Pick up know-how for tackling diseases, pests and weeds.
Farm bill, farm marketing, agribusiness webinars, & farm policy.
Find tactics for healthy livestock and sound forages.
Scheduling and methods of irrigation.
Explore our Extension locations around the state.
Commercial row crop production in Arkansas.
Agriculture weed management resources.
Use virtual and real tools to improve critical calculations for farms and ranches.
Learn to ID forages and more.
Explore our research locations around the state.
Get the latest research results from our county agents.
Our programs include aquaculture, diagnostics, and energy conservation.
Keep our food, fiber and fuel supplies safe from disaster.
Private, Commercial & Non-commercial training and education.
Specialty crops including turfgrass, vegetables, fruits, and ornamentals.
Find educational resources and get youth engaged in agriculture.
Gaining garden smarts and sharing skills.
Creating beauty in and around the home.
Maintenance calendar, and best practices.
Coaxing the best produce from asparagus to zucchini.
What’s wrong with my plants? The clinic can help.
Featured trees, vines, shrubs and flowers.
Ask our experts plant, animal, or insect questions.
Enjoying the sweet fruits of your labor.
Herbs, native plants, & reference desk QA.
Growing together from youth to maturity.
Crapemyrtles, hydrangeas, hort glossary, and weed ID databases.
Get beekeeping, honey production, and class information.
Grow a pollinator-friendly garden.
Schedule these timely events on your gardening calendar.
Equipping individuals to lead organizations, communities, and regions.
Guiding communities and regions toward vibrant and sustainable futures.
Guiding entrepreneurs from concept to profit.
Position your business to compete for government contracts.
Find trends, opportunities and impacts.
Providing unbiased information to enable educated votes on critical issues.
Increase your knowledge of public issues & get involved.
Research-based connection to government and policy issues.
Support Arkansas local food initiatives.
Read about our efforts.
Preparing for and recovering from disasters.
Licensing for forestry and wildlife professionals.
Preserving water quality and quantity.
Cleaner air for healthier living.
Firewood & bioenergy resources.
Managing a complex forest ecosystem.
Read about nature across Arkansas and the U.S.
Learn to manage wildlife on your land.
Soil quality and its use here in Arkansas.
Learn to ID unwanted plant and animal visitors.
Timely updates from our specialists.
Eating right and staying healthy.
Ensuring safe meals.
Take charge of your well-being.
Cooking with Arkansas foods.
Making the most of your money.
Making sound choices for families and ourselves.
Nurturing our future.
Get tips for food, fitness, finance, and more!
Understanding aging and its effects.
Giving back to the community.
Managing safely when disaster strikes.
Listen to our latest episode!
There is a lot to consider to run a successful small food business. These webinars will provide helpful advice for local food business owners in Arkansas and provide guidance for our Share Grounds clients. You will find additional information immediately above each webinar, and be sure to visit our YouTube playlist for many more resources on local foods by clicking the button below.
Visit Our YouTube Playlist
If you are interested in becoming a client at our Share Grounds kitchen, e-mail sharegrounds@uada.edu.
Whitney Horton, Strategic Partnerships Manager with the Arkansas Small Business and Technology Development Center (ASBTDC), shares valuable information for those looking to develop and establish a food business here in Arkansas. In this webinar she reviews important considerations, such as who your customers and business partners are, what economic markets exist for your product, and expense and cost considerations. She also shares resources that the ASBTDC offers to food business entrepreneurs in the state.
Please visit www.uaex.uada.edu/localfoods and www.asbtdc.org for more information.
Angela Gardner, a past Program Associate with the University of Arkansas System Cooperative Extension Service, discusses trends occurring around “value added” food products in Arkansas. Value added foods include packaged, refrigerated, fresh-cut, and frozen items that typically require processing in a permitted commercial kitchen. In this webinar, she highlights consumer buying and consumption shifts, product marketing and labeling considerations, and how to test your food product concept in a budget-conscious manner.
Please visit www.uaex.uada.edu/localfoods and www.uaex.uada.edu/sharegrounds for more information.
Dr. Renee Threlfall, Research Scientist at the Food Science Department with the University of Arkansas System, explains what steps food entrepreneurs in Arkansas should take to get their food business off to a successful start. She will cover available food production facilities and equipment in the state, packaging and labeling considerations, and technical assistance opportunities. Examples of food products that have been produced at the Arkansas Food Innovation Center in Fayetteville are shared.
Please visit www.uaex.uada.edu/localfoods and https://afic.uark.edu/ for more information.
Have you ever thought about what it takes to start your own food business? Some of the work that needs to be done includes recipe development, ingredient and nutritional considerations, equipment and costs, regulatory and permitting requirements, marketing and labeling, and much more. In this short webinar, John Swenson, Arkansas Food Innovation Center (AFIC) Manager, walks you through these necessary steps to process food at AFIC and in Arkansas.
Dr. Renee Threlfall, Research Scientist at the Food Science Department with the University of Arkansas System, reviews many topics related to processing food in Arkansas including food systems, Cottage Food Law, commercial food regulations, food product creation, and successful food business practices. She also shares the available commercial kitchens around the state including the Arkansas Food Innovation Center and the Share Grounds Certified Kitchens and Distribution Centers.
Please visit www.uaex.uada.edu/sharegrounds and https://afic.uark.edu/ for more information.
In order to reduce contamination of food and the potential health threat of foodborne illness it is necessary to understand the risk factors that may affect safe food processing. One of these factors is contamination by microorganisms, such as bacteria. In this video, the Arkansas Food Innovation Center (AFIC) at the University of Arkansas – Fayetteville gives a basic overview of how some microorganisms can contaminate food during processing and ways to control and eliminate these pathogens from our food.
Safe food handling and proper personal hygiene are key to running a successful farm and food business. In this video, the Arkansas Food Innovation (AFIC) at the University of Arkansas – Fayetteville share how to keep your operations safe through information on how and at what point food can become contaminated, on what Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP’s) are, and on proven best practices for food manufacturing.
The Share Grounds Certified Kitchens & Distribution Centers are an innovative approach to reduce food production barriers in rural communities by utilizing existing facilities and infrastructure at county fairgrounds located in Arkansas. In this presentation, Dr. Amanda Philyaw Perez, Food Systems & Food Safety Specialist with the University of Arkansas System Cooperative Extension Service, discusses how the Share Grounds came to be, the value they bring to the state’s food system, the services offered at each site, and how you may become involved as a client. This presentation is part of a series on the Share Grounds and food business development in Arkansas.
Please visit www.uaex.uada.edu/sharegrounds or e-mail sharegrounds@uada.edu for more information.
Julia Fryer, a past Program Associate with the University of Arkansas System Cooperative Extension Service, distinguishes the different types of sales markets –including direct, retail, and online –that food businesses and farms may access to sell their food products and produce. In this webinar, she shares specific examples for each market category including unique options as well as their respective pros and cons.
In this video David Hill, food systems and food safety program associate with the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture, walks through the general steps of creating a test batch for a value-added food product in the Cleveland County Share Grounds Kitchen. This video was created as a resource for the Veggie-to-Value Food Entrepreneur Bootcamp program which took place in the summer of 2023. We are excited to offer this resource through USDA AMS Specialty Crop Block Grant 2021-SCBGP21SCBPAR1100-00 and thank the Arkansas Department of Agriculture for their support.