USDA Now Accepting Applications for Farm Loans Online

WASHINGTON, Dec. 5, 2023 – The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has launched an online application for Direct Loan customers. More than 26,000 customers who submit a Direct Loan application each year can now use an online, interactive, guided application that is paperless and provides helpful features including an electronic signature option, the ability to attach supporting documents such as tax returns, complete a balance sheet and build a farm operating plan. This tool is part of a broader effort by USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) to streamline its processes, improve customer service, and expand credit access. 

“The Biden-Harris Administration is working hard to make it easier for farmers and ranchers to get the loans they need to keep growing food, fiber, and fuel for our country,” said Deputy Secretary Xochitl Torres Small. “Online services are commonplace in commercial lending, and with USDA Farm Service Agency's new online loan application feature, it is now easier for producers to get the financing they need to start, expand, or maintain their farming and ranching operations.”

The online farm loan application replicates the support an applicant would receive when completing a loan application in person with an FSA Farm Loan Officer, while continuing to provide customers with one-on-one assistance as needed.  This tool and other process improvements allow farmers and ranchers to submit complete loan applications and reduce the number of incomplete and withdrawn applications. 

Through a personalized dashboard, borrowers can track the progress of their loan application. It can be accessed on farmers.gov or by completing FSA’s Loan Assistance Tool at farmers.gov/loan-assistance-tool. To use the online loan application tool, producers must establish a USDA customer account and a USDA Level 2 eAuthentication (“eAuth”) account or a Login.gov account. For the initial stage, the online application tool is only available for producers who will be, or are currently, operating their farm as an individual. FSA is expanding the tools availability to married couples applying jointly and other legal entities in 2024. 

Farm Loan Improvement Efforts 

FSA has a significant initiative underway to streamline and automate Farm Loan Program customer-facing business processes. For the over 26,000 producers who submit a Direct Loan application to FSA annually, and its 85,000 Direct Loan borrowers, FSA has made improvements this year, including: 

• A simplified direct loan paper application, reduced from 29 pages to 13 pages. 
• The Loan Assistance Tool on farmers.gov that provides customers with an interactive online, step-by-step guide to identifying the Direct Loan products that may be a fit for their business needs and to understanding the application process. 

More Information 

FSA continues to accept and review individual requests for assistance from qualifying borrowers who took certain extraordinary measures to avoid delinquency on their direct FSA loans or those who were unable to make a recent installment or are unable to make their next scheduled installment for installments through January 15, 2024. All requests for assistance must be received by Dec. 31, 2023. For more information, or to submit a request for assistance, producers can contact their local USDA Service Center or visit farmers.gov/inflation-reduction-investments/assistance.  

The Inflation Reduction Act, a historic, once-in-a-generation investment and opportunity for agricultural communities, provided $3.1 billion for USDA to provide relief for distressed borrowers with certain FSA direct and guaranteed loans and to expedite assistance for those whose agricultural operations are at financial risk. Since October 2022, USDA has provided approximately $1.6 billion in assistance to more than 27,000 distressed direct and guaranteed FSA loan borrowers.  

USDA touches the lives of all Americans each day in so many positive ways. In the Biden-Harris administration, USDA is transforming America’s food system with a greater focus on more resilient local and regional food production, fairer markets for all producers, ensuring access to safe, healthy and nutritious food in all communities, building new markets and streams of income for farmers and producers using climate smart food and forestry practices, making historic investments in infrastructure and clean energy capabilities in rural America, and committing to equity across the Department by removing systemic barriers and building a workforce more representative of America. To learn more, visit www.usda.gov.

New Land Transfer Program to Help Nation’s Farmers Protect and Access Farmland

 (Washington, D.C. -- December 7, 2023) The United States’ ability to sustainably produce food, steward natural resources, and support rural economies depends on ensuring greater access to land for the next generation of farmers and ranchers. Working in partnership with public and private land protection leaders throughout the country, American Farmland Trust (AFT) announces a new “Land Transfer Navigators” program in partnership with USDA Natural Resources Conservation Services (USDA NRCS) that will help exiting farmers and landowners retire with confidence and help new, beginning and underserved farmers gain secure, equitable land access.

