UPCOMING EVENTS

Welcome Haylie!

We would like to welcome Haylie Dobbs as our NRCS Soil Conservationist summer intern! Haylie comes all the way from Prairie Grove, Arkansas and her dog, Hazel came with her. Haylie is an Ag Ed major with an expected graduation date of May 2018.

Arkansas Grown School Garden of the Year Contest Open Through September 9
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​School entries are being accepted for the fourth annual Arkansas Grown School Garden of the Year Contest sponsored by the Arkansas Agriculture Department (AAD) and Farm Credit. Entry forms are available at http://www.aad.arkansas.gov/arkansas-school-garden-of-the-year-contest. A new category has been added to the contest this year for schools interested in starting a school garden. Applicants may be any Arkansas school, grades pre-K through 12, that had a school garden open during the 2016-2017 school year, or any schools planning to start a garden in the 2017-2018 school year.

Entries will be judged by a committee amid categories below. All school applicants except those applying for the school garden start up category will be required to provide photos or video documentation of garden activities and progress. The deadline for submissions is September 9, 2017.

Farm Credit is generously providing funding for winners in the following award categories:
Best School Garden Start-Up Proposal - $500
Best Nutrition Education Based Garden - $500
Best Community Collaboration Garden - $500
Best Environmental Education Focused Garden - $500
Overall Winning Arkansas Grown School Garden of the Year - $1,000

“School gardens are important hands-on educational tools that incorporate math and science skills while teaching students about food production, good nutrition, and the importance of agriculture, our state’s largest industry ,” says Arkansas Agriculture Secretary Wes Ward. I’m pleased we could add a new award category this year to provide schools interested in starting a school garden to compete for the cash awards generously provided by Farm Credit.

“As a farmer-owned cooperative, we are excited to continue our support of teachers and projects that engage Arkansas students in food production and agricultural sustainability. Through these partnerships, we can ensure that the valuable role of Arkansas agriculture remains top-of-mind for the next generation,” said Farm Credit of Western Arkansas President & CEO, Glen Manchester, on behalf of the Farm Credit cooperatives of Arkansas.

The Arkansas Grown program promotes food and products grown in Arkansas by Arkansas producers, and helps make the connection between growers and buyers. Arkansas Grown is a program of the Arkansas Agriculture Department. Find producers, farmer’s markets, and other local fresh food resources at www.arkansasgrown.org.

With approximately $3.2 billion in assets, AgHeritage Farm Credit Services, Delta Agricultural Credit Association, Farm Credit Midsouth, Farm Credit of Western Arkansas support rural communities and agriculture across Arkansas with reliable, consistent credit and financial services today and tomorrow. The four Farm Credit associations in Arkansas are owned by the more than 10,800 customers. Through the cooperative structure, customer-owners have a voice and vote in the associations’ governance and share in their cooperatives’ financial success through cooperative returns, which total more than $184 million since 1997.
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Source: http://www.aad.arkansas.gov/arkansas-grown-school-garden-of-the-year-contest-open-through-september-9

NRCS Provides Technical Assistance to Landowners through Emergency Watershed Protection Program for Flooding and Other Natural Disaster Issues
Check out the most recent newsletter for news and activities going on in the area of conservation.

Cover Crops Survey

Following is a link to the 2017 Cover Crop Survey, sponsored by USDA Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education program (SARE), the Conservation Technology Information Center (CTIC), and the American Seed Trade Association (ASTA).  This survey is aimed at gauging how farmers are using cover crops across the US and also learning from those farmers not using cover crops so we can better understand the information and knowledge gaps. 
 
If you are a farmer, please spend 10-15 minutes and take the survey.  Your input on cover crops and how they are being used on your farm will be invaluable to helping guide cover crop policies and shape how cover crops are promoted to other farmers. If you are not using cover crops, your insight on reasons why will be important so that we can either facilitate research or change promotion strategies to help you get the information you need to make an informed decision on whether or not to use them in the future.
 
If you are not a farmer, please forward the following link to farmers in your network.  The more responses we can get on this survey, the better the information we collect will be, so I encourage you to do what you can to help distribute the link.
 
Please visit www.tinyurl.com/2017coverssurvey to take the survey.

