Civic panel to meet
The Civic Auditorium Complex Commission’s in-person meeting, will be held at noon Tuesday. To join in the conference call, dial (978) 990-5002 and use access code: 7020010, according to a news release. Details: Pine Bluff Convention Center (870) 536-7600.
Oasis to host Memorial event
The Oasis of Pine Bluff Assisted Living Facility, 7001 S. Hazel St., invites the community to join them in an open house and Memorial Day Celebration honoring their veterans. The celebration will be held from noon to 3 p.m. May 16.
The Disabled American Veterans (DAV) Auxiliary will be presenting quilts to the nine veterans at The Oasis as part of the open house. There will also be food, music and fellowship.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
“Let’s come together to honor those who served and sacrificed,” according to a news release. Details: (870) 395-7117.
Wildlife cooking expo set
The Arkansas Game and Fish Foundation, Arkansas Game and Fish Commission and University of Arkansas Pulaski Tech have returned to the test kitchen for the second “Taste of the Wild.”
The event will be held at Pulaski Tech’s Culinary Arts and Hospitality Management Institute at 5:30 p.m. April 24.
The event will feature cooking demonstrations and samples of wild-game dishes from wild-game gourmets, according to a news release.
Venison and duck were such hits at the first event that they’ll be coming back for an encore. The chefs have added the fresh spring tastes of fresh walleye, catfish and wild turkey to the menu for this event as well. Each dish featured in the evening’s cooking extravaganza will be paired with a special cocktail from local beverage vendors blended specifically with the source of the meal in mind, according to the release.
Seating is limited to 150 guests and tickets are available on a first-come, first-served basis. Tickets are $75 and must be purchased online through the AGFF’s Bidpal account. Details: www.agfc.com/education/taste-of-the-wild for details.
Root zone topic of webinars
The root zone — the area surrounding a plant’s roots — must provide the right balance of water, nutrients and oxygen for plants to thrive. An upcoming webinar series will provide controlled-environment agriculture growers with the latest research to get the mix right, along with other aspects of root zone management.
The series, consisting of four webinars this summer, is coproduced by the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture and the Root Alliance, a multi-state coalition of controlled-environment agriculture researchers, according to a Division of Agriculture news release.
“We saw the need in industry for more research focused on tackling core issues centered on root zone management in controlled-environment horticulture, which includes greenhouse and hydroponic production food, medicinal and ornamental crops,” said Ryan Dickson, controlled-environment agriculture researcher for the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station, the research arm of the Division of Agriculture, and assistant professor with the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences.
Hydroponics is a soilless method of growing plants, typically through a liquid-based nutrient solution or another medium to support the root system.
Along with Dickson, other cofounders of Root Alliance include Paul Fisher and Jeb Fields of the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences; Celina Gómez of Purdue University; Rhuanito Ferrarezi of the University of Georgia; and Rosa Raudales of the University of Connecticut.
The four webinar sessions will be held at noon on these dates:
June 9 — “Understanding the Risks of Low-Quality Water and Water Treatment Design,” presented by Raudales.
June 16 — “Customizing Recirculated Hydroponic Solutions,” presented by Dickson.
July 21 — “Cold Plasma and Ozone for Water Sanitation,” presented by Fisher.
August 7 — “Stratified Substrates in Container Nursery Crops,” presented by Fields.
Each webinar is $20, but there is a 50 percent discount if registering for all four. Those interested may register at https://uada.formstack.com/forms/root_alliance .
Dickson, a commercial grower before joining academia, said it is particularly important to him to work with industry and conduct applied research aimed at helping growers overcome production and sustainability challenges. His webinar focuses on helping growers more efficiently formulate hydroponic nutrient solutions based on research from the University of Arkansas and Florida.
To learn more about the Division of Agriculture research, visit the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station website at https://aaes.uada.edu/.