Arkansas

Timing Mismatch: Analyzing the Upside and Downside Risk in PRF Policy Selection

Mon, 19 May 2025 21:01:01 GMT

A unique risk with Pasture, Rangeland, and Forage (PRF) insurance is that rainfall during a particular two-month interval does not necessarily lead to forage growth during that interval. Rainfall is obviously crucial for forage production, but the impact of precipitation on forage is not instantaneous. Often, rain that occurs during one interval will contribute to forage growth in the following months more than the month in which the rain occurred. Therefore, choosing a PRF interval that aligns directly with your critical forage production interval could potentially be a mismatch.

A downside of this timing mismatch is that a producer might not receive an indemnity payment when needed. For instance, if the insured interval experiences average rainfall but the interval prior had low precipitation or the rain came toward the end of an interval, the forage growth might still be insufficient. Unfortunately, because the payment is based strictly on the rainfall during the insured interval, producers might not receive any payout despite facing significant challenges. The chance of this outcome occurring is considered a false negative probability (FNP). False in the sense that the signal (rainfall) did not correspond with the underlying production need (forage production), and negative in that the outcome provided no protection when you needed it.

On the flip side, this same mismatch can work in favor of producers. Suppose the insured interval experiences low rainfall, but the previous interval had good precipitation. In that case, sufficient forage growth can occur in the insured interval, and the insured can still receive an indemnity payment. The likelihood of the PRF policy providing a payment even when forage conditions are favorable is the false positive probability (FPP).

Figure 1: False Negative Probability Percentages in Arkansas Grids for the June-July Interval (1981-2023). Note: These values were calculated using an assumed 90% coverage level.

(University of Arkansas)

Figure 1 above illustrates this potential downside risk through the prevalence of FNPs in grids in Arkansas. These values were calculated by creating a forage/vegetation index to match the rainfall index used by the PRF program. Using normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) values, we found the FNP percentages for each grid and each interval. Figure 1 highlights the June-July interval, telling us the percent chance that the forage/vegetation index would indicate a need for an indemnity based on the coverage level when the policy using the rainfall index has not been triggered (Keller & Saitone, 2022). This shows the prevalence of this issue and that producers in certain regions should be more wary of this type of risk.

Inversely, Figure 2 below presents the frequency of FPPs showing the upside risk. Reversing the methodology, these were calculated as the percent chance that the rainfall index indicates an indemnity should be issued based on the coverage level when the forage/vegetation index says an indemnity should not be issued. This scenario tends to be more prevalent, which is good for the policyholder. Certain grids exhibiting high FPPs also tend to show high FNPs, indicating they might frequently receive unwarranted payments while simultaneously facing situations where they do not receive payments when needed. This raises an issue with the producer, causing them to change how they manage their finances to protect themselves instead of the program doing so properly.

Figure 2: False Positive Probability Percentages in Arkansas Grids for the June-July Interval (1981-2023). Note: These values were calculated using an assumed 90% coverage level.

(University of Arkansas)

While these figures only highlight the prevalence of FNP and FPP in Arkansas, these risks are inherent in PRF and are just as likely in the other southern states. To counter this risk, producers should consider not only the months when forage is most needed but also the months when moisture and precipitation are most important. Using this information, they can choose their PRF intervals appropriately and reduce the risks involved in the program.

Davis, Walker B., Lawson Connor, and Hunter Biram. “ Analyzing the Upside and Downside Risk in PRF Policy Selection: Timing Mismatch. ” Southern Ag Today 5(21.1). May 19, 2025.

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Stunning Collection of 50,000 Farmland Marbles Began With 12 Boxes of Stolen Arrowheads

Fri, 24 May 2024 18:56:30 GMT

How did 12 boxes of superb arrowheads stolen from beneath a boy’s bed lead to the greatest collection of farmland marbles ever gathered?

Welcome to Wyman Atwood’s unlikely tale of obsession, deceit, and an astounding 50,000-marble haul.

Cottonmouth

In 1963, Wyman Atwood was born to cotton in Greene County, Arkansas, a stone’s throw from the Missouri Bootheel. Along Highway 49, outside the tiny town of Marmaduke, Atwood was raised on level land roughly 5 miles from Crowley’s Ridge, a geologic spine rising 250’ above the flats, running nearly unbroken for 200 miles from southeast Missouri to Arkansas’s Phillips County, and a sustained haunt of Native Americans for millennia.

Atwood’s grandfather, John Henry, spilled out of Kentucky in roughly 1900 and bought timberland outside Marmaduke. He cleared old-growth hardwood on 1,000 acres. “Our farmland had heavy Indian presence,” Atwood recalls. “When my grandfather was cutting trees, he uncovered so many stone tools that he’d carry the big ones to a fence line and drop them, just to get rid of the nuisance of rocks in the field.”

(Farm Journal)

Atwood’s father, Earl, inherited the farm reins. In 1969, he bought his 5-year-old son a motorbike and loosed the boy on rough-and-tumble adventure. “Redneck kid on a Honda 50,” Atwood says. “I rode to ditches and sloughs all day and found fun. In a couple more years, from the moment my toes could push in a tractor or truck clutch, I was operating farm machinery.”

