Stuttgart bank marks 80 years
Farmers & Merchants Bank of Stuttgart and The Bank of Fayetteville are celebrating Farmers and Merchants’ 80th anniversary this year. The bank will celebrate with events, special programming and initiatives, according to a news release.
Anniversary celebrations will include:
Engagement Events: Branches across the state will host special events throughout the year to engage customers and celebrate the milestone together.
“80 Trees for 80 Years” Initiative: In April, the bank will plant 80 trees throughout Arkansas, symbolizing growth, sustainability and the bank’s deep Arkansas roots.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
Monthly Giveaways: Branches across the state will hold monthly giveaways to show appreciation for their customers and neighbors.
Farmers and Merchants Bank, headquartered in Stuttgart, is a locally-owned community bank with 26 locations across the state, including eight operating as The Bank of Fayetteville. With assets in excess of $1.8 billion, Farmers and Merchants is the 12th largest bank chartered in Arkansas.
Discovery Farms Conference set
The work of Arkansas Discovery Farms, the program that conducts agriculture research under real-world conditions on working farms, will be showcased during its Climate Smart Agriculture Conference Feb. 13-14.
The conference will be held at the Don Tyson Center for Agricultural Sciences in Fayetteville. Registration is available online and registering by Feb. 10 is appreciated for a meal headcount. Lunch will be provided both days. There is no cost to register.
“If you have an interest in farming, agriculture, conservation, environmental research, carbon research, climate smart research, you should be there,” said Lee Riley, extension program associate for the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture. “If you love sustainable agriculture, what could be better than spending Valentine’s Day learning about Arkansas Discovery Farms’ research projects?”
This year’s conference features two keynoters, John Anderson, director of the Cooperative Extension Service, on Feb. 13, and Amanda Mathis, the Arkansas conservationist for the Natural Resources Conservation Service.
Riley said that the first day “is farmer and industry partner focused, highlighting some of our farmers’ experience from the research we’re conducting with them and audience participation discussion panels — including question and answer sessions — from our Discovery Farmers and industry partners.”
“Day two is more research-focused, several of the research team and partners sharing what they are doing and their findings on several of their Climate Smart research projects,” he said.
The conference will also feature a student research poster content with awards held during lunch on the second day. The deadline for contestants to register is Feb. 7. Details: https://uada.edu/.
UCA announces December graduates
The University of Central Arkansas in Conway announced Monday that the following area residents were among December 2024 graduates:
mRebecca Earnest of Star City
mCara Howard of White Hall
mBrooklyn Huskey of Pine Bluff
mDakota Page of Pine Bluff
mAryan Patel of White Hall
mKessler Perdue of White Hall
mSydnee Ross of Star City
mElizabeth Ferrin of Sheridan
mSajala Bell of Dumas
mAllyson Cravens of Rison
mOlivia Gavin of Rison
mLouis Cacciatori of Sheridan
mMikayla Dickson of Dermott
mJalen Thomas of Pine Bluff
mSamantha Wells of Dumas.