also, the Winter Storm Warning and Winter Weather Advisory have been issued.  

Changes to snow amounts/coverage of accumulation are still possible, but overall confidence for impactful snowfall is high.

Tax filing season opens Jan. 23; extension offers tips for preparation, filing

By Tracy Courage
U of A System Division of Agriculture

Tax seasons officially starts Jan. 23, when the Internal Revenue Service will begin accepting and processing 2022 tax year returns. For those who haven’t started preparations yet, now is the time to collect documents and understand the changes to tax credits and deductions that may affect their finances.

The IRS expects more than 168 million individual tax returns to be filed, with the majority of those coming before the April 18 tax deadline. People have three extra days to file this year, as April 15 is a Saturday and the Emancipation Day holiday is observed on April 17 in Washington, D.C.

“For tax year 2022, some tax credits that were expanded in 2021 will return to 2019 levels,” said Laura Hendrix, an accredited financial counselor and associate professor of personal finance with the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture. “This means that some tax filers could receive a smaller refund than last year.”

Hendrix offers these tips for preparing to file this year:

Be aware of changes for credits and deductions

For tax year 2022 some tax credits that were expanded in 2021 will return to 2019 levels. Changes include amounts for the Child Tax Credit (CTC), Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and Child and Dependent Care Credit.

• Those who received $3,600 per dependent in 2021 for the Child Tax Credit will, if eligible, get $2,000 for the 2022 tax year.

• For the Earned Income Tax Credit, eligible taxpayers with no children who received roughly $1,500 in 2021 will now get $500 in 2022.

• The Child and Dependent Care Credit returns to a maximum of $2,100 in 2022 instead of $8,000 in 2021.

Unlike 2020 and 2021, there were no new stimulus payments for 2022 so taxpayers should not expect to get an additional payment in their 2023 tax refund.

During COVID, taxpayers were able to take up to a $600 charitable donation tax deduction on their tax returns. However, for tax year 2022, taxpayers who don’t itemize and who take the standard deduction, won’t be able to deduct their charitable contributions.

If you bought a new, qualified plug-in electric vehicle in 2022 or before, you may be eligible for a clean vehicle tax credit.

Get your refund fast

One of the fastest ways to get your refund is to file electronically and use direct deposit. The IRS discourages people submitting paper forms to avoid potential delays. Tax refunds can be deposited in up to three accounts, and Hendrix recommends people deposit some of their refunds into a savings account to build financial security. Use IRS form 8888 for direct deposit.

Filers should also avoid using advance refund loans, which often have high fees.

Save money by filing for free

Several organizations offer free assistance to filers who meet income and age criteria.

“Taking advantage of these services means you can keep more of your refund because you don’t have to pay a tax-preparation service,” Hendrix said.

 Some of these include the following:

VITA (Volunteer Income Tax Assistance):

• Your income is $60,000 or less, or

• You are 60 years old or older, or

• You have a disability or speak limited English

• Find VITA Locations https://irs.treasury.gov/freetaxprep/

AARP Foundation Tax-Aide:

• You are age 50 or older, or

• You have low to moderate income.

• Find AARP Tax-Aide locations at https://www.aarp.org/money/taxes/aarp_taxaide/locations.html

MyFreeTaxes:

• Your income is $73,000 or less.

• https://myfreetaxes.com

IRS Free File:

• If your income is $73,000 or less, you can access guided return preparation assistance.

• If your income is more than $73,000, you can access fillable forms to prepare your own return without assistance.

• https://www.irs.gov/filing/free-file-do-your-federal-taxes-for-free

MilTax

• Free software and support for military tax filers

• https://www.militaryonesource.mil/financial-legal/taxes/miltax-military-tax-services

Organize records for tax time

Whether you are doing your own taxes, using a paid tax preparation service, or using one of the free file options, you will need to gather the following information:

• Birth dates and Social Security numbers for yourself, your spouse and dependents on the tax return.

• Wage and earning statements (Form W-2, W-2G, 1099-R,1099-Misc) from all employers.

• Interest and dividend statements from banks (Forms 1099).

• Health Insurance Exemption Certificate, if received.

• A copy of last year’s federal and state returns, if available.

• Bank account routing and account numbers for direct.

• Total paid for daycare provider and the daycare provider's tax identifying number such as their Social Security number or business Employer Identification Number.