Nearly 300 million acres of American farmland are expected to change hands in the next twenty years. As aging farmers exit the field, the future is uncertain for about one third of the country’s farm and ranch land.

“Farmland is most at risk of conversion during generational transition,” says John Piotti, AFT’s President and CEO. “With the wave of land transfer that is coming, we risk converting far too much farmland into low-density housing, subdivisions and strip malls. Public and private conservation entities—groups like land trusts and purchase of agricultural conservation easement (PACE) programs—have done a tremendous job of protecting farmland across the country. They can continue to accelerate their impressive farmland protection work, and with greater support, they can also guide landowners in the eventual transfer of protected land to a new generation of farmers and ranchers.”

Farmland transfer is a delicate process, one that involves a complex and often emotional combination of legal, economic and social factors. For many exiting farmers and ranchers, retirement can be a challenge, especially if they do not have heirs who are interested in taking over the farm business. For aspiring and incoming farmers, particularly those who do not come from farming or ranching families, accessing affordable land is their biggest barrier. 

Land Transfer Navigators will build bridges between these two groups, leveraging land protection as a strategy to facilitate successful, affordable land transfer. Over the next four years, AFT will train three dozen land protection organizations and their staff to serve as “Navigators” in communities across the country to aid exiting and entering farmers in the land transfer process. The trusting relationships these land trusts and PACE programs have nurtured with conservation-minded landowners can serve as a foundation for the successful transfer of land between generations. With this new training, Navigators will connect with one another and gain additional skills, tools and resources to bring unprecedented support to help transfer farmland. 

“With millions of acres of farmland likely to transition over the next decade, NRCS sees a pivotal opportunity to help landowners identify transfer strategies that keep land in active agriculture,” says Carrie Lindig, Director of Easement Programs at NRCS. “NRCS is pleased to collaborate with American Farmland Trust to build the capacity of land conservation professionals to assist farmers and ranchers with these strategies.”

This collaborative, capacity-building approach is tested and proven, explains Erica Goodman, Director of AFT’s Farms for a New Generation initiative. “Organizations across the country are providing critical expertise on land protection, transfer and access, but capacity and coordination are limited. That makes it difficult to help farmers, ranchers and landowners through unique, complicated processes. Yet it is this grounded, one-on-one assistance that can help transform land transfer challenges into land access opportunities,” she says. “We’re excited to scale up the projects we have organized with partners in New York and the Great Lakes Watershed to the national level to provide more coordinated assistance through a group of trained professionals that can help keep land in farming.”  

Agencies and organizations that have formally joined the program underwent a thorough and competitive application process to become Navigators. They are hopeful about the project’s impact.  

“We sit at kitchen tables with our farmers, discussing their hopes and dreams for their land as we work together to secure their conservation legacies. Farm transfer is a natural progression of that conversation, and a critical next step to ensure protected lands stay in production,” says Jess Laggis, Farmland Protection Director at Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy. “SAHC is grateful to work with American Farmland Trust’s Land Transfer Navigator Program to better serve our region’s farmers and close the loop of farmland protection and access.” 

Melissa Odell, who serves as the Lands Director for Bitter Root Land Trust in Montana, agrees. "We are honored and excited to be selected to participate in AFT's Land Transfer Navigators program," she says. "Our community has traditions steeped in agriculture and local food production. To help ensure agriculture continues to be a driver for our local economy, it is critical to connect our valley's farmers and ranchers with resources to support and engage the next generation of agricultural producers."

