Miller County Agriculture - University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension

06/03/2026

Arkansas cattle face a new tick. If you missed the webinar, request a link to the recording below.

06/03/2026

Do you have any of these symptoms in your lawn?

06/03/2026

New World screwworm is moving closer to the U.S. border, but there are NO confirmed cases in the United States. The closest confirmed case was detected 25 miles away in the Mexican state of Coahuila.

All confirmed updates can be found on screwworm.gov.

Know the signs. Check your livestock and animals regularly. Report suspected infestations immediately.

Livestock & Pets
Report to the Texas Animal Health Commission
tahc.texas.gov

Wildlife
Report to Texas Parks & Wildlife Department
tpwd.texas.gov/screwworm

06/02/2026

If they can get past a soggy forecast, Arkansas’ cotton and soybean farmers pushing to the finish line to get their crops in the ground. Read more at https://bit.ly/June-cotton-soybeans-26

06/01/2026

If you have ever raised blackberries and picked beautiful berries only to be soft and mushy, then open them up to see tiny larvae inside, more than likely it's Spotted-Wing Drosophila.

Tips for Avoiding Breakthrough Spotted-Wing Drosophila Infestations in Blackberry

Blackberries are already being picked across Arkansas and growers should be spraying weekly for spotted-wing drosophila (SWD). SWD is a major threat each year and the recent rain and cloudy
weather is likely gearing us up for a higher risk of infestation. In both 2024 and 2025, an early warm-up followed by periods of cooler and wet weather prior to and at the beginning of harvest season were a recipe for high infestation pressure for many growers. Depending on where you are in the state, you
may have gotten rain almost every other day for the last couple of weeks, which is exactly what we see in high infestation years. Any growers late starting their spray schedule for SWD will be more heavily impacted as the year goes on, as these first few sprays are paramount in keeping the population down in fields. See below for recommendations on management throughout the rest of the blackberry picking season.

Late Spray Schedules Increase Risk of Infestation
The main issue we seem to deal with each year is when to start the SWD spray schedule. We often see many farms apply the first applications after the first harvest, which yields many larvae in
berries. Research consistently suggests these first few sprays are the most important, and growers need to use the best products first (bifenthrin, fenpropathrin, zeta-cypermethrin, and malathion). No insecticide 100% suppresses spotted-wing drosophila infestations. This means we want to keep those numbers as low as possible, so 90% suppression only leaves a few successful larvae that we can hope to kill with cold storage, etc.

Integrated Management is Paramount for Successful Control
Early sprays with highly effective products will keep SWD numbers down, but without integration of cultural tactics, acceptable levels of control will generally not be realized season long. This is especially evident in “bad” SWD years where populations quickly get out of control. Below I will go through some ways to manage the environment on blackberry farms and make it less amenable for SWD.
1. Prune plants to maximize airflow and light pe*******on. Research shows that SWD prefer shaded, humid and cooler environments during the day.
2. Harvest fruit as soon as they are ripe. SWD are attracted to ripe or ripening fruit and will lay eggs on blushing fruit when populations are high.
3. Increase harvest frequency when possible. This lowers the exposure time of ripe blackberries to SWD adults which will mean less risk of egg-lay.
4. Do not leave culls on the cane or drop them within the field. Getting culled fruit out of plantings and disposed of will drastically reduce the number of flies. This is one of the key areas
where many Arkansas growers are hurting their management efforts.
5. Move berries to cold storage as quickly as possible. Getting berries close to 32°F will slow/stop the development of eggs and larvae, and even kill many. There may be trade-offs with berry
quality when you move from hot berries picked in the late afternoon to a cold facility. If problems occur, consider a step-wise manner of cooling down berries but push the envelope as
much as possible.

Tips to optimize spray programs:
1. Make sure your sprayer is calibrated. If you are applying less insecticide than you think, you should expect a large problem with SWD. Also be sure to frequently check that all nozzles on
sprayers are working correctly and within 5% or so flow rate of what is expected.
2. Don’t skimp on spray volume. A minimum of 50 gallons per acre of spray volume is necessary to fully cover plants and adequately suppress SWD.
3. Spray an effective insecticide at least every 7 days. This schedule should begin whenever fruit begins to blush (Picture 2) or when your SWD traps indicate infestations are beginning in
plantings.
4. Make sure your first insecticide sprays are highly effective chemicals
(https://fieldreport.caes.uga.edu/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/AP-121-5_1.pdf). Research shows that keeping populations down early is the key to full-season success.
5. Rotate effective modes of action (IRAC codes) with each spray.
6. Check berries often for larvae. You can use a saltwater rinse to easily quantify SWD numbers in berries. Increase spray intervals if you are finding large amounts of larvae in samples.

https://www.uaex.uada.edu/publications/pdf/FSA7088.pdf
https://www.uaex.uada.edu/publications/pdf/fsa-7079.pdf

Information provided by: Aaron Cato – Extension Specialist Horticulture IPM

06/01/2026

Tomatoes and Bacterial Wilt

As the temperature increases, people may start noticing some of their tomato plants wilting in the sun. Sometimes these plants will recover overnight only to wilt again each afternoon regardless of the water provided and the healthy state of other tomato plants nearby. At this point, a grower should start considering the possibility of bacterial wilt disease being involved.

