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!
By Fred Miller U of A System Division of AgricultureApril 17, 2017
Fast Facts:
(521 words) (A MS Word version of this story can be downloaded here.)
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — In any given crop year, success depends on a triangular relationship between farmers/landowners, agricultural lenders and agricultural lawyers, said Harrison Pittman, director of the National Agricultural Law Center at the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture.
When the agricultural economy is down, as it has been for about three years now, friction can develop between the three vertices of the triangle, Pittman said.
That relationship was complicated by the 2014 Farm Bill, Pittman said, in which direct payments were eliminated. Under past farm bills, those direct payments were often used as collateral for farm loans. Their elimination in 2014 was of little concern so long as the agricultural economy was up and crop prices were good, he said.
“But now we’re in the third year of a downward trend in crop prices,” Pittman said, “and lenders have to reexamine and restruction how loans are made.”
Agricultural lenders want to avoid foreclosures, Pittman said. “They want their clients to keep farming,” he said.
How to cope with those critical agricultural lending relationships in a down economy will be one of the topics of the Fourth Annual Mid-South Agricultural and Environmental Law Conference June 8-9 in Memphis.
Greg Cole, president and CEO of AgHeritage Farm Credit Services, will address changes his company has had to make in a down economy and issues ag lenders face because of it. In the same session, agricultural attorney Jeff Peterson of St. Cloud, Minnesota, will address related legal issues.
“We’re trying to present practical information that conference attendees will find useful for themselves and their clients,” Pittman said.
Another hot topic of the conference will be land use and environmental issues, Pittman said. Laws dealing with such issues as endangered species and land conservation affect how farmers and landowners can use their land.
Any economic activity that is determined to to affect endangered species or natural resources may require the landowner to take mitigating action, Pittman said. A wildlife habitat may have to be preserved or a wetlands moved.
These laws often provide compensation for landowners who take such mitigating steps, Pittman said. But the outcome may not always benefit the landowner. “Sometimes it’s a plus, sometimes it’s a minus,” he said.
Endangered species and natural resource regulations were more prominently enforced during President Obama’s administration, Pittman said. He added that it remains to be seen how such issues will be addressed under President Trump’s administration.
A panel will provide an update on agricultural and environmental laws affecting farmers and landowners in the Mid-South region. Among the speakers will be Rusty Rumley, senior staff attorney for the National Agricultural Law Center, University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture.
Ranch and estate planning will also be a topic of discussion at the conference.
The conference opens at 6:30 p.m. June 8 with a reception at The Rendezvous Restaurant, 52 S. Second Street in Memphis. Onsite registration begins at 7:30 a.m. June 9 at at the University of Memphis Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law, and the conference begins with welcome and announcements at 8 a.m.
More information, including a full agenda and online registration, is available online: http://nationalaglawcenter.org/midsouthcle2017/.
The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture offers all its Extension and Research programs to all eligible persons without regard to race, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, religion, age, disability, marital or veteran status, genetic information, or any other legally protected status, and is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer.
# # #
Media Contact: Mary HightowerDir. of Communication ServicesU of A Division of AgricultureCooperative Extension Service(501) 671-2126mhightower@uada.edu
Related Links