In addition to training dozens of organizations and AFT staff to serve as Navigators, the project will offer regional support for landowners and land seekers. AFT will build and expand communities of practice for service providers—such as attorneys, appraisers, real estate agents, financial planners and lenders, among others—who specialize in agriculture and are key figures in the transfer process. AFT staff and Navigator partners will work directly with landowners and land seekers, as well as distribute grants to farmers, ranchers and landowners to help them develop and implement farm transfer plans.

AFT will create and host an online “Land Transfer Resource Hub” on the Farmland Information Center. The Hub will be a one-stop shop of resources to help landowners and land seekers in even the earliest stages move through the transfer process. Once live, it will include a national “Farm Link Finder” with an inventory of existing programs and services. There will also be access to Navigator contact information and one-on-one technical assistance, as well as a library of farm and ranch transfer stories to support and inspire people navigating the process. The Hub will be free to use and readily available for farm owners and seekers.

As the average age of farmers, ranchers, and agricultural landowners continues to climb, the working land they steward is at a moment of seismic transition. It matters how—and to whom—that land transfers. 

The collective components of the Land Transfer Navigators project will work to get more land in the hands of next generation farmers and ranchers. With support, they can flourish—putting our nation on the path to a stronger, brighter, and more equitable agricultural future.

Interested in learning more about the project and seeing the roster of Land Transfer Navigators? Check out this page: https://farmland.org/land-transfer-navigators/

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American Farmland Trust is the only national organization that takes a holistic approach to agriculture, focusing on the land itself, the agricultural practices used on that land, and the farmers and ranchers who do the work. AFT launched the conservation agriculture movement and continues to raise public awareness through our No Farms, No Food message. Since our founding in 1980, AFT has helped permanently protect over 7.8 million acres of agricultural lands, advanced environmentally-sound farming practices on millions of additional acres and supported thousands of farm families.

USDA Invests Nearly $28M to Support Beginning Farmers and Ranchers

 WASHINGTON, Nov. 15, 2023 – The U.S. Department of Agriculture Deputy Secretary Xochitl Torres Small today announced an investment of $27.9 million across 45 organizations that teach and train beginning farmers and ranchers, including programs for U.S. veterans who are entering into agricultural careers and starting new farming businesses.

 

“The next generation of farmers and ranchers hold the promise for future American agriculture and rural prosperity,” said USDA Deputy Secretary Xochitl Torres Small. “Under the Biden-Harris Administration, USDA is providing our newest producers with the support they need to succeed and the educational resources to guide their operations on the path toward long-term sustainability and profitability.”

 

This investment is part of the National Institute of Food and Agriculture’s (NIFA) Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program (BFRDP), which supports a wide range of professional development activities and topics, such as managing capital, acquiring and managing land, and learning effective business and farming practices.

 

“This investment reflects USDA’s commitment to helping new farmers and ranchers realize their dreams,” said USDA Chief Scientist and Under Secretary for Research, Education an Economics Dr. Chavonda Jacobs-Young. “As the average age of our U.S. producers continues to increase, USDA is accelerating efforts to provide meaningful support to a rising cadre of farmers and ranchers—including military veterans interested in starting new careers after their service—so they can cultivate the skills needed to be productive, profitable and resilient.”

 

According to USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service’s Ag Census data, one-third of the United States’ 3.4 million farmers are over the age of 65.

 

“Ensuring there will be a new generation of beginning farmers and ranchers – regardless of age or production choice – is essential to the continuation of agricultural production in the United States,” said USDA NIFA Director Dr. Manjit Misra. “Beginning farmers and ranchers have unique educational, training, technical assistance and outreach needs. Access to capital, land and knowledge that assists in ensuring profitability and sustainability are vital to farmers and ranchers in their first 10 years of operation.”

 

NIFA’s BFRDP funds three types of projects:

 

·       Standard Projects to new and established local and regional training, education outreach and technical assistance initiatives that address the unique local and regional needs of beginning farmers and ranchers.

·       Educational Team Projects to develop seamless beginning farmer and rancher education programs by conducting evaluation, coordination and enhancement activities for standard projects and other non-funded beginning farmer programs.

