News - October 2026

Sides named interim director of UADA Technology Commercialization Office

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Cynthia Sides, an administrator for the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station, was recently named interim director of the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture’s Technology Commercialization Office.

Boozman to keynote Fryar Center speaker series event on Oct. 30

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — John Boozman, chairman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition & Forestry, will be the keynote for this year’s Future of Arkansas Agriculture and Beyond speaker series event, set for Oct. 30.

Fryar Center debuts scholarship program to recruit next-gen ag economists

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Recruiting next-generation economists to analyze the complex issues facing the agriculture sector is the impetus behind the Fryar Center Scholars Program, now seeking its first applicants.

Feed supplement may help fall calves cope with summer heat

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Summer heat can be costly for Arkansas cattle producers, slowing cattle growth and potentially reducing meat quality. A new study at the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station aims to help fall-born calves better withstand heat stress during a critical growth phase.

WASDE hands corn prices another blow

JONESBORO, Ark. — October’s World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates report dealt corn prices another blow, but there’s still a lot of U.S. corn left to harvest.

Extension receives $2.65M grant to get to the ‘ROOT’ of rural health

LITTLE ROCK — Ensuring Arkansans have lasting knowledge and resources to achieve healthier lives in their home communities is the aim of ROOT of Rural Health, a program that received a $2.65 million grant from the federal Rural Health Transformation Program.

Dinner at the Vines raises nearly $90K for 4-H scholarships, activities

FERNDALE, Ark. — Arkansas 4-H scholarships and activities have nearly $90,000 in new funding — including a $10,000 endowment donation from former state Sen. Bruce Maloch — as part of the annual Dinner at the Vines. 

Fall waterfowl migration prompts poultry biosecurity webinar series

LITTLE ROCK — With fall waterfowl migration approaching, the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture will host six free webinars beginning Oct. 12 that cover poultry management and flock health with a focus on biosecurity. 

Searing summer dries up chances for record soybean yield

JONESBORO, Ark. — Flat pods and seeds that never matured are throwing doubt on predictions of a record Arkansas soybean crop, said Jeremy Ross, extension soybean agronomist for the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture.

From tobacco to rice: Pathologist hopes to bring lessons learned in Tennessee to Arkansas

LITTLE ROCK — Growing up in a small Tennessee town, Kate Turner learned quickly that agriculture was important.

Extension releases 2026 Arkansas Ballot Issues Voter Guide

LITTLE ROCK — Arkansas voters can read up on the statewide ballot issues they will decide Nov. 3 by downloading the 2026 Arkansas Ballot Issues Voter Guide or picking up a printed copy at their county Cooperative Extension Service office.

Corn prices fall on USDA Grain Stocks report

JONESBORO, Ark. — Commodity markets are looking toward Friday’s WASDE, or World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates, following a more than 20-cent drop in corn futures prices last week.

War-restricted shipping in Mideast adds estimated $343M in costs to Arkansas farmers

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — The surging prices of war-restricted fuel and fertilizer shipments through the Strait of Hormuz and Red Sea are expected to cost Arkansas farmers more than $343 million this year — and that’s conservative, according to an analysis from the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture.

After the Harvest conference aims to strengthen local food systems

LITTLE ROCK — What happens to locally grown food once it’s harvested? 

A new normal? Arkansas rice hit with fourth consecutive year of hot, dry harvest weather

LITTLE ROCK — Jarrod Hardke says, “It’s not an illusion — harvest weather has changed, and it doesn’t like us.”

Webinar to showcase work of ASU’s Ecotoxicology Research Facility

LITTLE ROCK — The University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture Cooperative Extension Service supports conservation efforts vital to agriculture and spotlights efforts of other partners through its Arkansas Conservation Partnerships webinar series.

Understanding timings can help poultry growers prepare for ‘host-adapted’ avian influenza

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Understanding the timing of outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza, or HPAI, can help poultry farms prepare and protect their flocks, according to economists. 

EPA asked to add cancer warnings to pesticide labels

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — A request for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to add cancer warnings to certain pesticide labels likely won’t be resolved quickly. 

Arkansas APEX Accelerator’s Oct. 7 virtual event to celebrate real-world entrepreneurs’ successes

LITTLE ROCK — Join Arkansas APEX Accelerator on Oct. 7 for a virtual event introducing entrepreneurs to government contracting and celebrating real-world small business successes.

Who controls your farm data? NALC webinar examines emerging state laws

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — As agricultural technology continues to generate increasing amounts of data, questions surround who owns that information, who can use it and who may benefit financially from it are increasingly important. A webinar hosted by the National Agricultural Law Center will help to answer some of those questions.