In 1979, an elderly farming neighbor introduced Atwood to a modest arrowhead collection—all pieces collected within a mile radius. Atwood went straight to his own farm and began walking rows. He hit a motherlode in a mere afternoon of searching: An inordinate amount of Native American points atop family dirt that had never been previously picked.

Shortness of breath; rush of blood; cottonmouth; and an uncanny sixth sense. Arrowhead fever roared through Atwood, and he welcomed the disease. Every waking hour of opportunity, he was a shadow in the spring or winter fields, marching the rows and finding absolute treasures: abundant Hardin and Dalton specimens—prehistoric points often in fantastic condition.

“I was hard core. There were days when I went out and filled a pocket in 30 minutes with beauties,” he explains. “No doubt our land was home to Indians for thousands of years. My hunting got to the stage where if a point wasn’t in great condition, I’d leave it right there in the field. It’s fair to say that I became obsessed. I didn’t care if they were worth anything. All I cared about was finding them for their own history and wonder.”

(Farm Journal)

Within several years, Atwood amassed a phenomenal collection as the sole hunter on an arrowhead Shangri-La. He slept atop his most prize pieces, filling a dozen shoeboxes to the brim with tools magnificently crafted from jasper, flint, chert, quartzite, greenstone, and more. The boxes, lined head to toe down the side of Atwood’s bed, were a virtual museum.

“For a boy on a farm, life was so sweet,” he recalls. “Hunting those arrowheads became part of me and made things even sweeter.”

The sweet was about to go bitter.

Wink of Fate

The family farmhouse sat alone—always unlocked. Atwood and Earl typically worked minutes away, darting in and out to eat, use the phone, or grab a necessity.

(Farm Journal)

In 1983, Atwood’s first cousin, likewise an avid arrowhead hunter, visited from Florida. Excited by the arrival of his relative, Atwood dashed to his bedroom, anxious to show off the collection of smokers.

Dropping to his knees, Atwood reached under the bed and pulled out a shoebox with no heft. Empty.

Down the line Atwood went, sliding out the boxes. Empty.

The twelfth box, the last in line, curiously was still full.

Time slowed down as the violation washed over Atwood. “I figured someone dumped all the boxes into a bag and maybe ran out of time on the last box. To this day, about 40 years later, I don’t know who stole my arrowheads and I couldn’t prove a thing,” he explains.

(Farm Journal)

“I’ll never, never forget the feeling of realizing someone had stolen my arrowheads right from my own room in my own house—someone that had to be very close to me because it was an inside job.”

“It’s hard to put into words, but my arrowhead fuse was burnt from that day on. I’d still walk the rows sometimes, but my love of hunting points was never the same. It kind of died.”

Enter a wink of fate and Bertis Walker, the marble maestro.

Hooked

Well over a decade past the theft, Atwood was struck by the charms of Tanginna Walker, and fell in with her father, Bertis, a Greene County farmer who became more of a brother, rather than a father-in-law. The pair of men were inseparable. Find one, find the other, in a chain of hunting, fishing, riding gravel, and marbling.

Marbling?

(Farm Journal)

Walker, whether by fixation or pure passion, was in the process of amassing a lifetime assemblage of tens of thousands of marbles plucked from farmland and old house sites.

Rekindling the collecting fires, Walker became Atwood’s marble mentor, patiently poring through the pages of marble collecting books, teaching Atwood marble history, type, rarity, origin, dates, and more. Atwood contracted a double-portion of the marble virus racing through Walker’s veins.

(Farm Journal)

“I got hooked on marbles,” Atwood recalls. “I’d be in the rows looking any chance I got, going with Tanginna or going alone. Pretty soon, those marbles started adding up.”

Sincerely. But why are tiny, colored spheres—children’s toys—scattered in volume on farmland?

Keepsies

Before the advent of modern agriculture machinery, farmland was dotted with homes. “Every 40 acres or so had at least one house and some farms had clusters of sharecropper houses,” Atwood says. “When you look out today and see empty land, it might not have looked that way just 50 years ago or more.”

(Farm Journal)

Within a given geography, for example, where timber was cleared in the late 1800s, and tenant families moved on and off the ground until the 1960s, scores of children spread across generations were associated with a particular shotgun or dog trot house, i.e., the actors changed, but the stage remained the same.

All those kids, regardless of family income level, possessed the ubiquity of childhood: marbles. In an age prior to television access, and decades before home computers, video games, the internet, or iPhones, kids shot marbles for keepsies in front or back yards, in barn dirt, under porches, and beneath shade trees.

Affordably priced, depending on the decade, at 5 cents to 20 cents per bag at general stores and commissaries, or acquired via giveaways at service stations and shoe stores, marbles were the great equalizer of childhood. Some kids had a little; most had a lot.

(Farm Journal)

“I think all the time about the kids who owned these marbles I find,” Atwood says. “Many of those kids didn’t have too many other possessions besides those marbles and that makes me sincerely grateful for the blessings I’ve been given in life.”

The kids are gone. The houses are gone. The marbles remain. Agates, alabasters, cat-eyes, clays, glazed clays, and more, the marbles of yesterday hide under the dirt—waiting patiently to reveal their color and join the 50,000-strong collection of Wyman Atwood.

