What To Expect At The 2017 Arkansas Rice Expo – Aug. 4
LITTLE ROCK, ARK.
The 2017 Rice Expo is slated for August 4 at the Grand Prairie Center in Stuttgart, AR. So what can you expect from the Expo this year? New tools for soil fertility, new technologies for weed control and live cooking demonstrations are on the agenda.
“The seventh annual Rice Expo is our chance to not only celebrate rice, but also the Arkansas farmers who grow this crop and keep our state’s ag-driven economy healthy,” said Mark Cochran, vice president-agriculture for the University of Arkansas System and head of the system’s Division of Agriculture. “Arkansas remains the nation’s top rice grower, producing more than half the U.S. output for this commodity.”
Doors open at 8 a.m. and the event runs through lunch. There is no charge for admission or the catfish lunch being catered by Yoder Ruritan.
This year’s Rice Expo will feature presentations on fruit varieties and fruit growing by Janet Carson, extension horticulture specialist and author and White County Extension Agent Sherri Sanders.
Keith Cleek, extension area program associate, and Leigh Ann Bullington, Woodruff County extension staff chair, will be returning with their popular live cook demonstrations. This year, they’ll have some ideas for folks who want to take rice beyond the savory and into the realm of the sweet tooth.
There will be plenty for young people to do, with 4-H activities indoors and out.
2017 field tours
Tours of field research and technology at the Rice Research and Extension Center are the heart and soul of the Arkansas Rice Expo. Tour buses will depart from the Grand Prairie Center. This year’s tours:
Stop 1 – Foundation Seed Facility – Don’t miss a tour of this state-of-the-art facility in its first year online. Tours to be given by facility director Glenn Bathke.
Stop 2 – Rice Variety Observation Bay – Karen Moldenhauer, rice breeder for the U of A System Division of Agriculture will offer a breeding program overview and Jarrod Hardke, extension rice agronomist, will give an update on the season and agronomics.
Stop 3 – Weed Control and Soil Fertility – Bob Scott, extension weed scientist, will discuss new herbicide technologies and Trent Roberts, extension soil scientist, will introduce new tools and recommendations for soil fertility.
Learn more about the Rice Expo and view the detailed agenda by visiting the updates page: https://www.uaex.edu/rice-expo/ ∆