• Forms 1095-A, B and C, Health Coverage Statements.

• Copies of income transcripts from IRS and state, if applicable.

• If using a free or paid tax preparation service, you will need to show proof of identification, such as a driver’s license.

• If married and filing jointly, both you and your spouse will need to sign the tax return.

For more information, visit IRSgov. For extension resources on personal finance, visit uaex.uada.edu/money. To learn more 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.

Researchers pursue cost-effective method to remotely monitor streamflow in small-scale watersheds

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Researchers at the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station have developed an economical method to monitor rainwater surges in small streams.

STREAMFLOW — A research team from the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station's Arkansas Water Resources Center installs an upward scanning acoustic doppler instrument to monitor streamflow in Brush Creek in Washington County. Master's degree student Brandy Everett places the radar unit on a concrete pad used to anchor it to the streambed. (U of A System Division of Agriculture photo by Fred Miller)

They showed that compact upward-scanning doppler radar systems designed to monitor manmade waterways can be adapted to monitor streamflows in natural channels of smaller watersheds.

Long-term streamflow data is essential to understand changes in hydrology and trends in natural disturbances like floods and drought, said Brian Haggard, professor of biological and agricultural engineering for the experiment station, the research arm of the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture.

Haggard is director of the experiment station’s Arkansas Water Resources Center. He also has a teaching appointment with the University of Arkansas’ College of Engineering.

Fresh water is a small percentage of the Earth’s water supply, but it is vital for human wellbeing, ecosystem support, economic activity and other purposes, Haggard said. Human activity and natural changes have great influence on available freshwater sources. Monitoring streamflow under extreme conditions caused by drought or stormwater runoff is essential for understanding how these stresses affect freshwater ecosystems.

Streamflow data support municipalities that need to manage storm surge water, Haggard said. State and federal agencies and researchers need the information to build and validate watershed models for the movement of sediments and nutrients and to find and correct nonpoint pollution sources.

Haggard said that most techniques for measuring and recording streamflow data can be costly to install and maintain.

“Installing and operating a typical streamflow monitoring station represents an investment of about $50,000 for the first year and around $25,000 for each subsequent year,” he said.

The instruments are not designed to be portable and are not easily moved to multiple locations, Haggard said.

A three-year study by Abbie Lasater, one of Haggard’s former graduate students, evaluated a low-cost method for remotely monitoring streamflow in small-scale watersheds. Haggard said these are mostly smaller streams that feed into larger watersheds, such as the White River.

Lasater led the study in the upper Poteau River Watershed in western Arkansas and eastern Oklahoma. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency supported the study with a $415,415 grant administered through the Arkansas Natural Resources Commission.

Lasater used three SonTek-IQ acoustic doppler instruments, rotating them to 12 research sites to monitor streamflow discharges in the upper watershed, Haggard said. Cables connected the units to battery packs and data ports mounted above the high-water levels of each stream. The team used inexpensive pressure transducers to measure stream depth continuously.

By Fred Miller
U of A System Division of Agriculture

The researchers collected stream depth continuously at each location and storm surge data following rain events, Haggard said. The compact SonTek units provided effective and accurate measurements in the small stream settings.

Haggard said the SonTek devices are designed for measuring flow through manufactured waterways like stormwater conveyances and irrigation canals where the shape and volume of the channels are known. Central to this research was to see if they could accurately measure flow through the irregular channels of natural streams.

The research team learned some valuable lessons about using the compact devices, Haggard said. For example, it’s essential to anchor the devices securely. One unit was lost when a storm surge overpowered the concrete pad used to hold it in the streambed. Brad Austin, a research scientist for the Arkansas Water Resources Center, said they now use a steel cable as a safety line to limit how far the units can travel downstream if they break loose from their moorings.

Also, some streambeds can cover the devices with sand, fine gravel or other materials during high flows, obscuring the sensor surfaces.

Even so, Haggard said the water resources lab team continues to use the devices in ongoing research. They are currently using them to study rainwater surges in small streams in the White River Basin.

To learn more about Division of Agriculture research, visit the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station website: https://aaes.uada.edu/. Follow us on Twitter at @ArkAgResearch and on Instagram at @ArkAgResearch. To learn more about the Division of Agriculture, visit https://uada.edu/. Follow us on Twitter at @AgInArk.