Past to Present

Whether climbing in a side-by-side for a short ride to a nearby house site, or driving a truck to more distant locations, Atwood’s blood pumps hard. “On my way to a hunt, I’m full of anticipation, not sure what I’ll find in the sandy dirt. Once I hit the rows, I go into deep concentration and leave the world behind. It’s all about the hunt—finding is just the temporary reward.”

(Farm Journal)

“It’s a unique feeling where I think about good times gone by and great friends of my past, and it makes me appreciate what I have now,” he notes. “There is much more going on in those rows than nostalgia. I’ll have a talk with Jesus when I’m walking and I’ll know that’s right where I need to be.”

With every marble spotted against the mocha soil, Atwood bends over, pulls the sphere out of the past, and gently tucks it into a front pocket. “I love marbles as a hobby and I’ll buy some special ones from time to time, but the ones that matter are those that come out of the fields. Chipped or cracked or even crushed—it makes me no difference. I could care less about the value of the objects I find.”

But what if the value of the object is $15,000—cash on the barrelhead?

No Means No

On April 18, 1991, several years past the heartache of bedroom theft, Atwood walked into a field with random hopes—coins, bear teeth, clay pipe stems, or whatever curios the rows might offer. Minutes into the hunt, Atwood spotted a wide base sticking up from the sandy dirt. He pulled; the point didn’t budge. He wiggled; the point gave the barest sway. He pulled again; 4.5” of a knobbed Hardin slid from the soil and saw sunlight for the first time in several thousand years. A stunner.

Atwood knelt beside an adjacent gar hole and washed away dirt from the serrations, shocked by the quality of the smoker. Forgoing the relative safety of his own pocket, he kept the soft flesh of his hand clasped tightly around the Hardin and made for home, where he immediately deposited it into a foam-lined case.

(Farm Journal)

Word travels fast. The next morning, to Atwood’s surprise, he heard a knock on his front door.

“There was this doctor on my steps from in town that was well-known to buy arrowheads,” Atwood details. “He said, ‘I want to see that arrowhead you found.’”

Atwood retrieved the case and pointed at the Hardin, declining to remove the piece. The doctor took one look and fingered a knot of hundred-dollar bills: “I want that arrowhead.”

“Not for sale,” Atwood answered.

The doctor peeled off 30 bills—$3,000—and placed them on a table.

“No, sir. Not for sale,” Atwood reiterated.

“I’ll be back. I’ll be right back,” responded the doctor, confident in tone.

True to his word, the doctor returned in 20 minutes with a bulkier knot.

“He slapped down $6,000, and I said, ‘No,’ again,” Atwood recalls. “He went right up to $10,000, and I told him politely, ‘No means no.’”

Three days later, Atwood again heard a knock at the door. The doctor was back with $15,000 in cash. Atwood turned it down.

“Everybody told me I was stupid,” Atwood laughs. “I may be stupid, but I told that man the arrowhead was special. I told him I was supposed to find it and it wasn’t for sale. End of story.”

“It’s true that I’m crazy, but it’s also true that I’m the guy who loves what he finds for the story of it.”

Uncovered

Atwood has lost count.

At a total between 50,000 and 75,000, his marbles rest in foam-bottom display cases, glass lamps, countless jars, and an end table with a clear top.

“It’s not about the numbers and it’s not about the value,” Atwood emphasizes. “We’ll pass these marbles on to our grandkids and they can do what they want.”

(Farm Journal)

Beyond marbles or arrowheads, he urges others to foster outdoor interests of any type. “Take your kids and grandkids outside at every opportunity. Get them off the television and phone. If you spend time with them outside, then they’ll take an interest in nature or history or something, and that’s when you praise them, to help build that interest.”

Expect Atwood to stay on the hunt, patiently adding to his marble mountain.

“Life took me from arrowheads to marbles, and there’s so much in our dirt still to be uncovered,” Atwood adds. “It’s coming to the top and I want to be there when it pops out.”

For more articles from Chris Bennett ( cbennett@farmjournal.com or 662-592-1106), see:

Power vs. Privacy: Landowner Sues Game Wardens, Challenges Property Intrusion

Corn and Cocaine: Roger Reaves and the Most Incredible Farm Story Never Told

American Gothic: Farm Couple Nailed In Massive $9M Crop Insurance Fraud

Priceless Pistol Found After Decades Lost in Farmhouse Attic

Cottonmouth Farmer: The Insane Tale of a Buck-Wild Scheme to Corner the Snake Venom Market

Tractorcade: How an Epic Convoy and Legendary Farmer Army Shook Washington, D.C.

Bizarre Mystery of Mummified Coon Dog Solved After 40 Years

While America Slept, China Stole the Farm

Tyson Foods on the Hunt for Acquisitions

Fri, 20 Nov 2020 05:49:14 GMT

(Bloomberg) -- Tyson Foods Inc. is hungry for more deals.

The largest U.S. meatpacker is looking to acquire companies that would boost its food brands and geographic reach, Chief Executive Officer Tom Hayes said in an interview at the World Economic Forum’s annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland, last week. It also has an eye on expanding its international footprint by adding operations and increasing U.S. exports.

