30 minute read
Aww, Shucks! Corn’s Comeback to Arkansas Agriculture
Aww, Shucks!
Corn’s Comeback to Arkansas Agriculture
Advertisement
Like most farmers, the average corn producer in Arkansas is unassuming, mild mannered – modest to say the least. But given the incredible strides growers have made in recent years to vastly expand the corn industry’s footprint in the state, not even the humblest of producers can convincingly feign humility enough to hide the welldeserved pride in their achievements.
“As recently as 30 years ago, corn had taken a back seat in Arkansas compared to other crops,” said Tommy Young, a local corn grower and chairman of the Arkansas Corn & Grain Sorghum Board. “That’s not the case anymore. Today, producer preference for corn is steadily growing and at the same time is proving to be a shot in the arm for the state’s lucrative poultry industry as a popular and locally sourced feedstuff.” By 1951, the Arkansas corn industry had reached its height with planted acres topping just over the 1 million mark. Over the next 50 years however, the acreage committed to corn would continue to dwindle as farmers turned away from the cereal in favor of other crops such as rice that were less challenging and more profitable to produce. Within the last two decades, the tables have turned. Corn’s profit potential eventually returned on the coattails of shifting markets. The Arkansas Corn & Grain Sorghum Board, administered by seven Arkansas producers appointed by the governor and charged with providing growers with the tools and resources necessary to improve profitability and sustainability, leveraged this opportunity by investing checkoff dollars into agronomic research with the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture to help growers be more successful during growing season. Thanks to this checkoff-funded research, growers have been able to incrementally increase their yields year after year by implementing proper management practices that adhere to Arkansas’s unique environment. This has
“Today, producer ultimately resulted in preference for corn is approximately 90% steadily growing...” of the corn grown in Arkansas being irrigated. In recent years since farmers started to cohesively implement these practices, the Arkansas corn industry is once again standing tall. Arkansas corn growers reached a major milestone in their rebound during the 2013 crop year, planting 1 million acres for the first time in more than 60 years. That same year, growers harvested 855,000 acres and set a new record state average yield of 187 bushels per acre, overcoming the previous record of 178 bushels per acre set in 2012. The total number of planted acres has since fluctuated from one crop season to the next between approximately 600,000 and 900,000 acres as growers have attempted to stay ahead of the market. Most recently, the Arkansas corn industry generated just under $825,000,000 in 2021 with
a respectable crop of 850,000 planted acres strong. The steady supply of grain that has resulted from this increase in production over the years has helped to underwrite the Arkansas poultry industry with 70% of the state’s annual production going to feed mills, while more and more corn is being consumed in this manner each year. The remaining 30% is exported via the Mississippi River.
“Considering the progress growers have managed to achieve in a relatively brief period of time, I would expect the corn industry will continue to thrive in Arkansas,” said Young. “Although the markets will undoubtedly fluctuate from year to year, it is safe to say that the collective efforts of our growers have ensured corn’s place as a staple of Arkansas agriculture.”
The Arkansas Corn & Grain Sorghum Board continues to invest in research to help growers in Arkansas enhance their corn production and sustainability. In 2021, the board invested nearly $1 million in research. Learn more about the corn industry in Arkansas and its investment in research by visiting corn-sorghum.org.
Spotlight State
Arkansas Agriculture Featured at America’s Largest Farm Show
Each year, thousands of exhibitors and agriculturalists, from farmers to policymakers, join to witness the latest technological advances in the agriculture industry at the Sunbelt Ag Expo. The Expo is an agriculturalbased trade show held annually in Moultrie, Georgia, and it’s the largest farm show in America, with education being its main component. Seminars and demonstration topics range from beef production to pond management and everything in between.
During the 44th Annual Sunbelt Ag Expo, held in October of 2022, Arkansas was featured as the Spotlight State. In an exhibit named “Experience Arkansas,” attendees from across the nation had the opportunity to learn about Arkansas and its largest industry, agriculture.
The exhibit consisted of six themes: production agriculture, value-added agriculture, agritourism, economic development, education, and tourism. These themes introduced the Natural State and educational experiences highlighting the state’s diverse agricultural production to attendees. Members of Arkansas Farm Bureau, Arkansas Department of Agriculture, Farm Credit Associations of Arkansas, the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture, Arkansas Agritourism Association, Arkansas Department of Parks, Heritage, and Tourism, and the Arkansas Department of Economic Development were onsite to greet visitors and answer questions.