The first symptom one might notice is the plant wilting in the afternoon sun while other tomato plants are not. The youngest leaves may be the first to start wilting. A tomato plant may perk back up by the next day only to wilt again in the sun. The wilting and recovery cycle happens because the bacteria partially clog the flow of water up the plant. When the demand for water is low, the partially clogged vascular system can still keep up, but in the middle of the day when the demand for water is high, the system is too blocked up to provide water to the leaves fast enough. With bacterial wilt, it does not matter how much water is available to the plant because the flow of water is limited by the size of the vascular paths leading up to the leaves.

It doesn't take long before the bacteria block the water pathways so much that the plant permanently wilts. Basically, the bacteria are rapidly multiplying within a plant's waterways, gumming up the system. When the waterways are gummed up enough, the
plant dies. The amount of time between first noticing the plant wilting and the death of the plant tends to be quick with this disease.

There are no chemical treatments to protect or treat a plant suffering from bacterial wilt disease. Resistant cultivars exist, and if you know you have a preexisting problem, it would be wise to use those resistant cultivars. It should be noted that resistance doesn't mean immunity to bacterial wilt disease.

05/28/2026

05/28/2026

Adjusting for Higher Costs in 2026
James Mitchell, University of Arkansas

The Iran war and the ongoing trade uncertainty and tariffs are beginning to show up more clearly in the broader economy. April headline inflation increased to 3.8%, the highest level since May 2023. Even after removing food and energy, the most volatile categories, core inflation still measured 2.8% in April, the highest level since September 2025. Recent inflation estimates coupled with poor consumer sentiment have everyone looking over their shoulder at what could come next. For agriculture, these developments matter because higher fuel, fertilizer, and transportation costs eventually work their way into the cost structure of nearly every operation.

One of the more immediate sources of heartburn is diesel fuel prices. There are a couple of ways individuals could adjust custom rates or production budgets to account for higher diesel prices. The most straightforward approach would be to look at how much diesel prices have increased and what percentage diesel has historically represented of total production costs for that specific operation.

One example is examining what you may be expected to pay for custom rates on cutting, raking, and baling hay. In Arkansas, the most recent week of data shows diesel prices averaging $5.11 per gallon compared to $3.21 per gallon during the same week last year, an increase of roughly 59%. The 2026 Arkansas hay planning budget estimates that diesel accounts for approximately 5% of total operating costs on a per-bale basis. Using that relationship, an individual charging $30 per bale for 1,000-pound round bales with net wrap could adjust their rate upward by approximately 3%. The calculation is relatively straightforward: a 59% increase in diesel prices multiplied by diesel’s 5% share of total costs equals a 3% increase in total operating costs. Applying that adjustment would increase the custom rate from $30 per bale to approximately $30.90 per bale.

The more important issue is that diesel is only one factor contributing to higher production costs. Many producers are also facing higher machinery costs, parts, labor, interest expenses, and fertilizer and chemical costs depending on the operation. Fuel tends to receive the most attention because it changes quickly and is highly visible, but it may not be the largest contributor to total cost increases over time. That means simply adjusting for diesel alone may understate the true increase in operating costs for some producers.

Note: $30 per bale is the midpoint from the University of Missouri Custom Rate Survey updated in March 2026.

05/26/2026

Gerson Drescher loves working in the field, conducting soil testing and nutrient analysis and developing recommendations that help growers maximize yield and improve sustainability. Learn how soil testing, plant nutrition and applied research come together to improve crop production efficiency and support sustainable agriculture.

Drescher loves working in the field, conducting soil testing and nutrient analysis and developing recom...

05/22/2026

Our offices will be closed Monday, May 25 in honor of those brave men and women that gave their lives so that we may enjoy the freedoms and liberties we have in this great country.

There will be several services in Texarkana including:
1. May 24 at Memorial Gardens, hosted by Memorial Gardens & the Texarkana Area Veterans Council. It begins at 2:00 PM
2. May 25 at the Miller County Courthouse, hosted by the American Legion. It begins at 11:00 AM.
3. Immediately after, we will meet at the Korean/Vietnam Memorial, hosted by Vietnam Veterans of America #278. It begins about 11:45
4. Hillcrest Cemetery, hosted by Texarkana Funeral Home. It begins at 2:00 PM

Everyone is invited. Bring a lawn chair.

The National Moment of Remembrance. This is an annual event that asks Americans to pause for one minute at 3:00 PM local time in remembrance of those who gave all.