·       Curriculum and Training Clearinghouse to make educational curricula and training materials available to beginning farmers and ranchers and organizations who directly serve them.

 

Examples of the 45 newly funded projects for FY2023 include:

 

·       Calypso Farm and Ecology Center: This project, Growing Alaskan Farmers: An Agricultural Training Program for Alaska Native People and Their Communities, aims to train a growing population of beginning Indigenous farmers in rural Alaska. This supports the broader vision to foster food sovereignty across Alaska by providing the training and support necessary for Alaskan villages to grow their own food. The project is an Indigenous-led, hands-on, farmer training program.

·       Farm Boot Camp: This project will provide in-depth training, technical assistance, and hands-on internship opportunities to transitioning active duty and veteran beginning farmers obtaining the knowledge, skills and tools needed to make informed decisions for their farming operations. The training and materials will be based on the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) framework aimed at addressing the needs of service-related disabilities.

·       In Her Shoes, Inc.: This two-state project aims will provide education and support to 90 new and beginner women and Black farmers each year in West Georgia and the Mississippi Delta. The goal of the project is to increase women and Black operated farm businesses through farm business expansion and new market access. The project also will lead to increased fresh food in local communities.

·       La Semilla Food Center: This project will advance a regional practice of climate smart agriculture solutions while removing individual and systemic obstacles for socially disadvantaged and colonia farmers of the Chihuahuan Desert Ecoregion and providing them with opportunities to prosper.

 

USDA touches the lives of all Americans each day in so many positive ways. In the Biden-Harris Administration, USDA is transforming America’s food system with a greater focus on more resilient local and regional food production, fairer markets for all producers, ensuring access to safe, healthy and nutritious food in all communities, building new markets and streams of income for farmers and producers using climate-smart food and forestry practices, making historic investments in infrastructure and clean-energy capabilities in rural America, and committing to equity across the Department by removing systemic barriers and building a workforce more representative of America. To learn more, visit www.usda.gov.

 

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USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender.

USDA now Hiring Pathway Student Trainees Nationwide

 

USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) and Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) are hiring pathway student trainees in multiple locations. Recruitment and relocation incentives may be offered and salary ranges from $33,241 - $43,801 per year.   

FSA helps agricultural producers invest in, improve and expand their agricultural operations through farm loans, risk management programs, and recovery support in times of economic stress or natural disaster.

NRCS offers conservation planning and technical assistance to help agricultural producers implement practices that sequester carbon, mitigate against climate change and conserve other natural resources. 

Applicants must be enrolled or accepted for enrollment for at least a half-time basis at a qualifying educational institution in a certificate, degree, or diploma program with a cumulative GPA of 2.5 or higher on a 4.0 scale. Other requirements apply.

 Candidates selected from these announcements may be eligible for non-competitive conversion to a permanent position in the competitive service, provided that all terms of the Internship Program are met and there is an available position. Conversion is not mandatory or guaranteed and is at agency discretion.

USDA is hiring a variety of student trainees in agronomy, soil science, biology, forestry, natural resource management, rangeland management, archaeology, economics, engineering, management analysis, cartography, geology, soil conservationist, survey statistician, loan assistant/specialist, program technician, and administration.  Click here to view all USDA student trainee openings.  Deadlines vary by position and location.

Northwest Arkansas Small Ruminants Field Day set for Oct. 28 in Fayetteville

 

By John Lovett
University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture
Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station

Fast facts

• Free event provides education on raising sheep and goats
• Topics include forage, nutrition, grazing strategies, parasite control, flock management
• Event co-sponsored by U.S. Department of Agriculture sustainability program

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Small ruminants have practical and profitable uses on the farm. Still, there is a lot to know about sheep and goats to maintain their health and the sustainability of the land they are on.