At the ribbon cutting ceremony for the Spotlight State exhibit, Arkansas Deputy Secretary of Agriculture Cynthia Edwards addressed the crowd and invited attendees to “Experience Arkansas.”
Arkansas had two ambassadors of the state’s agriculture industry speak at the Willie B. Withers/Sunbelt Ag Expo Luncheon. The 2016 Southeast Farmer of the Year, David Wildly, introduced Deputy Secretary Edwards, who highlighted the state's many unique qualities on behalf of the Arkansas Spotlight State Committee.
“The way that agriculture looks varies across the United States, and the Sunbelt Ag Expo provides an opportunity to connect with and learn from other states about the industry as a whole,” said Deputy Secretary Edwards.
As Arkansas is home to one of the only places in the world where the public can search for real diamonds at the Crater of Diamonds State Park, an Arkansas diamond was given away during the luncheon.
During this year’s Expo, Robert E. Saunders, a multigenerational farmer from Virginia was awarded the title of Swisher Sunbelt Expo Southeastern Farmer of the Year. The judges selected Saunders from among 10 Southeastern state winners participating in the program, including Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia. Chris Sweat of Hempstead County represented Arkansas. In 2020, Chris and Denise Sweat, and daughters Sara and Anna, were selected as Arkansas Farm Bureau’s Farm Family of the Year.
“The sense of pride that the Arkansas Spotlight State Committee exhibited throughout the planning process and the show itself shined through,” said Chris Blalock, executive director of the Sunbelt Ag Expo. “In addition to the exhibits being interactive and informative, they were an excellent showcase of Arkansas agriculture.”
We know how to cultivate solid growth.
Simmons Bank is proud to be a homegrown product of Arkansas. So we know the important role agriculture plays in our local and national economies. Our history can be traced back to the deep farmland roots of the Mississippi Delta — a strength of our business that continues today. So if you’re looking to expand your farming operation, buy new equipment or purchase livestock, stop by today and talk to an agricultural lending specialist.
Find your local branch at
simmonsbank.com/locations
Farm to School: More Peas Please!
Purple Hull Peas Connect Farms, School Districts, and Students
The Arkansas Farm to School and Early Childhood Education Program at the Arkansas Department of Agriculture provides the perfect opportunity to enrich the connection that communities have with fresh, healthy food and local food producers by initiating changes in food purchasing and education practices within schools.
Farm to school programs may consist of one or more of the following pillars: school gardens, education, and local procurement. School gardens allow students the opportunity to engage in hands-on learning through gardening and farming. While education is a common thread amongst all three farm to school pillars, farm to school education is usually focused on activities related to agriculture, food, health, or nutrition. Lastly, procurement involves the purchasing, promotion, and consumption of local food in schools, which may be served in the cafeteria, as a snack, or as a taste test.
A recent partnership between Healthy Flavors Arkansas, the University of Central Arkansas (UCA), and three Central Arkansas school districts is an excellent example of the kind of collaboration that leads to successful farm to school programming.
Healthy Flavors Arkansas, an agricultural enterprise located on Dan-Harton Farms in Conway, Arkansas, was awarded a grant through the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm to School Program to expose students to locally grown purple hull peas and farm to school curriculum. The Arkansas Department of Agriculture supported this initiative by providing a letter of support and committing to providing essential resources through their Farm to School and Early Childhood Education Program.
After receiving the grant, Dan Spatz of DanHarton Farms was able to purchase necessary equipment, like a shiny, new yellow pea picker, and hire essential staff, like Maddie Fortune and Dr. Joe Black, to support the farm to school initiative. With the necessary resources in hand, the team planted four acres of purple hull peas, a Southern classic. This project signifies an important shift to more sustainable agricultural practices for Dan-Harton Farms, which has historically grown commodity crops on their 260 acres of cultivable land. More recently, Spatz has recognized the need to diversify their food products to include more specialty crops, like vegetables and, of course, purple hull peas.
While some might be accustomed to the taste of their favorite purple hull pea recipe, this species of cowpea or field pea may be entirely new to students. This exemplifies the importance of opportunities to learn about and taste new foods within schools. To bridge this gap, Dan-Harton Farms partnered with UCA’s Department of Nutrition and Family Science.
