PBS to livestream Women’s Hall of Fame
As part of its Arkansas Live initiative, Arkansas PBS will livestream the eighth annual Arkansas Women’s Hall of Fame induction ceremony at 6:30 p.m. Aug. 22 at myarpbs.org/arkansasliveplaylist.
The Arkansas Women’s Hall of Fame honors women whose contributions have influenced the direction of Arkansas in their community or the state.
Honorees with southeast Arkansas ties include:
Betty Dickey – Former Arkansas Supreme Court justice, teacher, attorney, and former prosecutor for Jefferson and Lincoln counties.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
Jacquelyn Williams McCray, Ph.D. — retired dean/director and professor emeritus of the School of Agriculture, Fisheries and Human Sciences at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff.
The Hall of Fame inducts contemporary (living) or historical (deceased) women who have made significant and enduring contributions to their field of endeavor, professional or otherwise; impacted the social, cultural, economic or political well-being of the community, state or nation; elevated the status of women and positively impacted women and girls; helped open new frontiers for women and for society in general; and inspired others by their example, according to a news release. Details: arwomenshalloffame.com or myarkansaspbs.org.
Webinar to adddress solar energy, ag
Does large-scale installation of solar panels on farms make the land unusable for other purposes?
A webinar on “Agrivoltaics,” will discuss this issue, according to a news release.
Agrivoltaics as defined by the U.S. Department of Energy, is agricultural production under or adjacent to solar panels. This agricultural production can include crop production, livestock production or pollinator habitats.
Key principles of agrivoltaics, including the impact of agrivoltaics on agricultural production, is the focus of the Aug. 21 NALC webinar, “Can Agriculture and Solar Co-Exist? Exploring the Promise and Challenge of Agrivoltaics.”
The webinar will be presented by Peggy Kirk Hall, director of The Ohio State University Extension Agricultural and Resource Law Program, and Jesse Richardson, professor of law and lead land use attorney at West Virginia University College of Law.
The webinar begins at 11 a.m. Registration is free and available at https://nationalaglawcenter.org/webinars/agrivoltaics/.
“Solar energy development is increasing rapidly, which commonly involves large-scale solar projects on rural and agricultural lands that can take that land out of agricultural production,” said Harrison Pittman, director of the National Agricultural Law Center. “Agrivoltaics offers the potential of keeping the land in production while also using it for solar.”
In September 2021, the DOE released its Solar Futures Study, which looks at the role of solar in decarbonizing the U.S. electric grid. One finding from the study is that much land for ground-based solar development is needed to accomplish this: approximately 0.5 percent of contiguous U.S. surface area. The report notes that to meet this need, photovoltaic systems, or solar panels, could be installed on farming or grazing areas.
“We’ve seen initiatives and mandates across the country geared toward boosting renewable energy to meet energy demands,” Hall said. “Solar energy is often a part of those initiatives, which raises many concerns for producers and communities as well, such as cost, impact on agricultural production, loss of prime and unique soils, and community land use goals. The installation of large-scale solar panels can limit that land’s ability to be used for other agricultural needs, but it doesn’t necessarily have to.”
All webinars in the NALC Webinar Series are recorded and archived on the NALC website.
Jacquelyn McCray