Arkansas R.F.D.

When Richard Bell, head of Arkansas' Dept. of Ag, visited Batesville last week, he discussed the frustrations of our newest state Agency.  The Dept. of Ag was created in the last legislative session.  At the time, Arkansas and Rhode Island shared the distinction of being the only two states without a Dept. of Ag.  Rhode Island doesn't have much in the way of an Ag industry.  Agriculture in Arkansas, on the other hand, is our state's largest industry.  It made no sense to have various agencies and the Farm Bureau marketing and working to improve our largest state-wide industry.

It still doesn't.  Bell explains in the article that "some powerful groups" opposed the formation of the department.  In what sounds like a passive-aggressive legislative move, the Department was not funded; it still isn't fully funded.

I personally would like to see this department work to help small farmers find creative ways to market their products.  Just one example would be getting the mushroom farmer in Leslie together with the dairy farm in Marshall, along with the various organic farmers around the state, in order to help market their products regionally.  The big boys have the money to buy influence but these folks work tirelessly on a daily basis just to build their small business.  As a group, they don't have a strong advocate in our state.  Well, they've got Jody Hardin of Hardin farms but he's got his hands full and could use some help.

Marketing these products doesn't require flying in a gaggle of foreign delegates.  By helping these folks penetrate the Tulsa, Oklahoma City, Dallas, Houston, New Orleans, Memphis, Nashville, St. Louis, and Kansas City markets, the State will have made a huge difference in the local economies within which these farms operate.

These small farms are often located in areas of the state that desperately need economic development.  I tell you, if a man could make a living in Newton county, that's where I'd be.  These Ozark counties are tremendously beautiful but the economies are not very diverse.  Many of the residents drive to the nearest large town or have indentured themselves to the chicken industry.  Nonetheless, because the property in these areas is so affordable, they make attractive locations for small organic farming ventures.

Folks this is not crazy-talk; organic produce, artesian cheeses, and organic eggs, meats and dairy are huge.  The organic market is mainstream and growing every year.  Arkansas could cultivate a sizeable organic food industry if it tried. I'm afraid, however, that the Dept. of Ag will focus on Rice, Cotton, Soybeans, and Ag Corn instead of working to build new small-farming markets.  It's easier, as the ADED can attest, to focus on the home runs than to cultivate the base hits and the RBI's.