Dr. Nina Roofe, department chair and associate professor of nutrition at UCA, along with her graduate assistant, Mary Beth McKay, worked to develop both farm to school curriculum and purple hull pea recipes to be prepared by school cafeterias. In addition to comprehensive farm to school lesson plans, a total of seven recipes were developed and piloted with child nutrition directors from three partnering school districts: Mayflower, Vilonia, and Greenbrier.
In November 2021, representatives from the school districts came together to test the recipes. Some recipes were considered infeasible to prepare in schools due to a lack of readily available ingredients and/or equipment as well as lengthier preparation time. Two of the recipes were clear winners: chili con carne with purple hull peas and Hoppin’ John, a Southern peas and rice dish.
Child nutrition staff returned to their schools with lessons plans, informational posters, and recipes to engage students in trying purple hull peas. Teachers implemented the curriculum with students, while the school cafeterias purchased and prepared purple hull peas for participation in a plate waste study organized by UCA faculty and students.
Using a developed protocol, UCA measured the elementary and middle school students’ consumption of the recipes to analyze their food waste before and after implementation of the curriculum. For at least two of the three school districts, results showed an increase in consumption of purple hull peas, but it was the smile on the students’ faces that truly illustrated the impact of the project.
After seeing initial success through this initiative, Dan-Harton Farms is eager to continue building on these efforts to grow the farm to school mission in the state of Arkansas. They have plans to increase purple hull pea production to include 28 acres, add an on-site processing facility with a pea shelling machine, and explore new products to market to schools.
Dan-Harton Farms has also received two additional USDA Farm to School grants that have the potential to greatly influence the farm to school landscape in the state. First, Healthy Flavors Arkansas will launch a high school internship program to give students the opportunity to learn more about agriculture through hands-on experiences on the farm growing winter greens that will eventually be back in school cafeterias on students’ trays. Additionally, Healthy Flavors collaborated with Communities Unlimited and Eat Real, two nonprofit organizations working to promote local food in schools, to develop a blueprint that points to the essential aspects of successful and sustainable farm to school programs across the mid-South (Arkansas, Tennessee, and Mississippi).
Thanks to the proven success of these fruitful partnerships, the future of the Arkansas Farm to School and Early Childhood Education Program looks bright!
CONGRATULATIONS!
Best Start-Up School Garden Proposal:
Lee Senior High School, Marianna (Lee County), $500 Award Wonderview Elementary School, Hattieville (Conway County), $500 Award
Best Education-Based School Garden:
Nettleton STEAM, Jonesboro (Craighead County), $500 Award Conway High School, Conway (Faulkner County), $500 Award
Best Harvest Partnership School Garden:
Crestwood Elementary, North Little Rock (Pulaski County), $500 Award Chicot Elementary & Early Childhood Center, Mabelvale (Pulaski County), $500 Award
Best Community Collaboration School Garden:
Arch Ford/Synergy ALE, Hot Springs Village (Garland and Saline Counties), $500 Award Ward Central Elementary, Ward (Lonoke County), $500 Award
Best Overall School Garden:
Pinnacle View Middle School, Little Rock (Pulaski County), $1,000 Award
Champion of School Garden Sustainability:
Sheridan Elementary School, Sheridan (Grant County), $1,000 Award
Applications by category entered: 12 start-ups, 20 established, 5 champion. Total Applications: 37
The annual Arkansas Grown School Garden of the Year Contest is sponsored by Farm Credit Associations of Arkansas and the Arkansas Department of Agriculture. The contest started in 2014 to promote the importance of involving young people in the process of fresh food production and cultivation. The contest was available to public and private K-12 schools, early care and education facilities, and alternative learning environments. Awardees were schools that had a school garden during the 2021-2022 school year or planned to start a garden in 2022-2023 school year. Program details are available at: agriculture.arkansas.gov/arkansas-department-of-agricultureprograms/farm-to-school/school-gardens/arkansas-grown-school-garden-contest.
The Legacy of Arkansas Rice
Agriculture Will Remain Arkansas’s Number One Industry if We Plan for Tomorrow
Rice has been grown in Arkansas since 1901. Today, more than 2,200 family farms grow medium and long grain rice in over 40 counties in our state. Arkansas remains the number one rice producer in the country, growing more than one million acres each year. According to the United States Department of Agriculture National Agricultural Statistics Service (USDA-NASS), there are about 14 million acres of farmland in Arkansas and 5.84 million of those acres are dedicated to row crops. Agriculture is not for the faint of heart. President John F. Kennedy once described farmers as "the only man in our economy who buys everything at retail, sells everything at wholesale, and pays the freight both ways." The truth is, there is limited control in row crop farming. With rising input costs, an ever-changing climate, and unpredictable markets, this industry seems to be as tumultuous as ever.
