Jackson County Extension Center Celebrates opening Of Arkansas Corn And Grain Sorghum Producers Building
TRACY COURAGE
NEWPORT, ARKANSAS
Jackson County Extension Center’s newest building — the Arkansas Corn and Grain Sorghum Producers Building — is open for business and already being put to use.
Jackson County Extension Center Director Tom Barber thanked the Arkansas Corn and Grain Sorghum Board, which donated $250,000 for the completion of the new 4,800-square-foot building. The Jackson County Quorum Court provided $20,000 to support the main building and $5,000 for the center’s 4-H Outdoor Skills area.
“For Jackson County, this is just incredible,” said Tommy Young, chairman of the Arkansas Corn and Grain Sorghum Board and a member of the Jackson County Quorum Court. “The Arkansas Grain and Sorghum Board saw a need for this building. A lot of research is done here involving corn and sorghum. Northeast Arkansas has the Rice Research Center in Jonesboro, but nothing was named for corn and sorghum. Now we do.”
Arkansas is ranked No. 17 in the nation in corn for grain production. Corn generates about $516 million in cash receipts each year in Arkansas, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture Economic Research Service.
The Jackson County Extension Center site has about 350 acres of tillable land that extension researchers and agents use for variety trials and demonstrations in soybean, corn, peanuts and wheat — all the row crops in Arkansas except cotton. Research is being done in the areas of fertility, weed science, breeding, entomology and agronomy.
“I can remember some of the early fields we worked here,” said Cooperative Extension Service Director Bob Scott, who previously served as the director of the former Newport Extension Center. “The research done here benefits growers not just in Northeast Arkansas but across the state.”
The Jackson County Extension Center houses extension staff and agents who work in agriculture, 4-H and family and consumer sciences, as well as staff and farm technicians.
The Arkansas Corn and Grain Sorghum Producers Building includes a 60-by-40-foot multiuse room that can accommodate 60 people for classroom instruction or as many as 100 for dining. It’s also outfitted with audio and visual equipment and Zoom capabilities so that meetings can include both in-person and virtual options. The area will provide a place for producers, 4-H members and the general public to meet.
Jackson County Extension County staff chair Matthew Davis said the new outdoor skills area will provide extensive opportunities for youth development, agent training and adult education. Several fire pits have already been installed and future plans include adding an archery range and a nature trail where visitors can learn about native trees and plants.
With the upgrades, the center can also serve as a regional meeting site for 4-H members throughout northeast Arkansas.
“Instead of traveling to the C.A. Vines Arkansas 4-H Center in Little Rock, we will be able to host some trainings here, making it more convenient for 4-H kids in this area,” Davis said. ∆
TRACY COURAGE: University of Arkansas