Researchers receive $1 million grant to develop robotic system to assist poultry processing

By Brittaney Mann
U of A System Division of Agriculture

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — The COVID-19 pandemic strained many poultry processing plants as employees became ill. With the help of a $1 million grant, Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station researchers will soon begin designing robotics to help alleviate that potential strain.

ROBOTICS — Dongyi Wang is the principal investigator in a robotics project for the poultry industry. The project is funded by a $1 million grant provided jointly by the National Science Foundation and the USDA's National Institute of Food and Agriculture. (U of A System Division of Agriculture Photo by Fred Miller)

The project will be funded through a joint proposal between the National Science Foundation’s National Robotics Initiative 3.0 and the United States Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture.

Dongyi Wang, assistant professor of biological and agricultural engineering, is the principal investigator on the project. Wang conducts research for the experiment station, the research arm of the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture. He also has a research appointment with the food science department and a teaching appointment with the University of Arkansas’ College of Engineering.

A major focus in Wang’s lab is to understand what jobs robotic and automated systems can accomplish.

“We are trying to explore the opportunities and to see how automation can help the agriculture industry and the food industry,” Wang said.

This four-year project will lead to the development of a robotic system that can hang raw chicken as human workers do to meet the long-term needs of the poultry industry.

Poultry processing plants

In 2021, the U.S. produced 59.2 billion pounds of broiler chickens, according to the USDA. Arkansas ranked No. 3 in the nation, producing 1 billion broilers — 7.46 billion pounds of meat worth $3.97 billion — in 2021, according to the 2022 Arkansas Agriculture Profile.

Many of the steps to process chicken are already automated in processing plants, Wang said. Slaughtering and evisceration do not really rely on people. Rehanging the raw chicken is one of the major steps that relies on human work. Workers on the processing line hang the birds on conveyor lines that continue to the deboning, wing-cutting and packing steps.

Lending a hand

Besides Wang, the team includes Co-PIs, Wan Shou, assistant professor in the mechanical engineering department at the University of Arkansas, and Yu She, assistant professor in the industrial engineering department at Purdue University. Casey Owens, Novus International professor of poultry science and Philip Crandall, professor of food science, both with the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station, will also be involved with the research.

To create the automation system, the researchers will customize tactile sensory grippers and develop a high-resolution and high-speed 3D imaging system, Wang said. The 3D imaging system will allow the robotic arms to differentiate between the topmost chicken and the rest of the pile and will indicate the predetermined key points for chicken grasping. A key challenge is developing a gripper that reliably grasps the chicken without damaging the meat quality.

Shou will design the tactile sensors and She will design the robotic hand. By integrating these developments, robots will be enabled to adjust their grip based on how slick the surface is to ensure the bird is secure.

“Rather than buying an expensive robotic hand, we are going to design and fabricate a robotic hand with lower cost with the assistance of 3D printing,” Shou said.

Wang’s focus for this project is programming the two robots to work as human hands and complete the task of hanging the chicken without issues like the arms hitting one another.

They will test the robotics in the experiment station’s pilot chicken processing plant, with Owens overseeing the quality of meat handled by the robotic arms. The team will also use this project for opportunities in education and, with the help of Crandall, extension activities that target poultry and broader food industries.

Shou and She are excited to work on this project because of the advances they aim to make in artificial intelligence and multimodal sensing capabilities for intelligent robotic systems.

“With the new robotic system, we will generate new knowledge on mechanics and control,” She said.

Shou expressed confidence in the team to accomplish these advances.

“We have a great team to tackle the proposed project,” Shou said, highlighting the multiple disciplines the research involves, including manufacturing, sensors, robotics, mechanics, and computer vision and machine learning. “It has very promising applications for society,” he said.

Wang visualizes this project benefitting the scientific areas of tactile sensing, 3D imaging, dual robotic control and algorithms. He also sees it benefitting the poultry industry itself.

“It is very, very exciting that this kind of technology, even maybe not right now, but potentially, can help the local economic development and the local industry,” Wang said.

To learn more about Division of Agriculture research, visit the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station website: https://aaes.uada.edu/. Follow us on Twitter at @ArkAgResearch. To learn more about the Division of Agriculture, visit https://uada.edu/. Follow us on Twitter at @AgInArk.