Arkansas Rice is made up of the Arkansas Rice Federation, Arkansas Rice Council, and Arkansas Rice Farmers boards, along with representatives from Arkansas millers and merchants. Many of the producers that serve on these boards are third and fourth generation farmers. The legacy that their parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents left is still making an impact today. Often, the same piece of land is passed down through multiple generations, though the farming practices tend to change with each generation.
Sustainability has been a prominent buzz word in agriculture in recent years. Tools have been put in place to track the decreases in energy and water usage by rice farmers in order to maintain and protect our state’s natural resources. Today’s producers know that significant foresight and action is the only way to ensure the next generation and generations beyond will be able to continue farming in Arkansas.
Fortunately, there are a multitude of organizations who offer resources to farmers. The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture provides and conducts research for best practices. Much of the research is funded by the Arkansas rice checkoff program. Currently, our state’s checkoff program is evenly divided to support research and promotional efforts. This program was put in place in 1985 because farmers realized the need to invest in today, tomorrow, and for years to come. To date, the research has resulted in enhanced yields as well as better soil, water, and pest control practices.
Nationally, there are new conservation programs being put in place. USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack made a trip to Arkansas in September of
2022 to announce awards to their new program, Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities. This historic investment by the USDA is intended to fund pilot projects that reward farmers who utilize environmentally friendly practices. USA Rice, Rural Investment to Protect our Environment (RIPE), Riceland Foods, and a handful of other organizations with Arkansas roots were awarded substantial funding to administer projects that will motivate growers to adopt additional practices in an effort to preserve the rice farmland that has served us so well for more than 120 years.
What we do today will have a direct impact on the future generations of rice farmers. The world’s population continues to expand at a rapid rate and if we do not plan for innovation and advancement, the legacy that has been part of our state’s top industry will suffer. Today’s producers continue to be conservationists as they preserve the land and resources that generations before them tended with care. This is a pivotal time where sustainability programs are so accessible. The emphasis and effort being put into these plans is necessary in order to make real change so that future generations will be able to continue the legacy of rice farming in Arkansas.
Field Invaders
Preventing and Managing Invasive Species
Whether they’re overtaking a garden, decimating crops, or suffocating bodies of water, invasive species can have a detrimental impact to local ecosystems and agriculture operations. Because these organisms are non-native, they have no natural predators or diseases, making it easy for them to spread rapidly and often completely unchecked. This, paired with the potential damage certain pests can cause, is why the Arkansas Department of Agriculture (Department) takes a no-nonsense approach to invasive species. Invasive species can take many forms. Whether it’s an insect, plant, disease, or animal, all invasive species share a few key characteristics according to Paul Shell, plant inspection program manager for the Department’s Plant Industries Division. “All invasive species are non-native by definition,” said Shell. “They spread quickly, reach reproductive stages early, and can negatively impact the environment.” Because these organisms pose such a threat, the Department utilizes prevention and management measures to monitor, control, and exterminate potential populations. However, step one is always prevention. The Department’s Cooperative Agriculture Pest Survey (CAPS) program surveys specifically for invasive species that are not yet established in Arkansas and pose a significant threat to agriculture production. The CAPS program is funded by and works in cooperation with the United States
Department of Agriculture Animal Plant Health Inspection Service (USDA-APHIS). “The CAPS program conducts science-based national and state surveys targeted at specific invasive species that have been identified as threats to U.S. agriculture,” said Baylee Downey, Arkansas CAPS program coordinator. “With our program, prevention is key.” “They spread quickly, reach reproductive stages The CAPS program targets a different group of pests every three years. early, and can negatively For 2023-2026, CAPS will impact the environment....” target potential pests of cotton and pine. “Over this three-year period, we will be surveying for false codling moth, cotton seed bug, cotton cutworm, and old-world bollworm,” said Downey. “Old-world bollworm is a very serious pest of a wide range of economically important crops including cotton, wheat, tobacco, soybeans, and more. The cotton seed bug is a very serious pest of cotton specifically and an infestation has been found in southern California.” For pine, Downey's program will be setting traps in pine stands for Siberian silk moth, large pine weevil, brown spruce long-horned beetle, and pine tree lappet. “Early detection of these pine pests will allow for eradication and regulatory action necessary to protect susceptible trees and forests in the state,” said Downey. In addition to the CAPS program, the Plant Industries Division’s Plant Inspection and Quarantine Program, spearheaded by Shell, surveys for spotted lantern fly and utilizes highly specialized traps for the spongey moth.