Driver Safety Tips for Sharing the Road
​with Farmers During Planting Season

Planting season has returned to Arkansas and with that comes the likelihood of increased encounters with slow-moving farm equipment on roadways. Farmers often need to move equipment from one field to another which can present unique challenges when slow moving equipment tries to mix with fast-moving vehicles. The AAD urges motorists to be aware of farm equipment and take safety precautions when necessary to share the road.
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“With agriculture as our state’s largest industry we hope that drivers will be patient with our farmers and ranchers as they work to get our spring planting season underway. If we all take a few added precautions, we can ensure the safety of everyone,” says Arkansas Agriculture Secretary Wes Ward.
 
In an effort to help drivers avoid accidents with slow-moving farm equipment this spring, the AAD offers the following tips:
·         Slow down when going through agricultural areas. Drivers should stay within the posted speed limits, especially when traveling through agricultural areas. When drivers see equipment up ahead, don’t wait to slow down when you get to the slow moving equipment, begin slowing down several hundred yards back. This also helps signal to other driver to begin slowing down.
·         Stay back at least 100 yards when following farm equipment. The triangular slow-moving vehicle emblem displayed on the back of farm equipment signifies that the machinery will not be traveling at high speeds and maneuverability is limited. Remember to keep your distance, to allow space for any quick stops, flying debris, or other unexpected event.
·         Look for yellow farmer road signs. Many roads next to farms post yellow signs with a silhouetted farmer on a tractor to warn drivers that they are entering an area where slow-moving vehicles are likely to be on the road. This should signal the driver to be on the lookout for farm equipment.
·         Don’t assume the farmer can see your vehicle. While most farmers check frequently for vehicles approaching from behind them, their focus must remain on the road ahead. Drive far enough behind farm equipment to ensure farmers can see the vehicle in their mirrors.
·         Use extreme caution when passing. If you cannot clearly see what lies ahead of both your vehicle and the equipment you are passing, do not pass. Never pass farm equipment when approaching a hill or curve, and do not attempt to pass when within 100 yards of an intersection, bridge, railroad crossing or tunnel.
·         Remember, farmers are as eager to exit the road as you are to get around them. When farmers have to access roadways with equipment, they are driving slower and more cautiously than anywhere else. When driving behind farming equipment, drivers should be aware that the operator must find an appropriate time to let vehicles pass. The farmer must survey the shoulder of the road for an area that is not soft, wet or steep and can support the weight of the equipment without causing it to tip.
 
Tips for farmers:
·         Keep flashing lights on. Use flashing lights on equipment to draw attention to your slow speed.
·         Make sure the slow-moving vehicle sign is visible. This emblem is used to alert others of the equipment’s speed and maneuverability capabilities, but doesn’t help if it is not visible. Mount it as high and as far left as possible. Keep the sign clean and replace it if it is no longer reflective.
·         Stay to the right. Keep farm equipment as far to the right edge of the road as safely possible, but stay on the road.
·         Make intentions to turn obvious. Collisions between farm equipment and other vehicles on the road commonly occur when a slow-moving vehicle is attempting to turn. Use turn signals or the appropriate hand signal to indicate turns. If the operator is using flashing lights, switch those off when approaching a turn so that the trailing vehicles will clearly identify a blinker signal.
·         Avoid encouraging a motorist to pass. While it might seem courteous to wave someone ahead of a slow-moving piece of equipment, the driver of the trailing vehicle must ultimately determine when he or she can safely pass.
·         When it is a safe location for you, your equipment, and other vehicles can see around you, pull over to allow traffic to pass.
The Arkansas Agriculture Department is dedicated to the development and implementation of policies and programs for Arkansas agriculture and forestry to keep its farmers and ranchers competitive in national and international markets while ensuring safe food, fiber, and forest products for the citizens of the state and nation.

Source: Arkansas Agriculture Department


New Flow Meter Cost Share Program
To help the Arkansas Natural Resources Commission (ANRC) in its mission in implementing strategies developed from the State Water Plan, ANRC, in cooperation with the Natural Resources Conservation Service, is offering up to 50% cost share for installation of meters on agricultural wells that pump from the alluvial aquifer in the Grand Prairie and Cache River Critical Groundwater Areas. The program should place approximately 150 meters in East Arkansas over the next three years. Data from the meters will help the farmer irrigate more efficiently and economically while providing better data for water planning.

For more information on the process of this program, please contact Josh Barnhill at 870-236-2446 ext. 3242.

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