Jason Williams, Psy.D., to Lead Child Mental and Behavioral Health at UAMS, Arkansas Children’s

By News Staff

LITTLE ROCK — After a national search, the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) and Arkansas Children’s have named Jason Williams, Psy.D., M.S.Ed. to lead their work together to improve pediatric mental and behavioral health statewide.

Williams will serve as the new chief of UAMS’ Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry in the College of Medicine’s Department of Psychiatry and as Arkansas Children’s senior vice president and chief mental and behavioral health officer, a newly created position.

Williams comes from Children’s Hospital Colorado, where he served as an associate professor of Psychiatry at the University of Colorado School of Medicine and as the director of operations in the Pediatric Mental Health Institute.

https://news.uams.edu/2023/01/23/jason-williams-psy-d-to-lead-child-mental-and-behavioral-health-at-uams-arkansas-childrens/

Jason Williams has been named as the new chief of UAMS’ Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry in the College of Medicine’s Department of Psychiatry and as Arkansas Children’s senior vice president and chief mental and behavioral health officer.

Three-Year-Old Patient Keeps Sight, Survives Rare Eye Cancer

By Benjamin Waldrum

All Quatisa East wanted was for her infant daughter, Dallas Carter, to be able to see. A rare diagnosis of retinoblastoma, or cancer of the eye, threatened that possibility.

“I didn’t give up on her — everything I’ve done is just being a mother,” said the 29-year-old.

It’s been a long road for Dallas and her family, but today, the carefree 3-year-old can see in both eyes and her cancer is in remission. Getting there took a team effort from the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences’ (UAMS) experts at the Harvey & Bernice Jones Eye Institute and the retinoblastoma program at Arkansas Children’s Hospital (ACH).

https://news.uams.edu/2023/01/20/three-year-old-patient-keeps-sight-survives-rare-eye-cancer/

Three-year-old Dallas Carter was born with retinoblastoma, or cancer of the eye. After multiple surgeries and chemotherapy, she can see in both eyes and her cancer is in remission. Image by Quatisa East

Dr. Michelle Krause to Lead UAMS Health System & Hospital; Dr. Ahmed Abuabdou Named Chief Clinical Officer

Michelle W. Krause, M.D., MPH, and Ahmed Abuabdou, MD, MBA

By Yavonda Chase

LITTLE ROCK — The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) has named Michelle W. Krause, M.D., MPH, senior vice chancellor for UAMS Health and chief executive officer for UAMS Medical Center, and Ahmed Abuabdou, MD, MBA, chief clinical officer for UAMS Medical Center. Both have been serving in these roles on an interim basis since September 2022.

“Dr. Krause has been at UAMS for more than 20 years and led both our COVID-19 testing and vaccination efforts and helped lead the implementation of our operational surge plans for caring for additional hospitalized COVID patients,” said UAMS Chancellor Cam Patterson, M.D., MBA.  “Her clinical expertise, administrative experience and institutional knowledge make her the ideal leader for our statewide health system. She is well versed on the health care needs across Arkansas.

“We are fortunate to have two established leaders from within UAMS to step into these roles,” he said. “Their leadership and perspectives will be particularly valuable in our efforts to achieve our strategic goals to make Arkansas a healthier state and grow our national reputation for excellence.”

https://news.uams.edu/2023/01/17/dr-michelle-krause-to-lead-uams-health-system-dr-ahmed-abuabdou-named-chief-clinical-officer/

AG Griffin: 5,000 new prison beds needed

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

Attorney General Tim Griffin is not a legislator nor is he governor, but he’s on the same page with Gov. Sarah Sanders and legislative leaders and has been instrumental in pushing for criminal justice reforms that include serving longer sentences, provide work and education skills to prisoners, and expanding prison bed capacity.

Griffin said Sunday (Jan. 22) in an interview on Capitol View and Talk Business & Politics he believes that 5,000 prison beds are needed to meet demand.