FIELD DAY — Sheep graze at the Milo J. Shult Agricultural Research and Extension Center in Fayetteville, site of the Oct. 28 Northwest Arkansas Small Ruminants Field Day. (U of A System Division of Agriculture photo)

A free event offering education on how to raise sheep and goats will be held Saturday, Oct. 28, at the Milo J. Shult Agricultural Research and Extension Center in Fayetteville with sponsorship from Soil for Water, a forage sustainability project funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education program.

The Northwest Arkansas Small Ruminants Field Day, hosted by the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture, will be held from 8:30 a.m. to noon at 1935 W. Heck St. in Fayetteville.

Lunch will be provided after the morning’s learning sessions and demonstrations with Dirk Philipp, associate professor of forage agronomy, Dan Quadros, assistant professor and small ruminant extension specialist, and other speakers from the animal science department at the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture.

In addition to ways cattle producers can integrate sheep into their farming operation, Philipp said participants will be taught sustainable grazing techniques based on research conducted by the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station, the research arm of the Division of Agriculture. Quadros said sheep are a growing segment of Arkansas livestock operations, and small ruminants can be an asset for big and small farms.

“This field day will provide hands-on opportunities and demonstrations from the classroom to the farm-level environment,” Quadros said. “It will be very valuable for beginning farmers who want to adopt new technologies and learn the business risks and rewards, as well as established cattle ranchers looking for ways to maximize use of their land.”

Coffee and pastries will be served at 8:30 a.m. before a “farm walk and talk.” Joining Philipp and Quadros in presentations will be Linda Coffey, livestock specialist for the Southeast Regional Office of the National Center for Appropriate Technology, along with Washington County Extension Agent Ronnie Horn and Benton County Extension Agent and Staff Chair Johnny Gunsaulis.

Learning sessions will include the following topics:

• Forage and nutrition
• Grazing strategies
• Reproduction and flock management
• Parasite identification and control
• Practical, on-farm necropsy

Registration for the event is required to attend. To register, please visit https://bit.ly/Small-Ruminants-Field-Day-Registration.

To learn more about Division of Agriculture research, visit the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station website: https://aaes.uada.edu. Follow on Twitter at @ArkAgResearch. To learn more about the Division of Agriculture, visit https://uada.edu/. Follow us on Twitter at @AgInArk. To learn about extension programs in Arkansas, contact your local Cooperative Extension Service agent or visit www.uaex.uada.edu.

About the Division of Agriculture

The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture’s mission is to strengthen agriculture, communities, and families by connecting trusted research to the adoption of best practices. Through the Agricultural Experiment Station and the Cooperative Extension Service, the Division of Agriculture conducts research and extension work within the nation’s historic land grant education system.

The Division of Agriculture is one of 20 entities within the University of Arkansas System. It has offices in all 75 counties in Arkansas and faculty on five system campuses.

The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture offers all its Extension and Research programs and services 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.

 

Southeast goat producers marketing survey

Goat experts from seven land-grant universities (Langston, Tuskegee, Virginia State, Tennessee, Fort Valley State, Florida A&M, Prairie View A&M) from the Southeast USA are working together to promote the sustainable goat industry in this region. 

One of the challenges this team has realized is the marketing issues producers are facing in this region. Therefore, this team is conducting a survey study with producers from the Southeast Region (Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Puerto Rico, and US Virgin Islands). 

The aim of this study is to help meat goat producers from the Southeast overcome challenges in marketing goats and goat products. Based on the survey results, strategies will be developed and used to educate goat producers to overcome the marketing challenges. 

All goat producers in the southeast USA are requested to take the survey below to help develop the marketing strategies for goats and goat products. The survey will take approximately 15 minutes to complete. To take the survey, click this survey link or scan the QR code. Please submit by Sept. 30, 2023.

SurveyLink

 

Your response is extremely valuable to understand the challenges you are facing and develop marketing strategies to overcome them. Please feel free to share this message and survey link and/or QR code (below) to your fellow goat producers. We need as many responses as possible to gather necessary information in order to develop strategies that help producers marketing their goats and goat products in the southeast USA. 