The spongey moth, native to Europe, Asia, and North Africa, an invasive species that has been established in the Northeastern United States for over 100 years, is a pest of hardwood forests.
“Spongey moth caterpillars feed on and defoliate the leaves of hardwood trees,” said Shell. “Once established, a population can decimate a hardwood forest.”
In Arkansas, there is a coordinated effort between the Department, the USDA-APHIS Plant Protection and Quarantine (PPQ) Program, and several other state and federal agencies on targeted trapping for this pest specifically. “We have about 5,000 traps in targeted areas across the state,” said Shell. “They’re sticky traps with female spongey moth pheromones. If we catch a moth, we do extensive trapping in that area for two years to see if it was just one moth, or if eggs have been laid and a reproductive population has been established.”
Although preventative measures are being taken for species not yet established in Arkansas, there are species that are here and causing damage. Two invasive species that Shell’s program is currently working to manage in Arkansas are imported fire ants and cogongrass.
Cogongrass is a perennial grass native to Southeast Asia and is highly invasive in the United States. Established populations can be found primarily in the Gulf Coast and South Atlantic states, and a small population is currently being treated and controlled in the Southeast region of Arkansas.
Imported fire ants are native to South America and populations have been established in the United States for decades. Their arrival in Arkansas, however, is relatively recent and populations have not yet been established in northern Arkansas counties.
Fire ants in Arkansas are controlled through an Imported Fire Ant Compliance Agreement between USDA-APHIS and the Arkansas State Plant Board. This agreement regulates the movement of certain products outside of quarantine areas. Nurseries, sod farms, and landscape contractors that are under a compliance agreement treat their plants with an insecticide labeled for imported fire ants before they ship their plants or sod, or they agree to certify that their business and stock are free of fire ants. Hay and straw can be transported from the quarantine area into other areas if the hay or straw has been stored in a manner that prevents fire ants from gaining access to the hay or straw.
Invasive species, from grasses to insects, can cause significant damage to Arkansas agriculture and ecosystems. With preventative measures and strategic management practices, the Department is working to protect our state’s resources. Learn more at agriculture.arkansas.gov.
A Family Affair
McGarrah Farms Continues Centuries-Old Family Legacy
The McGarrah family settled in Northwest Arkansas in 1824 and there has been a McGarrah farming in Washington and Benton counties ever since. Now, almost two centuries later, Dennis McGarrah Sr. and his son, Dennis McGarrah Jr., farm close to 100 acres of specialty crops in Fayetteville, Pea Ridge, and Lowell.
“We’re very proud of our heritage,” said McGarrah Sr. “My dad once had 20 acres of strawberries, I could never imagine 20 acres of strawberries myself.”
McGarrah Sr. grew up working on his dad’s farm. As an adult he juggled a full-time job and a side operation farming strawberries and tomatoes. In 2009, McGarrah Sr. lost his job and started farming full-time. “He could pick 50 quarts of strawberries by the time he was five years old,” said McGarrah Sr. “That’s how he bought his first bike.”
“I started farming on the side and the side became my passion. Instead of bass fishing, I was farming,” he said. “When I lost my job, I already had what I wanted to do but someone finally made me do what I wanted to do.” Now he owns farms in Lowell and Pea Ridge where he grows blackberries, strawberries, apples, sweet corn, watermelon, cantaloupes, tomatoes, squash, blueberries, peppers, cucumbers, and pumpkins. Similar to his dad, McGarrah Jr. grew up working on the family farm, sparking his passion. McGarrah Jr. said he always figured he’d end up farming. As he got older, McGarrah Jr. realized he’d like to expand on his family’s existing land to sustain his own family. In 2016, he got his first leased ground, separate from his father. Here, he and his wife, Timothea, ran a pumpkin patch and corn maze while at the same time running a tree farm of 20,000 nursery trees
“I started farming and working full time as a on the side and the side fencing contractor. became my passion...” In 2019, McGarrah Jr. and Timothea moved on from the leased ground, sold the tree farm, and bought land in Fayetteville to start McGarrah Farms Rivercrest Orchard. Here, they grow blackberries, strawberries, apples, sweet corn, pumpkins, watermelons, and cantaloupe, with agritourism additions including a corn maze, a watermelon cannon, a pumpkin patch, and more. “We bought this place in 2019, and it’s been hammer down ever since,” he said. “We do a lot of agritourism, but one of our biggest goals is to be a farm first. We don’t want to be a circus with a farm around it, we want to be a farm with a circus around it.” Both McGarrah Sr. and McGarrah Jr. sang the praises of the Arkansas Blackberry Growers Association and the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture Cooperative Extension Service, saying both groups work together to provide them with networking opportunities, research updates, and more.
