The Arkansas Farm Bureau (ArFB) Foundation has launched disaster relief efforts to aid counties affected by the March 14 storms. As of March 19, 13 tornadoes had been confirmed across the state by the National Weather Service. The communities affected by these storms are largely rural and have a significant agricultural presence. If your county Farm Bureau would like to assist in these efforts, consider donating to the ArFB Foundation’s Disaster Relief Fund. Donations earmarked for disaster relief will be directly used to aid Arkansas farmers, ranchers and rural communities affected by the storms.
Donations can be made online or by mail to the ArFB Foundation, P.O. Box 31, Little Rock, AR 72203. Please make note that the donation is for disaster relief. All donations are tax-deductible.
Ag Hall of Fame Class XXXVII | Six new inductees joined the Arkansas Agriculture Hall of Fame March 28. Since the hall of fame’s first class in 1987, a total of 192 men and women have been inducted for their significant contributions to Arkansas’s largest industry. This year’s inductees included (from left) the late Jack Reaper of Albion, represented by his grandson Jack Reaper and son Jacky Reaper, Aubrey Blackmon of Houston, Frank Wilson of Rison, Carl Brothers of Stuttgart, Mike Freeze of Little Rock and Chuck Culver of Fayetteville. Photos from the event can be found online.
Spring Break Volunteers | During spring break, children of the Cross Co. Farm Bureau Women’s Leadership Committee (WLC) plus 4-H students volunteered at the Hickory Ridge Food Pantry. Cross Co. WLC members volunteer to run and manage the food pantry and clothes closet. The students assisted in sorting clothes and household items, stocked shelves, boxed food and helped deliver to clients, cleaned inside, and picked up limbs outside from recent storms.
7TH ANNUAL FOUNDATION TRAP
The Arkansas Farm Bureau Foundation will be hosting its 7th Annual Trap Shoot on Friday, June 6 at the Arkansas Game & Fish Foundation Shooting Sports Complex in Jacksonville.
The theme of this year’s event is “Aiming for the Future of Agriculture” in support of both the Arkansas 4-H and the Arkansas FFA foundations. Supporting youth in agriculture is at the heart of the ArFB Foundation’s mission. Investing in the future of Arkansas agriculture is a shared vision among our organizations. Half of the net proceeds from this year’s shoot will directly benefit
USDA NOW ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS
EMERGENCY COMMODITY ASSISTANCE
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has announced that applications for agricultural economic disaster payments will open March 19 under the Emergency Commodity Assistance Program (ECAP). This program provides crucial financial relief to farmers and agricultural producers affected by recent economic challenges.
Key Takeaways:
• Application Period: March 19 – Aug. 15
trailer. Once students realized “Elsie” wasn’t real and didn’t move, the milk flew and the petting began. Each student was held up to pet her nose and look her in the eye. After all the excitement, students planted some vegetable seeds and will get to watch them grow, and harvest them. “Elsie’s” handlers for the day included Searcy Co. Farm Bureau Board President Randy Clark, member Mike Crow and Women’s Leadership Committee member Jannie Crow.
• Application Process:
– Eligible applicants will receive pre-filled applications by mail. Applications are likely to arrive in via USPS by March 21.
– Farmers do not need to wait for mailed applications and can visit their local Farm Service Agency (FSA) office as soon as March 19 or access application materials and the payment calculator online at fsa.usda.gov/ecap
– Completed applications must be submitted to an FSA office for processing. Click here to find your nearest FSA office.
• Payment Timeline & Structure:
– Once an application is received and approved by FSA, payments are expected to be issued within an average of three days.
– Initial ECAP payments will be prorated at 85% to ensure that total program payments do not exceed available funding. If additional funds remain, FSA may issue a second payment.
– If funds remain from the $10 billion allocated for ECAP after the Aug. 15 deadline, a second round of payments could
SHOOT FUNDRAISER
Arkansas 4-H and Arkansas FFA, while continuing to support the goals of the ArFB Foundation.
There are several options for county Farm Bureaus to show support. One way is through sponsorship of a local youth shooting team or by entering a county team. For information on all sponsorship opportunities, please visit the ArFB Foundation website for additional forms.
For questions, contact Amanda Williams by email at amanda. williams@arfb.com or by phone at 501-228-1493.
APPLICATIONS FOR ASSISTANCE
PROGRAM
be issued, but total payments cannot exceed the amount approved by Congress.
• Full Funding Allocation:
– The entire $10 billion in funding will be distributed without sequestration or administrative fees, ensuring all resources go directly to supporting producers.
• Eligible Commodities and Payment Rates (Click here for more information)
– The commodities below are eligible for these per-acre payment rates. Note, these amounts are the 100% rate:
• Wheat – $30.69
• Corn – $42.91
• Sorghum – $42.52
• Barley – $21.67
• Oats – $77.66
• Upland cotton & extralong staple cotton –$84.74
• Peanuts – $75.51
Eligible oilseeds:
• Canola – $31.83
• Crambe – $19.08
• Flax – $20.97
• Mustard – $11.36
• Long & medium grain rice – $76.94
• Soybeans – $29.76
• Dry peas – $16.02
• Lentils – $19.30
• Small chickpeas –$31.45
• Large chickpeas –$24.02
Arkansas Ag in the Classroom awarded 23 organizations and schools over $9,000 in grants to develop and maintain their gardens. These gardens teach about growing food, cultivating the earth and harvesting the rewards!