“If we can find those that are bolt-on to our current system that gives us more capacity in a growing category, that’s great,” Hayes said. However, valuations have been “very high,” forcing Tyson to take a cautious approach, he said.

While Tyson remains among the largest domestic processors of chicken, pork and beef, its recent acquisitions have been centered on prepared foods. Hayes, who’s been at the helm for about year, wants to continue the trend with a goal of transforming the commodity giant primarily linked with chicken into a “modern food company,” he said.

U.S. mergers and acquisitions may hit a record high this year amid the recent tax reform, according to a recent report from Bank of America Merrill Lynch. Hayes said the tax changes are “very positive” for Tyson and may save the company more than $300 million, some of which it will use to boost capital expenditures.

Last year, Tyson purchased sandwich maker AdvancePierre Foods Holdings Inc. for about $4 billion, its largest acquisition since the 2014 takeover of Hillshire Brands Co., and also bought Original Philly Cheesesteak Co. for an undisclosed sum. Tyson also recently boosted its stake in Beyond Meat, a plant-based burger manufacturer.

Hayes cited a recent surge in U.S. meat production as one of the challenges for the year ahead, as the larger supply suppresses prices. American output of red meat and poultry is expected to reach a record in 2018, topping 100 billion pounds for the first time ever, government estimates show. It’s also getting tougher to attract workers, and Tyson has boosted wages and is looking at more ways to use automation and robotics in its plants.

“The labor market will get tighter,” Hayes said. “That’s exactly the reason we need to be spending more money on innovation. Technology is going to play a critical role.”

Meanwhile, Tyson Foods Inc. is boosting its bet on meat that comes from the lab instead of the slaughterhouse.

The company’s venture capital arm has invested in Memphis Meats Inc., a company that produces cultured meat without raising livestock or poultry, Tyson said in a statement on Monday. It didn’t announce the terms of the deal.

Springdale, Arkansas-based Tyson has already put money into Beyond Meat, a U.S. company known for its plant-based burgers, part of strategic shift for Tyson, which is the country’s largest meat processor.

©2018 Bloomberg L.P.

Duo Pleads Guilty to Kansas-Oklahoma Interstate Cattle Theft

Fri, 20 Nov 2020 05:48:03 GMT

A pair from Kansas and Oklahoma have plead guilty to charges of cattle rustling that involves moving stolen cattle from Kansas to be sold in Oklahoma.

According to the Department of Justice , Anthony Francis Whittley, 28, of Parsons, Kansas, and Jasmine A. Boone, 28, of Wister, Oklahoma, entered their guilty pleas on June 5. The pair were charged on March 19, 2019, by a federal grand jury with transporting 17 stolen cattle in interstate commerce. Whittley and Boone allegedly stole the cattle on Dec. 11, 2018 , from a pasture outside Columbus, Kansas, and the cattle were found that same day more than 200 miles away at the Oklahoma National Stockyards Co. outside Oklahoma City. The pair of cattle rustlers were arrested that day in December and admitted to further crimes.

In their guilty pleas, both Whittley and Boone admitted to transporting cattle in interstate commerce, along with their involvement in similar thefts in Crawford County, Kansas, and LeFlore County, Oklahoma, during the second half of 2018. The cattle stolen in the other cases were sold in Tulsa and Springfield, Missouri, respectively. The pair also admitted to selling stolen cattle from Cherokee County, Kansas, at an auction near Siloam Springs, Arkansas.

The case of the stolen cattle that ultimately resulted in Whittley and Boone’s arrest was the result of quick work by law enforcement officials both in Kansas and Oklahoma. The day the cattle were reported missing to the Cherokee Sheriff’s Office by the cattle owner, authorities in Oklahoma were able identify the owner’s brand on the cattle at the Oklahoma National Stockyards.

“I’m excited about the way this case came together very quickly, thanks to rapid and accurate information sharing along with collaboration between the cattle owner, representatives of the sale barn, and all law enforcement involved, including the Special Livestock Investigators in Kansas and Oklahoma,” said Cherokee County Sheriff David Groves, after Whittley and Boone’s arrest.

As part of the guilty plea Whittley agreed to pay more than $43,000 in restitution, including more than $15,000 to USDA’s Farm Service Agency for the sale of mortgaged cattle without the lender’s authorization. Boone will pay back more than $28,000 in restitution.

Sentencing is expected to take place in approximately 90 days and each defendant could face up to five years in prison, with an additional three years of supervised release and fines up to $250,000.

The case is the result of an investigation by the Major Theft Task Force of the FBI Oklahoma City Division; the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture; the Missouri Highway Patrol; the Kansas Attorney General’s Office; the County Attorney’s Offices and Sheriff’s Offices in Cherokee County and Crawford County, Kansas; and the District Attorney’s Office of LeFlore County, Oklahoma.

