arkansas river valley agriculture arkansas river valley agriculture

Cotton, the crop most identified with the Delta, did not appear until after the United States acquired the region with the Louisiana Purchase. While the state was fortunate to have two additional officesone in the Arkansas River Valley west of Little Rock and one in southwest Arkansas near the Red Riverall were far from the Delta and most of the public land. [CDATA[ To avoid or escape the credit-debt trap of single crop agriculture, and in keeping with the New South emphasis on diversification, some farmers turned to fruit and vegetable farming. (function(){ A New Plantation South: Land, Labor, and Federal Favor in Twentieth-Century Arkansas. iFrameID.height = ""; Many company towns were established in the upland regions, and before 1930, hardly a family in the hill country was not involved, at least indirectly, in the forestry business. Beginning on the states western border, it ranges from twenty-five to thirty-five miles wide and extends almost 150 miles into the state. d[i].id = "ptac-faq-question" + b; The marginal buckshot soil avoided by traditional cotton farmers was ideal for rice. In addition to the outdoor recreational activities available to residents and visitors of the region, the River Valley contains Arkansas's wine country as well as hundreds of historical sites throughout the area. } Butler Center for Arkansas Studies, Central Arkansas Library System. Crop production in the Ozarks Plateaus and Ouachita Mountains is limited, mainly revolving around pasture lands. } This page is not available in other languages. Whayne, Jeannie M., and Willard B. Gatewood Jr., eds. "&ea=" + encodeURIComponent(document.title) + Mount Magazine, Mount Nebo, and Petit Jean Mountain compose the Tri-Peaks Region, a further subdivision of the River Valley popular with hikers and outdoors enthusiasts. a town just downstream from the mouth of the Arkansas River, and 29% greater at Red River Landing, a site . The ARVAC Food Bank, located at 504 Union Street in Dardanelle, provides food for local churches, community food pantries, and soup kitchens. var head = document.head || document.getElementsByTagName('head')[0]; Using money saved from wartime prosperity, farmers were poised in the postwar period to buy machinery and land to expand their operations. inner.style.opacity = '0'; [10] These settlements received support from existing immigrant populations in Little Rock and Fort Smith, and groups of Protestant settlers also establishing settlements in the area. The clinic can help. In Clarksville, the Johnson County Peach Festival is the longest-running festival in Arkansas. Coaxing the best produce from asparagus to zucchini. Graves, John William. The lower Mississippi River Valley was a fertile homeland to Native Americans from about 9500 B.C. Early Twentieth Century The devastating Mississippi River flood of 1927 has deservedly entered the realm of legend and lore, being one of the most costly natural disasters in American history. From 1948 to 1964, Mexican day laborers filled a vital need for field hands in the Delta. In the southern part of Arkansas we find Coastal Plain soils, which are marine deposits Arkansas is a top-ten producer of soft red winter wheat in the United States. For more information, contact 501-918-3025 orcalsfoundation@cals.org. By the time the act could be implemented effectively, a new form of agricultural labor had taken shape. In other areas, particularly the Coastal Plain, farmers converted cropland to timber farms. str = str.substring(14, str.length); Many farmers applied chicken manure to reenergize pastureland for livestock. Over one half of the states farms are cattle farms. In 1940, Delta counties cultivated only 153,000 acres of rice and 176,000 acres of soybeans, compared with 1.2 million acres of cotton; those figures changed dramatically in the next twenty years. Car show and festival entertainment. For some, this meant moving from their cherished farmstead. Juice grapes continued to be a viable industry into the 1980s before market forces put most of the growers out of business. Kansas-Colorado Arkansas River Compact Kansas Department of Agriculture Home About Us Agency Information Secretary Mike Beam Kansas Agriculture Kansas Agricultural Statistics State Board of Agriculture From the Land of Kansas Human Resources Ag Growth Project Growth Strategy Strategic Growth Initiative Ag Summit 2022 Ag Summit 2021 Ag Summit 2020 [4] Research at the site has linked artifacts to cave art (pictured at right) in a cave on Petit Jean Mountain, as well as establishing links to the Caddo, Osage, and Quapaw tribes. [CDATA[ else In August 1930, the official reporting station in Little Rock recorded its seventy-first consecutive rainless day. [15] In Russellville, the Arkansas River Valley Arts Center offers visual arts as well as art classes and infrequent performances. inner.style.visibility = 'visible'; Vegetable crop production has a long and successful history in the Arkansas Valley of Colorado. It had oxbow lakes, swamps, and dense undergrowth that presented a challenge to early farmers. Ozark Lake, formed on the Arkansas River southwest of Mulberry, is surrounded by a WMA, The United States Forest Service operates both the Ouachita National Forest and the Ozark National Forest within the region, offering trails, camping, and fishing over thousands of acres of public land. The states climate did not favor the beef industry. [CDATA[ Get beekeeping, honey production, and class information. The Second Great Emancipation: The Mechanical Cotton Picker, Black Migration, and How They Shaped the Modern South. Maintenance calendar, and best practices. In response to the former slaves need for land, Congress adopted two programs designed to make individual land ownership a priority. While the hog industry did not come close to approaching the cattle or poultry industry after WWII, it was a huge part of rural life for over 100 years. 