“We need a minimum three [3,000] in my view,” Griffin said. “The truth is, we’ve been building prisons, we’ve been building them for years as a matter of practice in a practical matter because we have been quietly pushing our violent felons into – they don’t have room in state prison – we’ve been pushing them into county jails. Which has basically made county jails useless. For the purpose of putting misdemeanors, DUIs, etc. So we have basically made misdemeanor justice irrelevant.”

https://talkbusiness.net/2023/01/ag-griffin-5000-new-prison-beds-needed/

State of the State 2023: Construction sector faces inflation, labor, supply chain issues

by George Jared (gjared@talkbusiness.net)

Arkansas’ construction sector dealt with a mix of new and old problems in 2022. Record inflation, interest rate hikes, and chronic supply chain issues continued to plague the industry during the last year and going into 2023.

Despite those problems, Nabholz CEO Jake Nabholz told Talk Business & Politics the company had a banner year and 2023 is projected to possibly be even better.

“I think everybody had a really good year,” he said. “As an industry we had to overcome record inflation and continued supply chain issues. We are excited about 2023, but I’m anxious to see what happens in 2024.”

https://talkbusiness.net/2023/01/state-of-the-state-2023-construction-sector-faces-inflation-labor-supply-chain-issues/

State of the State 2023: School choice, other changes to follow pandemic’s disruptions

by Steve Brawner (BRAWNERSTEVE@MAC.COM)

Arkansas’ K-12 public schools have returned to mostly normal operations after the pandemic, and now they face more permanent changes with a new governor planning to give parents more control over their children’s education.

Gov. Sarah Sanders hasn’t been specific about her plans for more “parental empowerment,” a term she prefers over “school choice,” where families have access to state funds for non-public education options like private schools. But it’s clear from her comments and from her early appointments that she intends to move the state in that direction. She nominated Jacob Oliva from Florida as her secretary of education, and Gretchen Conger from Arizona as her chief of staff. Both states have embraced school choice reforms in recent years.

In a recent interview with Talk Business, Sanders said she is working with legislators to craft specific policies. Asked if she was opposed to the money following the students, she replied, “I’m not opposed to parents having the ability to spend their taxpayer dollars on the best education possible for their kids.”

https://talkbusiness.net/2023/01/state-of-the-state-2023-school-choice-other-changes-to-follow-pandemics-disruptions/

AHA study: State short of nurses, other professions

by Steve Brawner (BRAWNERSTEVE@MAC.COM)

Arkansas in 2021 had only 76% of the registered nurses required to provide the national average level of care demand. The state fared better or worse compared to other states among other health professions, but it nevertheless remains short of health care workers in crucial areas.

Those were some of the conclusions of a study by GlobalData PLC that was commissioned by Arkansas Hospital Association Services, the AHA’s for-profit subsidiary that markets products to hospitals.

The report defines demand as “the amount and types of healthcare services patients are willing and able to purchase at prevailing prices and the number of healthcare workers that employers are willing and able to hire at prevailing salary levels.”

https://talkbusiness.net/2023/01/aha-study-state-short-of-nurses-other-professions/

Arkansas governor renews call for education reform

KUAR | By Daniel Breen

The State of Arkansas will be a national leader in education reform, according to Republican Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders.

The governor has said she hopes to tackle a slew of educational issues in her first term, including workforce readiness, access to broadband internet, teacher accountability and allowing state dollars to help fund students’ education in private, parochial or charter schools.

In a rally Thursday hosted by the conservative advocacy group Americans For Prosperity, Sanders said Arkansas will be on the frontlines of the school choice debate under her administration.

https://www.ualrpublicradio.org/local-regional-news/2023-01-19/arkansas-governor-renews-call-for-education-reform

Daniel Breen/KUAR News

Supporters of Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders' education policy agenda listen to her speak in the rotunda of the Arkansas State Capitol on Thursday.

Bill regulating drag shows advances from Arkansas Senate committee

KUAR | By Josie Lenora

Members of a Senate committee on Thursday unanimously voted to advance a bill that would regulate some drag shows.

The City, County & Local Affairs Committee of the Arkansas Senate heard debate on Senate Bill 43. If passed, the legislation could force any performance involving cross dressing to be classified as an adult-oriented business if the performance appeals to “prurient interests.”