A map showing the distance between Columbus, Kansas and the Stockyards in Oklahoma City can be seen below:

For more on this case and other cases of cattle theft read the following stories from Drovers:

Beef Cattle Numbers in Arkansas Remained Unchanged

Fri, 20 Nov 2020 05:42:20 GMT

As overall cattle numbers across the country inched up by one percent in 2014, beef cattle numbers in Arkansas remained unchanged while dairy cattle numbers dropped significantly, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Jan. 1, 2015 Cattle Inventory.

The report shows overall U.S. cattle — including all cattle and calves — increasing 1 percent over Jan. 1, 2014 numbers to 89.9 million head as of Jan. 1, 2015. Almost all categories of cattle, including heifers, steers, bulls and calves weighing less than 500 lbs., increased across the country.

While the overall number is an increase over the Jan. 1, 2014 cattle census of 88.5 million head, it is still significantly lower than the 25-year peak of more than 103 million head across the country in 1996.

In Arkansas, however, total cattle and calves across the state decreased by 1 percent to about 1.64 million head, with several other benchmark numbers remaining roughly the same. While the number of bulls remained unchanged at 55,000 head and the number of calves weighing less than 500 lbs. increased from 360,000 to 380,000, the number of adult steers decreased by 15,000 head to 130,000.

The number of Arkansas beef cows that calved in 2014 increased slightly over the previous year, from 862,000 to 863,000, but the number of milk cows that calved in 2014 dropped by 12 percent from 2013 numbers, from 8,000 head to 7,000.

University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture Professor Tom Troxel, Associate Department Head of Animal Science, said calving rates across the country during 2014 were strong.

“On a positive note, the 2014 U.S. calf crop was reported at 33.9 million, which implies a crop percentage of 89 percent, the highest percentage since 2006,” Troxel said. The figure means that about 89 percent of all cows and heifers produced calves.

“The increase in calf crop percentage maybe a result of culling unproductive cows, primarily due to drought over the past 3-5 years.”

Arkansas ranchers enjoyed cool spring and summer with plenty of rain throughout the state in 2014, a situation that Troxel said may set the stage for ranchers to increase their herds.

“With record prices, many cattle producers found it very difficult to keep extra heifers,” Troxel said. “Other ranchers, given the extra forage and hay production, decided to retain extra heifers to expand their herd size for future production.”

Troxel said cattle producers will likely see high selling prices in 2015, and many producers are expecting prices for weaned and yearling calves to average 13 and 10 percent higher, respectively, over last year’s prices in 2015.

He said the slight increase in supply across the country may take a while to affect the average consumer’s pocketbook, however.

“I don’t anticipate any decline in retail price of meat until 2016,” Troxel said.

Source: Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service

Stockpiling in August Paves the way for Fall, Winter Grazing

Sun, 15 Nov 2020 21:28:02 GMT

Poor weather conditions have taken a toll on the quality of the state’s hay crop for the second consecutive year, so livestock producers should consider stockpiling bermudagrass or fescue pastures as an alternative for fall and winter grazing. August is the time to get started.

“Hay harvest conditions have been terrible this year and hay quality is low in many cases,” said John Jennings, an extension forages professor at the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture. “Last year, many producers relied on a good hay crop of low quality to winter their herds. But the winter was colder and longer than in recent years, so livestock didn’t fare well.”

Jennings explained that many times producers cut hay as late as October and begin feeding with it in November. With stockpiling, producers manage the bermudagrass and fescue for livestock grazing to eliminate the harvest cost and allow cattle to graze the forage through fall and winter.

Stockpiling can provide good quality for producers. The forage quality of stockpiled bermudagrass can be more than 15 percent crude protein in October and November. The forage quality of stockpiled fescue in February is usually higher than that of the hay on hand.

To prepare bermudagrass for stockpiling, Jennings advised producers to clip or graze fields to a 3-inch stubble and fertilize them by mid-August to achieve the best growth potential. Fertilizer can be applied even during hot weather to produce a good forage return, he said.

“The growth potential of stockpiled forage is usually 2,000 to 3,000 pounds of dry matter per acre, so the recommended fertilizer is 50 to 60 pounds per acre of nitrogen to match that yield potential,” Jennings said. “Don’t delay because waiting until September to fertilize for stockpiled bermuda will reduce yield potential by 60 to 80 percent.”

Jennings called stockpiling one of the most consistent forage management practices in the 300 Days of Grazing program, a Division of Agriculture effort to enhance the use of grown forages. Only one out of 150 stockpiled forage demonstrations managed by the division failed to pay a positive return over the cost of feeding hay.

Source: University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service

Cattle Criminals Strike In Arkansas

Fri, 13 Nov 2020 02:30:50 GMT

Another incidence of senseless killing of cattle has occurred, this time in Arkansas. Greene County rancher Craig Ryan reported multiple cattle were shot and killed in his pasture.

“We found three here, there was one over here that was down and two more over here,” Ryan told KAIT News 8 in Jonesboro, AR. “One of them had the front shoulder cut off.”

Ryan filed a report with the Greene County Sheriff’s Department. “Anything like this, to see that go to waste, that was just cruel for someone to do that.”

Greene County is located in northeast Arkansas about 60 miles south of Popular Bluff, MO. Ryan has a message for those shot his cattle.

