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.
Timely tips for the Arkansas home gardener.
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!
A Sunday Drive
I’ve been on the roadtrip of my life. Seeing the sights. Me, my dog and a few million fellow travelers have left our cozy nest to see what’s out there. Kind of the ultimate Sunday afternoon drive.
Yesterday I spent more than an hour sitting in a buffalo sighting traffic jam in Yellowstone. It’s not a bad place to be stuck in a traffic jam, but it is a sign of just how many other people have decided to see the West this summer. In 2019 Yellowstone experienced its highest visitation ever; this year so far has exceeded that record.
Though I am just guessing, the popularity of the Sunday afternoon drive is probably way down. It has been replaced by the myriad of activities we now can choose from for diversion. To me this is a shame, because there are many sights, both big and small, that surround us at home but we are too busy to seek them out.
Most of my fellow travelers had probably never seen buffalo grazing free on the open range before, so it is not surprising they stopped to stare. The several hundred animals and their tawny calves were beautiful in a beautiful setting, but buffalo are no longer rare across the heartland of America. I make it a point to drive by the Tall Grass Prairie Preserve in Pawhuska, Oklahoma to keep tabs on their heard of 2,500 animals on the 45,000-acre prairie. Seeking out these little-known and seldom visited places is a big part of the adventure of seeing our country, not just hitting the most popular travel destinations.
It is not surprising that so many Americans and people from throughout the world come west to see the sights. Ever since Horace Greeley, we’ve been encouraged to head west. See the sights and partake of the experience portrayed in popular culture. A lot about the West has been romanticized; you can find a Walgreens on the corner of every major town you enter. But the fabric of westerners is somehow different, even if they are recent immigrants from White Hall, Arkansas who find themselves proprietors of a Wyoming dude ranch.
As I travel about, my goal is to avoid the interstate highways, sticking to the back roads as much as possible and avoiding big crowds. I was going to skip Yellowstone altogether but, after studying the map, I thought passing through was the best route to Cody, Wyoming, my next destination. The pace on back roads is somewhat slower and I definitely do not miss staring at the back of a semi. I’ve found Google Maps less than helpful because their algorithm assumes I want to travel far and fast. Not so. Slow and easy is my goal, trying to absorb as much of the scenery and character of the place as possible.
As one who has taken up the study of rocks in their old age, Utah just about did me in. Unlike most places with enough rainfall to cloak their bones in a mantle of vegetation, Utah lays it out for all to see and ponder. Beautiful in its rugged beauty, I could understand part of what I was seeing but so much was a confusing jumble of uplifts, erosion, faults and eras. I finally just submitted to the grandeur of the place and let the red cliffs carry me along in a state of stupefied wonder.
We farm boys can’t help but find the agriculture of the West fascinating. So much of this vast landscape could be productive were water not in such short supply. Idaho, with its potato fields in the recharge zone of the Snake River aquifer or the dry land wheat fields in the rolling hills of the Panhandle, was especially remarkable. These wheat fields are in the Palouse region, a section of rolling, loess-covered hills that extend into three states and could serve as a cover photo for any annual farm calendar.
So I travel about seeing the sights, meeting interesting people and learning bits and pieces about this place called the American West. Mine is an incomplete education at best, for I am but a traveler in a foreign land. Travel is in my view one of the most important forms of education. But before we strike out for an advanced degree in travel, we need to spend some Sunday afternoons exploring the backroads near home.
Gerald Klingaman is a retired Arkansas Extension Horticulturist and retired Operations Director for the Botanical Garden of the Ozarks. After more than two decades of penning the popular Plant of the Week column, he’s taking a new direction, offering views on nature as he pokes about the state and nation. Views and opinions reflect those of the author and are not those of the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture. If you have questions or comments for Dr. Klingaman about these articles contact him at musingsonnature@gmail.com.