Food Drive | Saline Co. Farm Bureau recently hosted a food drive where they collected much-needed food for the local food pantry. Students at the Harmony Grove Westbrook Elementary School also participated in the effort with Mrs. Hollomon’s class collecting the most food and earning a pizza party. Pictured is the Saline Co. Farm Bureau board and their collection haul.
• Rapeseed – $23.63
• Safflower – $26.32
• Sesame – $16.83
• Sunflower – $27.23
For more details, visit fsa.usda.gov, or contact your local FSA office.
Legislative Dinner | Columbia Co. Farm Bureau recently hosted its annual legislator dinner, followed by its quarterly board meeting. Special guests in attendance included Sen. Steve Crowell, Rep. Lane Jean and Rep. Wade Andrews who shared updates and answered questions about legislative matters impacting Columbia Co. and South Arkansas.
MARKET NEWS
as of April 2, 2025
Contact Brandy Carroll brandy.carroll@arfb.com
Tyler Oxner tyler.oxner@arfb.com
Rice
USDA released their Prospective Plantings report on March 31. Arkansas rice acreage is expected to total 1,461,000 acres, up 1% from 2024. 1,320,000 acres are expected to be seeded to long grain, with the remaining 141,000 acres dedicated to medium and short grain. This marks the highest rice acreage since 2016, reflecting lower prices for other commodities and recent strong field yields for rice. U.S. acreage is expected to decline 1%, reflecting small declines in production in every other rice producing state. The supply/demand balance sheet remains bearish, with ending stocks of 47.0 million cwt- the highest since 2014/2015. Record-high imports of long-grain aromatic rice from Thailand and India are adding pressure to the domestic market. Large stocks in China and India could keep world rice prices depressed. May futures remain in a mostly sideways pattern between support at $13 and resistance at $14.
Corn
The market had long anticipated a shift from soybean acres to corn acres, but with little bullish momentum, bears continue to dominate. The USDA projects the highest corn acreage total in over a decade. However, since this estimate aligns with traders’ and analysts’ expectations, prices have remained steady rather than declining further. New crop September futures tested the 20-day moving average at $4.43 but failed to break through. A move above this level
could drive momentum toward the 100-day moving average of $4.48. Meanwhile, corn planting in the south is progressing well, with Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Arkansas all exceeding their historical averages for late March. However, heavy rainfall — exceeding eight to ten inches in some areas — may slow planting and necessitate replanting in localized flood zones.
Soybeans
Despite acreage shifting toward corn, soybean prices saw a slight increase this week. New crop November futures have recently climbed above the 100-day moving average of $10.25 and are now approaching the next key resistance level at $10.40. The real story in soybeans lies in how this acreage shift impacts the USDA’s February Outlook balance sheet. Given current demand projections, maintaining sufficient U.S. domestic soybean stocks in 2026 will depend heavily on strong yields. This underscores the critical role that weather conditions will play throughout the 2025 growing season.
Wheat
Monday’s USDA report projected a decline in wheat acreage, which — if realized — would mark the secondlowest level since 1919, excluding 2020. Despite larger-than-expected March 1 wheat stocks, traders are focusing on the implications of historically low acreage, particularly given the uncertain condition of winter wheat crops in both the U.S. and Russia. In Chicago, new crop July wheat futures are approaching the 20-day moving average of $5.66, with no significant resistance in sight. The convergence of the 20- and 100-day moving averages near $5.70 could serve as a key bullish target if the market finds support following the USDA report.
Cotton
An unsurprising Prospective Planting
estimate for cotton showed farmers plan a sharp decline in cotton acres. Nationally, farmers are reporting planting intentions of 9,867,000 acres-that is 13% smaller than 2024, while Arkansas farmers are expected to reduce planted cotton acreage by 12%. Arkansas acreage is pegged at 580,000 acres. Cotton prices remain below the cost of production, and cotton farmers are facing the third year in a row of financial losses. Futures have reacted positively to the report, with prices breaking above technical resistance. May has an upside objective of 69 cents and December is testing the waters near 71 cents.
Cattle
Cattle futures continue to trend higher, overcoming the occasional market setback set new highs. The fundamental picture remains bullish, with the March Cattle on Feed Report showing February placements down 18% from 2024 at 1.55 million head, and total disappearance was up 7% from last year. The total on-feed inventory for March 1 was down 2% from last year. The June contract has support at the recent spike low of $199.60 and needs to close above the recent high of $207.30 to suggest further gains are possible.
Hogs
Hog futures are chopping along with wide daily swings but in a mostly sideways pattern. The Quarterly Hogs and Pigs report is providing support. The March 1 sow herd declined yearover-year for the fourth time in five years, to a nine year low 5.98 million head. December-February farrowings were only 98.7% of the 2024 and were the lowest for the quarter in 11 years.
