Arkansas Farmers, Ranchers Receive $138.5 Million in First Round of Federal Coronavirus Assistance

Sep 28, 2020

By Mary Hightower

Arkansas farmers and ranchers have received more than $138.5 million under the first round of the Coronavirus Food Assistance program, or CFAP.

The aid was in response to the 18,446 applications filed from Arkansas to the U.S. Department of Agriculture received through Sept. 20.

“Payments to livestock producers account for 69 percent of the approved first-round CFAP applications in Arkansas,” said Scott Stiles, extension economist with the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture. “Non-specialty crops — which include corn, cotton, soybean and sorghum — accounted for nearly 27 percent of the total.”

During the first round, rice, soft red winter wheat and peanuts were excluded. They are now included in the second round of CFAP, the application period for which opened Sept. 21.

The remaining portion of those first-round payments in Arkansas were divided among specialty crops, which received 2.6 percent, dairy receiving 0.7 percent and aquaculture-nursery-floriculture receiving 0.8 percent.

“Sweet potatoes and pecans account for 99 percent, or $3,524,323, of Arkansas’ specialty crop payments,” Stiles said. “Catfish accounts for 65 percent, or $753,330, of the aqua-nursery-flora category payments.”

Find Stiles’ analysis here: https://bit.ly/2RZL32k.

In the second round of CFAP, USDA is making available another $14 billion to eligible farmers. Signup for the second round program runs through Dec. 11.

Find other COVID-related economic analyses at https://bit.ly/AR-Ag-Eco-Impacts2020.

Source : uaex.edu

Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.