 

Thank you in advance for taking time and completing this survey!

 

Dr. Uma Karki, Tuskegee University

On behalf of the entire study team

Animal Agriculture Alliance updates reports covering animal rights extremist connections and tactics

 

Groups bring in more than $800 million in income annually; 539 attacks targeted agriculture in 2022 July 19, 2023 – Today, the Animal Agriculture Alliance released two reports detailing the interconnectedness of the animal rights movement, as well as tactics targeting animal agriculture. The Animal Rights Extremist Web exemplifies how animal rights groups are strategically connected in many ways, including personnel and financial support. The Radical Vegan Activism in 2022 report highlights efforts to attack animal agriculture and the true intentions of these organizations with quotes from leadership. “No matter the animal rights extremist group or the tactics used, they all share the same goal of eliminating animal agriculture and taking meat, dairy, poultry, eggs, and seafood off of our grocery store shelves and family tables,” said Abby Kornegay, manager, issues and engagement, Animal Agriculture Alliance. “These reports succinctly detail those true intentions, the strategic efforts of the animal rights movement to further their agenda, and key tactics for the animal agriculture community to be aware of.” Nearly one-third of animal rights extremist attacks documented in 2022 targeted farmers and food workers, putting them and animals in danger. Documented direct actions to animal agriculture include: 95 vandalism incidents 70 stolen animals 60 criminal trespasses 10 arson cases 9 harassment and intimidation incidents “Extremists are getting ever bolder in their efforts against animal agriculture, and direct actions at the farm, processing facility, and retail store continue to rise,” said Kornegay. “Farmers, processors, and the entire food supply chain are encouraged to implement security measures that protect against potential threats.” In addition to demanding change through direct actions, animal rights groups are also attempting to force change through fundraising efforts which help fund their various efforts and campaigns. The major animal rights extremist groups included on the Animal Rights Extremist Web are major fundraisers and bring in more than $800 million in income annually. Organizations like People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) saw a dramatic increase in revenue between their previous fiscal year and current. In PETA’s 2021 tax filing, total revenue equaled $68 million and according to its website, 2022 revenue equals $82 million, a nearly $14 million increase. Several updates were made to the Animal Rights Extremist Web including several new groups for the farm and food community to be aware of, including The Accountability Board and the Organization for Competitive Markets. The Accountability Board, which fronts itself as a non-radical group and invests in over 100 of the largest publicly traded companies to force environmental and animal welfare change, is led by former Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) employees Josh Balk and Matthew Prescott. The Organization for Competitive Markets, which seeks to “enforce” rules within the agriculture community, was added to the web due to Marty Irby’s involvement as a board member. Irby is also a former employee of HSUS with close ties to its former president and CEO Wayne Pacelle. Sentient Media, Animal Partisan, and Farm Action were also added to the web. For more information about the Alliance’s work to monitor animal rights extremism, or to view the reports, visit animalagalliance.org/initiatives/monitoring-activism. To learn more about proactive security measures to protect against potential threats, visit animalagalliance.org/initiatives/farm-security/.

	About the Alliance: The Alliance safeguards the future of animal agriculture and its value to society by bridging the communication gap between the farm and food communities. We connect key food industry stakeholders to arm them with responses to emerging issues. We engage food chain influencers and promote consumer choice by helping them better understand modern animal agriculture. We protect by exposing those who threaten our nation’s food security with damaging misinformation.

Arkansas Extension Livestock Clinic offers hands-on skills for youth new to show ring

 

June 21, 2023

 

By Tracy Courage

U of A System Division of Agriculture 

Fast Facts: 

·       Livestock clinic open to all youth interested in showing livestock

·       Clinic set for 8 a.m.-5 p.m. July 15 at Drew County Fairgrounds in Monticello

·       Register by June 30 at https://bit.ly/livestock-clinic

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(Newsrooms: Photo of livestock competition at https://flic.kr/p/2jYf9jm )

MONTICELLO, Ark. — Aside from the practicality of raising animals for income or food, there’s also the thrill of stepping into the show ring with a prized animal and winning accolades.

