Texarkana to display youth artwork
The Arts Center of the Grand Prairie at Stuttgart announced that work by seven students was selected for the Texarkana Regional Arts and Humanities Council’s 31st annual Juried Student Exhibition. Their work will be on display at the Regional Arts Center at Texarkana from April 20 through June 1.
The students were Alyssa Thomas, Lily Law, Destiny Whiteley, Rocsi Anderson, Suzanna Mendoza, Laziya Hood, and Chole Vanderheiden.
Entries were accepted across a four-state area and only 150 works were selected from more than 950 entries.
These students attend Stuttgart Public Schools and home school programs and participate in the arts center’s after-school art programs, according to a news release.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
The Arts Center’s after school program offers classes free for students in 3rd-8th grade weekly. Details: Arts Center at artscenter001@gmail.com.
Local on Who’s Who list
A Rison resident is among 41 students selected for inclusion in the 2024 edition of Who’s Who at Arkansas Tech University at Russellville.
Alli Beth King is a communications major and daughter of Kim Kaye and Davy King, according to a news release.
Who’s Who selection is based upon academic achievement, service to the community while enrolled at ATU, leadership and involvement in co-curricular activities and the potential for continued success.
Farm, ranch estate planning on agenda
The average age of farmers continues increasing, according to the latest Census of Agriculture, yet many of those farmers haven’t completed an estate plan.
Connie Haden, a lawyer with The Law Firm of Haden & Colbert, will discuss the ins and outs of farm and ranch estate planning at the National Agricultural Law Center’s 11th annual Mid-South Agricultural and Environmental Law Conference, to be held June 6-7.
The Mid-South Conference will be held at the University of Memphis Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law at Memphis. The conference will also be available via livestream for those unable to participate in person. Registration, agenda and more information is available at https://nationalaglawcenter.org/midsouth2024/. For those who register by May 13, two bonus hours of free online CLE/CE is available.
The 2022 Census of Agriculture, released this year by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, found that the average age of a farmer is 58.1 years, up 0.6 years from the 2017 census, according to a news release.
The lack of an estate plan can lead to disruption in farm operations, not to mention chaotic cash flow and a lot of hurt feelings following the death of the farm’s principal operator.
During her session, “Estate Planning & The Farm: Top Tips and Practice Pointers,” Haden will provide practical, need-to-know estate planning information.
“Estate planning is extremely important for everyone, but especially so for producers and farm families and the overall health of the ag industry. It’s definitely not a one-size-fits-all situation,” Haden said. “We’ll be addressing practical tips, best practices, and pitfalls to avoid during the estate planning process.”
The NALC is a unit of the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture and works in close partnership with the USDA Agricultural Research Service, National Agricultural Library.
‘Grow Your Farm’ short course set
The Center for Arkansas Farms and Food at Fayetteville will hold a short course on small-scale farming titled “Grow Your Farm” from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. May 3 and from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. May 4.
The CAFF Small Farm Short Course provides an intensive workshop with a deep dive into bed building, equipment and transplanting, according to a news release.
“We’ll also cover the basics of record keeping, profitability, branding and marketing,” said CAFF Program Director Heather Friedrich. “The course features both classroom and field study, so wear your work clothes. We’ll demo equipment and tour some local farms, too!”
The cost of the workshop is $100 thanks to a grant from Southern Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education, a U.S. Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture grants and outreach program. Scholarships are also available.
Lunch, refreshments and snacks will be provided. No experience is required, and the course is beginning-farmer-friendly, Friedrich noted. Guest speakers will include local farmers and technical experts.
The third and final short course of the year will be Oct. 18-19, focusing on crop planning and budgeting, soil health and equipment care.
CAFF supports local food entrepreneurs and increases small farm viability through experiential learning. Explore courses at LearnToFarm.org and follow on Instagram @caff_ar_farms. CAFF is part of the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station, the research arm of the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture. The deadline to register for the May3-4 course is April 28 at NWAFarming.org.