Arkansas Farm Bureau Associate Director of National Affairs Jeffrey Hall will lead a discussion of how changes in the federal farm bill might affect Arkansas producers during a July 19 University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture Crops Field Day at the Rohwer Research Station at the intersection of Hwy. 138 and Hwy. 1 in Desha County.

Hall will speak prior to a complimentary lunch following a morning tour of research plots, said Kelly Bryant, director of the Southeast Research and Extension Center based at Monticello and Rohwer. Registration is at 9 a.m. Visitors will choose one of two tours from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. focusing on either corn and soybean or cotton and rice.

"We have some timely research in each commodity addressing issues of particular interest to producers here in Southeast Arkansas," Bryant said. Tours will feature research on weed, insect and disease control; fertility management; irrigation; planting dates and hybrids for the respective crops.

The Arkansas Farm Bureau has criticized the farm bill legislation passed in June by the United States Senate.

Arkansas Farm Bureau President Randy Veach said in a news release that, "The purpose of the farm bill, historically, has been to provide a safety net for farmers and ranchers, and help them through difficult times. This version of the farm bill passed by the Senate offers no safety net for much of southern agriculture."

The field day program is available online here.

Video of each tour will be posted on the website the following week.