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| Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station, University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences VISION eXtra is e-mailed weekly to faculty and staff of Bumpers College and the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station, Division of Agriculture. This service is primarily for timely announcement of news and events for the AAES and Bumpers College. Submit items to hmedders@uark.edu. You may also wish to submit items to headline@uark.edu for posting on "UA Daily Headlines" for campus-wide distribution. |
June 30, 2009 |
1. Rohwer Research Station to host bio-fuel crops field day
2. Division of Agriculture field days this summer and fall
3. Rockefeller Foundation hosts 'Bountiful Arkansas Day'
4. Save the Date or Division of Agriculture Awards Luncheon Jan. 8
5. Graduate students offer diagnostic services at Farmers Market
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1. Rohwer Research Station to host bio-fuel crops field day
The potential for producing "energy crops" in Southeast Arkansas will be considered at a field day on "Alternative Crops for Bio-Fuel Production" July 30 at the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture's Rohwer Research Station.
Station Director Larry Earnest said several crops with potential to be grown for bio-energy feedstock are being field tested at the Rohwer Research Station on Hwy. 1 just north of the Hwy. 138 intersection.
Renewable alternative fuels have already had a major impact on Arkansas agriculture. Increased demand for corn, soybeans and other oilseeds used for bio-fuel has resulted in higher prices and larger acreages of those crops in the state.
The next generation of bio-fuel technology is expected to use non-food, cellulosic bio-mass, such as fast-growing grass or tree species such as those being tested at Rohwer, Earnest said.
Field day visitors will tour test plots of potential energy crops and then move indoors to hear reports on the economics and technology of bio-energy production.
The research plots and Division of Agriculture project leaders who will discuss them include:
-- Switchgrass production, by Chuck West, professor of crop, soil and environmental sciences (CSES), Fayetteville;
-- High oil content soybeans, by Bryan Stobaugh, graduate assistant, CSES, Fayetteville;
-- Weed control in sunflowers, by Ken Smith, professor of weed science, Southeast Research and Extension Center, Monticello; and
-- Weed control in sweet sorghum, by Nilda Burgos, associate professor, CSES, Fayetteville.
Technology, economics and environmental topics and presenters will include:
-- Converting bio-mass to bio-crude demonstration, by Sammy Sadaka, extension engineer-biosystems, Cooperative Extension Service, Little Rock;
-- Engine performance and efficiency (biodiesel), by Don Johnson, professor of agricultural and extension education, Fayetteville;
-- Environmental task force update, by Rob Wiedenmann, entomology department head, Fayetteville, and Tara Wood, program associate; and
-- Cost of production and expected returns, by Michael Popp, professor of agricultural economics and agribusiness, Fayetteville.
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2. Division of Agriculture field days this summer and fall
July 30. Alternative Crops for Bio-Fuel Production. Rohwer Research Station, Rohwer.
Aug 5. Crops Field Day, Northeast Research and Extension Center, Keiser.
Aug 5. Turfgrass Field Day. Horticulture Farm, Arkansas Agricultural Research and Extension Center, Fayetteville. To register or for more information: http://turf.uark.edu/education/field.html
Aug 12. Crops Field Day. Rice Research and Extension Center, Stuttgart.
Aug 20. Crops Field Day. Pine Tree Research Station, Colt.
Oct 21. Forestry Field Day. Livestock and Forestry Research Station, Batesville.
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3. Rockefeller Foundation hosts 'Bountiful Arkansas Day'
Bountiful Arkansas Day, a celebration of Arkansas' homegrown foods, will take place Saturday, July 11, at the University of Arkansas System's Winthrop Rockefeller Institute atop Petit Jean Mountain near Morrilton. The daylong event is designed to give the public an opportunity to taste and learn about locally grown produce from Arkansas.
Activities include horticulture workshops, tomato tasting, tours of the Heritage Farmstead, a Winthrop Rockefeller Distinguished Lectures Program featuring the authors of "The 100-Mile Diet," musical entertainment by Runaway Planet, and a variety of exhibits and local vendors.
During the horticulture workshops, specialists from the Division of Agriculture will teach participants which fruit and vegetable varieties grow best in Arkansas and will also provide tips on how to plant these varieties in their own backyards. Obadiah Njue will teach the vegetable workshop from 10 to 11 a.m., and Elena Garcia will teach the workshop on growing fruits from 2 to 3 p.m.
From 11 a.m. until 2 p.m., participants can experience the flavors of 20 different varieties of locally grown tomatoes, including heirloom varieties. Many of the featured tomatoes are grown in the Rockefeller Institute's own vegetable garden. Roving question-and-answer sessions about the vegetable garden, orchard and vineyard will be conducted by experts at different times throughout the day as part of the Heritage Farmstead tours.
In keeping with the theme of the day, Alisa Smith and James MacKinnon, authors of "Plenty: Eating Locally on the 100-Mile Diet," will give a presentation from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. For one year, the journalists only consumed food that came from within a 100-mile radius of their Vancouver apartment. They will share with the audience how their local eating experiment reconnected them to the people and places that produced what they ate.
Following the lecture, Little Rock bluegrass band Runaway Planet will perform in an outdoor concert. To learn more about their music, visit www.runawayplanet.net. More details about Bountiful Arkansas Day can be found at the Rockefeller Institute's Web site at www.uawri.org.
Space is limited for the lecture and horticulture workshops, so advance registration is required for these activities and is recommended for the tomato tasting. Register online or by phone at (501) 727-5435. Local food will be served at the Rockefeller Institute's River Rock Grill during lunch and dinner, and overnight accommodations are available at the Rockefeller Institute's Lodge and Conference Center. Call for room and meal reservations.
The Winthrop Rockefeller Institute is an educational center with conference and lodging facilities. To learn more, call 501-727-5435, visit the Web site at www.uawri.org, or stay connected on Twitter and Facebook.
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4. Save the Date for Division of Agriculture Awards Luncheon Jan. 8
Faculty and staff awards will be presented at the Division of Agriculture Awards Luncheon Jan. 8, 2010, in Little Rock.
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5. Graduate students offer diagnostic services at Farmers Market
Entomology and plant pathology graduate students are staffing diagnostic booths on alternating Satrudays from 8:00 to 11:30 a.m. at the Fayetteville Farmers Market. The public can bring their problem plants or questions to the booth located on the west side of the city square.
Graduate students will try to diagnose the cause of plant damage from samples, photos and descriptions and will submit samples for laboratory analysis if required to provide a diagnosis and recommendation. They also will provide information on current and upcoming plant management issues.
Samples of common insect pests and disease symptoms are provided and can be viewed under a microscope.
The booths are projects of the Plant Pathology Graduate Student Association, Terry Spurlock, president; and the Isley-Baerg Entomology Club, Josh Hannam, president.
AAES and Bumpers College Web sites:
http://aaes.uark.edu/
http://bumperscollege.uark.edu/