“The Blackberry Growers Association is great for our business, especially for getting the word out about Arkansas blackberries,” said McGarrah Jr. “So much of the research that we’ve heard about has been instrumental in improving our operation.”
“I can’t say enough how much we appreciate the extension service, especially the horticulture specialists,” said McGarrah Sr. “With farming, you get one shot at it each year and if you can get some help with it, it’s invaluable.”
McGarrah Jr. hammers on the fact that their operation is a farm “365 days of the year.” With seven different specialty crops, their main objective is to keep their operation centered around the farm and it’s evident their customer base appreciates that.
“In 2021, we had our best opening weekend ever and we anticipated a slowdown,” said McGarrah Jr. “But the next weekend was the best weekend we’d ever had in September, and it just snowballed from there.”
With their current operation, McGarrah Jr. and Timothea are keeping the McGarrah family tradition alive by involving their two daughters on the farm. Their oldest daughter has especially taken to interacting with customers.
“She’s really good with people,” said McGarrah Jr. “She’s 8 and she’s a talker. She can hardly wait for people to get up to the stand before she’s leading them out to the field and giving them instructions.” As for the future of the family farm, McGarrah Jr. said although he wants his daughters to do what makes them happy, he does hope they take over one day.
“I would like to see my girls take over,” he said. “The dream is always to build a sustainable business, not just for me and my family, but for my kids and their families.”
The McGarrah family has been farming in Northwest Arkansas since 1824. Now, between McGarrah Sr. and McGarrah Jr., the family currently has close to 100 acres in production in Northwest Arkansas. Find out more about their operations at mcgarrahfarms.com and rivercrestorchard.com.
Arkansas Blackberry Growers Association: Improving One of Arkansas's Favorite Specialty Crops
In 2018, the Arkansas Department of Agriculture noticed a lack of specialty crop growers associations in the state. This led to funding through the United States Department of Agriculture’s Specialty Crop Block Grant to create the Arkansas Blackberry Growers Association.
Dr. Amanda McWhirt, horticulture production specialist for the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture, and Mike McClintock, county extension agent for the Division of Agriculture, were awarded the grant in 2018 and began listening sessions with growers across the state.
“We held six listening sessions through the spring and early summer of 2018,” said Dr. McWhirt. “We invited blackberry growers to tell us about their interest in an association and what they’d want to get out of being a member of an association. We also identified key growers who could help us form it.” In the fall of 2018, Dr. McWhirt met with those key growers and started developing the Arkansas Blackberry Growers Association. At the start of the following year, the Growers Association had their first winter conference and the ball has been rolling ever since with annual summer field days, winter meetings, and a seasonal newsletter.
“The Blackberry Growers Association has done a really good job of developing an impactful organization in a really short period of time,” said Dr. McWhirt. “They get national industry sponsorships each year to support their meetings, and they’ve done exceptional outreach to raise awareness of blackberry production in Arkansas.”
In 2021, the Growers Association partnered with the Arkansas Department of Agriculture to establish Arkansas Blackberry Month in June. This consisted of a proclamation from the governor, special promotions at various farmers market locations, and educational materials on blackberry health benefits. Dennis McGarrah Jr., a farmer in Northwest Arkansas and Growers Association board member, said the Association has been great for not only educating the public, but also for educating each other.
“I always enjoy the networking,” said McGarrah. “You can talk to other farmers about issues you’re having, and maybe they’ve also had that issue and know how to correct it.”
McGarrah said the presentations at annual meetings have helped them modify and improve their production methods.
“The Growers Association, especially Amanda McWhirt, has been really instrumental in our adoption of the trellising method we use on our Rotating Cross Arm trellis, which has decreased labor, increased quality, and heightened the experience for our U-pick customers.”