The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture will host a free Livestock 101 Clinic on July 15 for youth interested in learning to show cattle, sheep, market and dairy goats, sheep, swine, rabbits and poultry. The clinic will take place 8 a.m-5 p.m. at the Drew County Fairgrounds, AR-35 East in Monticello. Registration is due by June 30 and available at https://bit.ly/livestock-clinic.

Youth will learn the basics of prepping their animal for show competition and get hands-on help with showing their respective species and tack identification. The event also includes lunch for participants and a mock show competition. Overnight stalling for livestock and hotel information is also available for participants who will be commuting to southeast Arkansas for the event.

“This is mainly a beginners’ clinic,” Drew County Extension intern Rayvin Callaway said. “There will be some advanced material, but most everything will be geared toward kids new to the show ring.”

Callaway, 21, who is double majoring in animal science and plant and soil science at the University of Arkansas at Monticello grew up showing livestock. She organized the livestock clinic last summer when she interned with the Bradley County Extension Office. This summer, she is interning with Drew County Extension, and she knew she wanted to offer the clinic again.

“Showing livestock teaches responsibility, confidence, team building, the importance of researching their specific animal and so much more,” Callaway said. 

New this year is a livestock clinic for parents, who will learn about feed and feedstuffs as well as vaccinations and health for each species.

 

Some of the speakers include:

·       Dr. Rocky Lindsey — associate professor of animal sciences, College of Forestry, Agriculture and Natural Resources, University of Arkansas at Monticello 

·       Les Walz — Agriculture and Natural Resources educator for livestock and forages, Division of Agriculture

·       Dr. Maribel Nelson, DVM — associate professor of animal sciences, College of Forestry, Agriculture and Natural Resources, University of Arkansas at Monticello

·       Dr. Dan Quadros — extension small ruminants specialist, Division of Agriculture

·       Dr. Maggie Justice — assistant professor and extension beef cattle specialist, Division of Agriculture

·       Anthony Rodriguez — 4-H volunteer

·       Frankie Harper — show poultry producer, judge and mentor for the southeast Arkansas families involved in showing.

Attendees do not have to be members of Arkansas 4-H, but information about 4-H opportunities and registration will be offered. 

Many Arkansas 4-H members are currently involved in animal science-related projects, including horse and equine programs, livestock, veterinary sciences, poultry science, rabbits, sheep and goats, swine, and meat judging and identification. Many choose to compete in the show arena. 

“They get their showmanship skills from their 4-H experience,” said Debbie Nistler, assistant vice president for 4-H & Youth Development with the Division of Agriculture. “Showmanship evaluates the skills of the youth in the ring — how they present the animal, how they fit it. It is the part of the livestock exhibition process that is all about youth skills. They don't need an expensive animal. They just need to develop the skills.”

 

For more information about the clinic, call Rayvin Callaway at 870-308-1820.

 

To learn more about 4-H and other extension programs in Arkansas, contact your local Cooperative Extension Service agent or visit www.uaex.uada.edu. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram at @AR_Extension. To learn more about Division of Agriculture research, visit the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station website: https://aaes.uada.edu. Follow on Twitter at @ArkAgResearch. To learn more about the Division of Agriculture, visit https://uada.edu/. Follow us on Twitter at @AgInArk.

 

 

About the Division of Agriculture

The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture’s mission is to strengthen agriculture, communities, and families by connecting trusted research to the adoption of best practices. The Division of Agriculture conducts research and extension work within the nation’s historic land grant education system through the Agricultural Experiment Station and the Cooperative Extension Service.

The Division of Agriculture is one of 20 entities within the University of Arkansas System. It has offices in all 75 counties in Arkansas and faculty on five system campuses.

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.

 

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