Temperatures plunged to record lows across Arkansas recently, falling to single digits or even negative numbers, even in the southernmost reaches of the state.
Extension agents with the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture Cooperative Extension Service reported significant snowfall in counties throughout Arkansas, with many producers concerned about impacts on poultry and cattle operations, according to a news release.
Despite the plunging temperatures experienced in mid-February, Jeremy Ross, extension soybean agronomist for the Division of Agriculture, said early soybean planting in the southernmost Arkansas counties, which typically begins in mid-March, will likely be unaffected.
Ross said the rising temperatures would help.
“Everything’s at a standstill right now anyway,” he said. “We’ve still got plenty of time.”
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
Jeff Hood, meteorologist for the National Weather Service at North Little Rock, said some areas of the state reported lows more than 10 degrees below previous records during the recent weeklong freezing weather.
“This cold air mass was able to work its way south into the middle part of the country, which is not unheard of, but the intensity of the cold air and the duration the cold air has lingered, is remarkable,” Hood said.
Matthew Davis, staff chair for the Jackson County extension office near Newport, said livestock producers are hit hard by the weather. “Moving hay, providing shelter, keeping water thawed and dealing with the birthing of livestock, etc. Conditions like this make things very tough,” he said. “They have no choice but to keep on working.”
Amanda McWhirt, extension horticulture crops specialist for the Division of Agriculture, said that there will likely be damage to annual and perennial fruit crops in Northwest Arkansas. A full assessment of that damage will be forthcoming, she said.
To learn more about extension programs in Arkansas, contact a local Cooperative Extension Service agent or visit www.uaex.edu. Follow the agency on Twitter at @UAEX_edu.