Learn more about the Arkansas Blackberry Growers Association, their mission, and how to become a member at arkansasblackberry.org.
Protecting Agriculture One Test at a Time
National Lab Network Grows in Arkansas
The entry and spread of animal diseases can have detrimental effects to our nation’s economy, food supply, and overall health. According to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), national cash receipts for animals and animal products totaled more than $195 billion in 2021. In Arkansas, animal and animal products combined provide more than $5.8 billion in revenue each year.
The protection of our state’s livestock and poultry industry is essential, and one of the assets used to accomplish this is the Arkansas Department of Agriculture (Department)’s Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory (VDL). The VDL, located in Little Rock, provides the diagnosis of livestock, poultry, and aquatic farm animal diseases to support those industries, but also supports practicing veterinarians in the success of disease control programs.
The VDL is the only laboratory in the state certified by the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) National Animal Health Laboratory Network (NAHLN), with a branch lab being recently approved in Northwest Arkansas.
NAHLN was established in 2002 as a response to the 2001 foot-andmouth disease outbreak in the United Kingdom and the terroristic attacks in the United States by foreign entities. These events highlighted the nation’s need to protect the agriculture and livestock industries, food supply, and public health interests. The network started with 12 core laboratories but has grown to include 60 across 42 states.
“NAHLN represents a highly successful federal and state partnership that provides the first line of defense in the U.S. against diseases that can significantly affect our animal agriculture, and therefore, the livelihood of many and food supply for all,” said Dr. Christie Loiacono, NAHLN national coordinator.
NAHLN-certified laboratories can test the following 14 animal diseases: African Swine Fever, Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy, Chronic Wasting Disease, Classical Swine Fever, Newcastle Disease (ND), Foot and Mouth Disease, Infectious Salmon Anemia, Influenza A Virus in Avian (IAV-A), Influenza A Virus in Swine, Pseudorabies Virus, Scrapie, Spring Viremia of Carp, Vesicular Stomatitis Virus, and Viral Hemorrhagic Septicemia.
While the NAHLN network primarily focuses on animal health, when the need arises, certified laboratories aid in all threats to public health.
“The NAHLN laboratories have supported the response to the COVID-19 pandemic when called upon by testing both animal samples as well as approximately six million human samples for the SARS-CoV-2 virus,” said Dr. Loiacono.
As exemplified by the COVID-19 pandemic and previous outbreaks, diseases are not confined to a specific state or country. Animal diseases can spread rapidly and by many modes of transmission such as direct contact and indirect contact by fomites, like vehicles and footwear.
NAHLN-certified laboratories are designed to address two components: access to trained, experienced scientists across the country and the use of the same equipment in each location. This provides the network with a wide range of benefits including the ability to send scientists across state lines in the event of an outbreak, resulting in faster response times and efficiency in containment, and increased precision in testing.
“We agree to keep NAHLN aware of our staffing and abilities so that if we are overtasked by an outbreak, they would send people our way,” said Director of Lab Services Dr. Russ Summers. “The fact that you are using the exact same equipment and the same procedures enables you to hit the ground running.”
Laboratories certified by NAHLN must also complete periodic proficiency testing for each of the scope diseases. Each scientist working in these facilities must make a passing grade to continue running the procedures.
In January of 2022, the Department began discussing with the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture the possibility of acquiring NAHLN branch status for the Tollett Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory in Fayetteville. Recently, this acquisition was approved and will focus on an ongoing scope of testing that includes IAV-A and ND. Bringing the Tollett Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory under the Department’s participation agreement with NAHLN will increase disease response preparedness for producers in Northwest Arkansas by allowing testing of select diseases of concern to the poultry industry.
“The extension of the NAHLN network to Northwest Arkansas, a focal point of poultry production, will allow us to enhance the robustness of testing during a possible outbreak,” said Dr. Summers.
The three methods of accreditation through NAHLN are administrative oversight, financial oversight, and a formal quality management system. The Tollett Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory in Fayetteville will be under the VDL’s quality management system cultivating a close working relationship between the two laboratories.
The Arkansas Department of Agriculture is committed to the protection of the state’s top industry through the work of the VDL and its connection to NAHLN. While animal disease outbreaks can cause significant damage to the agriculture industry and economy, the effectiveness of a national collaborative laboratory network puts Arkansans in good hands.