“You need to think about turning yourself in,” he said. “I don’t know if it was kids. If it’s kids, you know, it’s not the thing to be doing. If it’s anybody just looking for meat, there are other ways to get meat. There will be a lot of guys out there looking for you, so I’d ask that you turn yourself in and do the right thing.”

The killing of Ryan’s cattle adds to a growing list of cruel cattle shootings this year. At least 19 head have been shot in Utah since April, four pregnant cows were killed in North Carolina and in South Dakota four Charolais cattle were shot and killed in August.

Related stories:

Crimes Against Livestock On The Rise

Arkansas Cattle Producer Participating In Local Food Movement

Fri, 13 Nov 2020 02:24:25 GMT

Kenny Simon, University of Arkansas pasture and forage specialist, is a third-generation cattle producer.

He’s involved in the local food movement, and is able to practice what he preaches.

Ken Moore from the Arkansas Farm Bureau has the story on AgDay above.

Researchers Need Help Capturing Losses from Buffalo Gnat Outbreak

Fri, 13 Nov 2020 02:24:22 GMT

Buffalo gnats, or black flies, were blamed for deaths of cattle , horses and deer in Arkansas earlier this year. Now researchers want to quantify the risks and see what control efforts were effective.

Flooding and low spring temperatures created the perfect environment for large populations of flies to emerge in Arkansas County. Southern buffalo gnats typically decline when temperatures rise to 80 F or more.

“We’ve heard reports of livestock and deer deaths, but we’d really like to have some reliable data for this outbreak for the sake of comparison,” said Kelly Loftin, Extension entomologist for the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture. “Here’s where we need your help: If you lost cattle, horses or other livestock during this buffalo gnat outbreak, please let us know.”

Loftin said he’d like to know:

Date of loss
Number of animals lost
Type of animal lost, whether cow, bull, horse, mule, etc.
The county in which the losses occurred.

To report livestock losses due to buffalo gnats, contact Loftin at (501) 416-3684 or kloftin@uaex.edu .

Duo Pleads Guilty to Kansas-Oklahoma Interstate Cattle Theft

Fri, 13 Nov 2020 02:22:32 GMT

For more on this case and other cases of cattle theft read the following stories from Drovers:

Flooding Leads to Cattle Rescues Around the Country

Fri, 13 Nov 2020 02:22:29 GMT

High water in a number of states has forced cattle producers to take desperate measures to care and in some cases rescue livestock. Reports of flooding from South Dakota to Louisiana the past week on pasture land have shown the extent of damage that cattle raisers are dealing with during a near-record moisture year for many parts of the country.

Here is a breakdown of news stories from flooded areas during the end of May and start of June that show the lengths to which ranchers and farmers are going to care for cattle.

Oklahoma Cowboys Rescue Stranded Cattle

In northeast Oklahoma, a group of cowboys have offered up their services to help save cattle that have been surrounded by floodwaters.

“We just refuse to sit back and watch these livestock drown because I mean, all of us own cattle,” says Cory Conley.

Cattle are being hauled out of the water with horses and boats in an effort to get cattle to higher ground.

A prison farm near Taft was forced to move cattle out of flooded pasture using a tractor and hay acreage appears to be wiped out by water.

“I’ve been at Jess Dunn for 20 years and have never even [seen] anything close to this,” says Terry Fry, with the Department of Corrections Agri-Services Division.

In some cases cattle haven’t been able to be rescued. Rancher Larry Washom says the flooding is worse than what he endured in 1986 because he has lost cattle. He estimates that 28 cattle worth about $30,000 were killed by the flood.

Helicopters Deliver Hay in Arkansas

Hay was airlifted to cattle stranded along the flooded Arkansas River in Conway County, Arkansas, by Arkansas National Guard helicopters.

Below is a series of photos from the Arkansas National Guard showing the delivery effort that started on June 4:

Aerial footage of #77thECAB Soldiers providing hay bales to stranded cattle in Conway Co. The cattle are stranded due to #ARFlood19. #BeYourBest #ArkanStrong pic.twitter.com/GyZukI4FfM
— Ark National Guard (@arkansasguard) June 4, 2019

Holy cow! #77thECAB Soldiers provide hay bales to stranded cattle in Conway Co. The cattle are stranded due to #ARFlood19. #BeYourBest #ArkanStrong pic.twitter.com/ul7WWuuGs7
— Ark National Guard (@arkansasguard) June 4, 2019

It's a bunch of bull that we hadn't herd about starving cattle. So we steered our helos over to provide some fast food. 77th ECAB Soldiers provided hay bales to stranded cattle in Conway Co. (AR NG photos by SGT Bryan Cerrato) #ARFlood19 #BeYourBest #KnowYourMil #ArkanStrong pic.twitter.com/OjqrVicPlM
— Ark National Guard (@arkansasguard) June 5, 2019

200 Cows and Calves Moved Before Louisiana Flooding

Before the Morganza Spillway gates opened and flooded nearly 350 acres of pasture, Ricky Rivet, owner of Ricky Rivet Farms near Morganza, Louisiana, moved his whole herd out of the path on May 29.

“I don’t want to do this at all, but it’s something I have to do. I mean, this is the reality. This is going to happen and I have to do it,” Rivet says. He moved about 200 head of cows and calves out of the potential flood plain .