Much of the debate Thursday centered around the word “prurient.” Lawmakers insist the bill’s language would mean a performance would have to be sexual for it to violate the law. Holly Dickson, executive director of the ACLU of Arkansas, told the senators that the word “prurient” could be interpreted by courts to mean a wide variety of artistic performances.

https://www.ualrpublicradio.org/local-regional-news/2023-01-19/bill-regulating-drag-shows-advances-from-arkansas-senate-committee

UA Cossatot’s Textbook Rental and OER Program Saved Students Over $3 Million Dollars

UA Cossatot’s textbook rental and Open Educational Resource (OER) program has saved students $3,004,899.01. What began as a chancellor’s vision in 2015 exceeded all expectations in 2022. Nearly 70% of courses at UA Cossatot are taught with OER.

UA Cossatot Chancellor, Dr. Steve Cole recently recognized Relinda Ruth, Director of Educational Resources and OER Specialist, for her efforts in building this program and leading the OER effort in Arkansas. Dr. Cole also commended Ruth for serving as a leader for the Southern Regional Education Board (SREB) Arkansas State OER Action Team and leading the Arkansas Community Colleges (ACC) consortial membership with the Open Education Network (OEN). “Good visions only become reality if the right persons can see them through. In our case, that person was Relinda Ruth. She not only built this program but just like Johnny Appleseed, she has provided her ideas and leadership community to Arkansas and the United States. This program would not have happened without Relinda!” said Cole.

Ruth was recently invited to Florida to join the SREB Educational Technology Cooperative (ETC) alongside 11 others representing 16 southern states.

UA Cossatot continues to lead Arkansas in OER usage and has become a leader in the OER world. Ruth has traveled to other colleges across the state to help educators move toward OER. Ruth has shared her

experience in building an internal textbook rental and OER program through national interviews, presentations, publications, blogs, and even podcasts. To date, she’s presented at 20 state and national conferences.

“It’s amazing what everyone at UA Cossatot has accomplished with our textbook rental and OER program. Dr. Cole had a vision of making college more affordable to students and the entire UA Cossatot team worked together to make it a reality,” said Ruth.

Ruth will travel to Atlanta in March 2023 to present at the SREB OER and Dual Enrollment Conference. Her focus is expanding the use of OER in developmental education and college readiness in Arkansas Community Colleges.

For more information on UA Cossatot’s textbook rental and OER program, contact Relinda Ruth at 870-584-1181 or rruth@cccua.edu.

UA Cossatot joins AACC/Microsoft Cyber Skills Initiative

UA Cossatot was recently selected as one of 14 community colleges across the nation to participate in the Cyber Skills for All initiative, made possible by a partnership between the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) and Microsoft. In addition to receiving a grant of $20,000, UA Cossatot will be part of a community of practice consisting of community college workforce and economic development executives across the nation aimed at skilling people for participation in the digital economy.

UA Cossatot Chancellor Dr. Steve Cole said, “Joining the Cyberskills initiative aligns perfectly with UA Cossatot's new offerings in Cybersecurity we will be offering on our Nashville campus as part of the UA Cyberlearn Network. Cybersecurity is the absolute most important topic for individuals and businesses, and UA Cossatot is gearing up to prepare our workforce to address the needs for Cybersecurity experts in our area.”

“Cyber skills have become increasingly important for community colleges to provide students as their need from the workforce continues to grow,” said Dr. Walter G. Bumphus, AACC’s president and CEO. “Selected community colleges will have the opportunity to learn best practices from one another to deliver high-quality, industry-relevant cyber skills education to all students.”

“The United States faces a cybersecurity skills crisis – we simply don’t have enough people to combat the increasing number of cybersecurity attacks,” said Kate Behncken, Corporate Vice President, Microsoft

Philanthropies. “By working with AACC we can help ensure there are enough people with the necessary skills to keep organizations secure and people safe.”

“As technology evolves so do the skills needed to protect the nation’s technology infrastructure,” said Dr. Walter G. Bumphus, AACC’s president and CEO. “Working together with Microsoft, we will provide these community colleges with resources to ensure students learn the relevant skills needed in the workforce. Selected community colleges will have the opportunity to learn best practices from one another to continue to deliver high-quality, industry-relevant cyber skills education to all students.

Other institutions part of the second cohort include: Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College; Hostos Community College; North Hennepin Community College; Wichita State University Campus of Applied Sciences and Technology (WSU Tech); Community College of Philadelphia; Central Community College; Bellevue College; Southwest Tennessee Community College; Blue Ridge Community and Technical College; College of Western Idaho; Tulsa Community College; City Colleges of Chicago; and College of Southern Nevada.