When the 61st annual Rural Life Conference gets underway Friday, March 3, at the Pine Bluff Convention Center, participants may attend 17 workshops reflecting the theme “Promoting the Vitality of Arkansas Communities.”
The conference is sponsored by the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff School of Agriculture, Fisheries and Human Sciences.
The Rural Life conference gets underway with registration at 7:30 a.m. The opening session begins at 8:45 a.m. The conference also features a poster session and exhibits by governmental and community agencies. Lunch will also be at the convention center.
Workshops will begin at 10:15 a.m. and most are one hour long. Two hour workshops include Estate Planning/Heir Property: Make Sure You Put It in Writing, and Community Impact of Local Food Movement.
Aquaculture workshops are Backyard Aquaponics Options and UAPB’s Role in Arkansas Private Pond Management.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
Workshops on finances include Wise Credit Management: Tips, Tools and Best Practices; USDA Farm Programs and Farm Loans; Conservation Planning for Today’s Farming Sustainability; Economic Impact: Building Self Sufficiency in Families; Cattle Profitability and Control of Feral Hogs; and Sustainable Forestry and African American Land Retention Program.
“Having so many workshops allows not only greater choices for conference participants, but also greater interaction between presenters and participants because of anticipated smaller attendance at each workshop,” said Henry English, conference workshop co-chair along with Janette Wheat and Rhonda O’Guinn.
Other workshops cover equity in education, 4-H, being sure kids are ready for school, and home food safety.
“We are proud to offer these high quality workshops for conference participants to help promote the vitality of our Arkansas communities while fostering the strength and survival of our diverse families,” Wheat said.
Registration is requested of everyone even though the conference is free to producers, homemakers and retirees. The cost for professionals and agency personnel is $50; after Feb. 20 and on-site, it is $75. To preregister or for more information, contact Tamara Ford at fordta@uapb.edu or 870-575-8806.
The University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff offers all of its Extension and Research programs and services without discrimination.
— Carol Sanders is a writer/editor for the UAPB School of Agriculture, Fisheries and Human Sciences.