In an effort to relieve the Mississippi River the Morganza Spillway was opened, but it is estimated that the water released will flood about 25,000 acres. Approximately 10,000 acres is farmland with the remainder being timber or pasture land.

Levee Breach in Missouri Forces Horse and Cattle Rescue

When a levee breached near Levasy, Missouri, people went out on boats to lead horses and cattle out of the water .

Here are some social media posts by Ariel Rothfield from KSHB that show the rescue effort that involved removing cattle seeking shelter on a house’s front porch:

Livestock are on this home’s porch to avoid the high water in Levasy @41actionnews pic.twitter.com/Vxo3Q51TMj
— Ariel Rothfield (@arothfield) June 3, 2019

These guys are trying to take the animals to dry land one at a time. Right now they’re having a hard time because the momma is protecting the calf @41actionnews pic.twitter.com/xEHxKv5PRE
— Ariel Rothfield (@arothfield) June 3, 2019

Tom made it to the horse. The tricky part now is to calm the horse down so he can get the horse to land that is not flooded @41actionnews #OnlyOn41 pic.twitter.com/VaAQaKZ9rN
— Ariel Rothfield (@arothfield) June 3, 2019

Tom and the horse on the railroad tracks. He’s going to take the horse to a friend’s home up the road & wait for the owner. @41actionnews pic.twitter.com/PH4mjAvqSL
— Ariel Rothfield (@arothfield) June 3, 2019

The biggest challenge right now is trying to get these cattle to go one-by-one. The calf has already been taken to dry land on boat @41actionnews pic.twitter.com/jWetAZqpmX
— Ariel Rothfield (@arothfield) June 3, 2019

They got the momma to start heading towards dry land, which they say is good. They’re hoping the younger ones will now follow @41actionnews pic.twitter.com/9mjCob7sNq
— Ariel Rothfield (@arothfield) June 3, 2019

And they are making a little bit of progress... it’s a slow process @41actionnews pic.twitter.com/vtnSnwxFuh
— Ariel Rothfield (@arothfield) June 3, 2019

They made it to the railroad tracks! Now all the volunteers have to do us guide them along the tracks. @41actionnews pic.twitter.com/YxVK31iyPW
— Ariel Rothfield (@arothfield) June 3, 2019

Kansas Ranchers Dealing with Flooding

Similar to other states, cattle producers in Kansas are also having to move cattle because of a glut of rain. Jeff Dewerff, a rancher near Ellinwod, has moved his cattle several times to avoid high water.

“It’s very dangerous for the little baby calves,” Dewerff says. “This water can sweep them away.”

He’s been dealing with problems like pneumonia and grass dying off following the continued flooding.

South Dakota Rancher Uses Kayak to Check Cattle

A rancher near Freeman, South Dakota, who can’t access his cattle with a truck or ATV has resorted to using a kayak as a means to look at his cows and calves.

“We tried to go through this field over here, but that was too wet,” says Patrick Hofer. “We almost got stuck with the four-wheeler so then Laura and I had the idea. Well maybe we should take a kayak down the creek.”

This photo is from Hutchinson County on Friday. Fast forward to today... pic.twitter.com/lHFFKKAce8
— Dan Santella (@KELODanS) June 3, 2019

...and the water has receded considerably. We're talking with the owner of these cows (and the pilot of that kayak) momentarily pic.twitter.com/Srfz0QDpnu
— Dan Santella (@KELODanS) June 3, 2019

Managing Cattle on Flooded Pasture

Below is a video from Oklahoma State University Extension beef specialist David Lalman offering advice on how to feed and care for cattle that have been on flooded pasture:

For more on what you can do for cattle following a flood read the following articles:

Heavy Rains may Hike Arkansas Winter Cattle Costs

Fri, 13 Nov 2020 02:04:29 GMT

Agriculture officials say heavy rains that have fallen this year may have driven up production costs for Arkansas cattle farmers this winter.

The National Agricultural Statistics Service says 52 percent of Arkansas’ pastures are in good or excellent condition. Heavy rains throughout the year largely benefited cattle farmers with plentiful hay.

But excessive rains in north-central Arkansas diminished the crop’s nutrient content and will likely require some farmers to rely more heavily on supplemental feed through the winter.

Boone County Extension Agent Mike McClintock said the region received a little too much rain and cool temperatures during hay season.

“We made a lot of volume of hay, but due to a lot of the producers not being able to get it out of the field in a timely fashion, the quality of that hay is much lower, in terms of its nutritional quality,” McClintock said.

Fescue hay typically has a crude protein content of about 8 to 10 percent if harvested in late May, but drops drastically as the summer progresses. McClintock said the hay’s crude protein content can drop to 6 percent or less by July.

“Those producers that did not stockpile forage are going to start feeding hay earlier than normal for our area,” McClintock said. “I think many of them, if they did not test the hay for quality, are going to be surprised and have to start their supplementation earlier as well.”

While this won’t affect cattle purchasers or retail consumers, producers’ net income will suffer if they have to resort to feeding their cows distiller’s grain, corn or other sources of supplemental nutrition.

Knowing Symptoms of Prussic Acid, Nitrates Key to Johnsongrass Care

Fri, 20 Jul 2018 00:12:00 GMT

Forage management has always been the foundation of a successful livestock operations in Arkansas and elsewhere, and keeping a close eye on those forages in drought conditions is fundamental to that success.

Johnsongrass, a good quality forage found widely throughout Arkansas, offers its own challenges in such conditions, said John Jennings, Professor of Forage for the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture.

“When it becomes stressed from drought, johnsongrass can produce prussic acid — also known as hydrocyanic acid — or can accumulate nitrate, both of which are very toxic to livestock,” Jennings said.

Other grasses, such as sorghum or sudan, including haygrazer, greengraze, Sudex and sudangrass, can also develop prussic acid and accumulate nitrate. Jennings said its important for growers to be able to identify the differences in these toxins, and how toxicity levels may be measured.

Prussic Acid

“It’s difficult to predict how much prussic acid toxin may be present in the forage,” Jennings said. “There are no reliable field or routine laboratory for measuring toxic levels of prussic acid in forage. Lab tests can confirm prussic acid poisoning for dead animals, but the amount of toxin that results in death hasn’t been established for any routine tests, and field testing is not available.”

What is known is this: Hydrocyanic acid (HCN), or prussic acid, is generally found in stressed johnsongrass or sorghum, and is formed by enzymatic action on compounds called cyanogenetic glucosides.

When these compounds are broken down in the rumen of cattle, the cyanide is absorbed and combines with the hemoglobin in the bloodstream. This prevents the red blood cells from releasing oxygen to the body tissues, and suffocation occurs. One diagnostic symptom of prussic acid poisoning is bright red blood since it is full of trapped oxygen. Prussic acid poisoning occurs rapidly with affected animals dying in the field.

“Johnsongrass — and any plants of the sorghum family — can develop prussic acid,” Jennings said. “Wilted leaves of wild cherry trees caused by storm damage, or trimming or cutting, also have high prussic acid potential.”

Wilted and drought stressed plants are most likely to develop prussic acid. During early drought stress, the grass may appear normal in the morning, but can wilt during afternoon heat, which increases toxic potential.

The amount of prussic acid is higher in young plants than in older ones, and the toxicity of leaves is higher than that of stems, Jennings said. Prussic acid poisoning potential is very high for johnsongrass forage that is shorter than 18 inches tall, wilted forage or for a new flush of growth soon after a rainfall or after hay cutting. Prussic acid concentration decreases as plants become taller and more mature.

“Many producers believe the white powdery substance commonly seen on johnsongrass stems in late summer is prussic acid residue, but it’s only common powdery mildew fungus and is not considered toxic to livestock,” Jennings said.

Prussic acid dissipates when the forage dries, so well-cured hay is considered safe, Jennings said. If johnsongrass patches are mowed before allowing animals to graze a pasture, make sure the cut johnsongrass is dried completely to allow the prussic acid to dissipate.

For more information on prussic acid, growers should consult the Division of Agriculture publication “FSA 3069 Prussic Acid” at https://www.uaex.edu/publications/PDF/FSA-3069.pdf .

Nitrate

Laboratory and field tests can be conducted on fresh forage and hay for nitrate content. Nitrate concentration of 700 ppm (parts per million) or less of nitrate-nitrogen is considered safe. Field tests with a diphenylamine solution can be used to indicate presence of nitrate to help determine if lab testing is needed to confirm nitrate concentration.

Growers can consult “FSA 3024 – Nitrate Poisoning in Cattle” for information on toxicity levels at ttps://www.uaex.edu/publications/pdf/FSA-3024.pdf .

“Nitrates can accumulate to toxic levels in some plant species, especially during drought stress,” Jennings said. Plants known for accumulating nitrate include johnsongrass, sorghums (forage sorghum, sorghum-sudan, and sudangrass), pearl millet, corn, and pigweed.

“Drought, shade, and sometimes potassium deficiency can cause a reduction in the activity of a specific plant enzyme that functions in the conversion of nitrate to precursors of plant protein, which allows accumulation of nitrate,” he said.

Similar to prussic acid poisoning, nitrate poisoning causes internal suffocation of the animal. However, nitrate prevents the blood from picking up oxygen to carry to the tissues. A diagnostic symptom of nitrate poisoning is dark, chocolate-brown appearing blood, which is a result of lack of oxygen in the blood, Jennings said.

Other things growers should keep in mind include:

High nitrates usually occur when forages have been heavily fertilized with nitrogen fertilizer, but can also occur after poultry litter application or in fields with a history of manure application.
High nitrate levels are most likely in young immature plants and decline as the plants mature. In cases of very high nitrate content, levels may remain high even in mature plants.
Nitrate levels are typically highest in the lower part of the plant stem/stalk.
High nitrate levels do not dissipate when hay is cut and remain high even in dry hay.
Nitrate levels may decrease by about 50% in silage/haylage during the fermentation process. Be reminded that this may not be enough to reduce very high nitrate forage to safe levels.

To learn more about forage management in Arkansas, contact your local Cooperative Extension Service agent or visit www.uaex.edu .