107 talking about this. The extension of electrical power to rural areas, beginning in the 1930s, also affected dairy farmers. var str = x.id; All Rights Reserved. [3] Much of what is known about these early societies has been uncovered by the Arkansas Archaeological Survey and the Arkansas Archaeological Society at Carden Bottoms in Yell County near the Arkansas and Petit Jean Rivers. if(inner.style.display === "block") for (var i in d) { Arkansas Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Division and is implemented by the Arkansas Department of Agriculture, Forestry Division. Near Clarksville, the Spadra Waterfront Marina offers RV camping, boat rentals, and guided trips along Spadra Creek. In addition to the credit crunch, farmers in the last quarter of the nineteenth century faced a steady decline in crop prices. The other grape-growing region in the state was established in the northwest in the 1890s by Italian immigrants. But by that time the Deltas 4.4 million acres in forestland had been reduced to 1.8 million acres and half of the original 7.7 million acres of swampland were in drainage districts. In some ways, the Civil War had a major impact on Arkansas agriculture, but in others, little changed. Due to its relatively strong position following the Civil War, the River Valley attracted new settlement throughout Reconstruction. Explore our research locations around the state. of our most important activity - agriculture. Thousands of acres were now under the control of private companies that saw little reason to assess the land for its true market value. Agriculture has a history going back 200 years and has always been important to the economics of the region. The River Valley contains a large quantity of protected areas, with broad diversity across the region and several different managing agencies. //c.style.display = "none"; Timely tips for the Arkansas home gardener. Not only did these companies deny the state tax revenue by taking land off the market, they deprived the state of even more revenue by transporting resources out of state for processing. } River Valley Horticultural Products, Inc. | Little Rock AR } Guiding communities and regions toward vibrant and sustainable futures. //alert(d.length); Apples were the crop of choice for landowners in the northwest hill counties, particularly after the Missouri and North Arkansas Railroad extended east from Eureka Springs (Carroll County) in the 1890s and allowed growers to ship to outside markets. Bolton, S. Charles. if (css && head) { Soils were shallow, the terrain usually sloped, and most of the nutrients leached out through centuries of erosion. Populism in Arkansas. MA thesis, George Peabody College for Teachers (now Vanderbilt Universitys Peabody College), 1931. Many other historical building blocks of the Arkansas . Providing unbiased information to enable educated votes on critical issues. area were formed by deposition of the river, by landslides that moved to the foot Before 1840, the upland region dominated production. Pre-European Exploration, Prehistory through 1540, European Exploration and Settlement, 1541 through 1802, Louisiana Purchase through Early Statehood, 1803 through 1860, Civil War through Reconstruction, 1861 through 1874, Post-Reconstruction through the Gilded Age, 1875 through 1900, Early Twentieth Century, 1901 through 1940, World War II through the Faubus Era, 1941 through 1967, Divergent Prosperity and the Arc of Reform, 19682022, https://www.butlercenter.org/agriculture-in-arkansas/, Changing Climate and Changing Land (Grades 5-8). You briefly mention free range of cattle in the nineteenth century in association with tenant/sharecropper farmers and say that beef cattle were often kept on free range prior to World War II, but I didnt notice any mention of free-range hogs in upland/GCP areas of Arkansas. Typically, the cattle operations were on family farms. Cotton acreage continued to increase until 1955, but the growth was much smaller compared with that of rice and soybeans, and farmers focused on those crops. The numbers picked up over the next eight years. . Farmers provided land and labor while processors offered chickens, feed, and a contract to buy the products. The following month, the expedition fought with a tribe referred to as the Tula somewhere near Fort Smith. Read about nature across Arkansas and the U.S. [CDATA[ children[y].innerHTML = "+"; Some sought out national organizations such as the Patrons of Husbandry (Grange); others tried local groups, including the Brothers of Freedom and the Agricultural Wheel. Shadows Over Sunnyside: Evolution of a Plantation in Arkansas, 18301945. } // ]]> The NWR offers a driving tour with interpretative signs. productivity on these soils is often limited by their physical properties. . Additional support provided by the Charles M. and Joan R. Taylor Foundation Inc. The former Otero County commissioner and current chairman of the Arkansas Valley Conduit committee for the Southeastern Colorado Water Conservancy District is passionate about agriculture being . By June, water covered more than 6,000 square miles and all but destroyed the row crops. Arkansas River Valley White River running through the Ozark Mountains of Northern Arkansas. Holley, Donald. However, cattle raising changed dramatically after the mid-1950s when New York transplant Winthrop Rockefeller arrived in Arkansas. } The increasing interconnectedness and globalization of the world's economy, especially since the mid-20th century, have had a dramatic impact upon the economy of Arkansas. In Van Buren, the King Opera House is a restored 1880s opera house, now holding various events throughout the year. Many events are held at the state parks and on town squares throughout the River Valley. [16] The city is an important economic, education and population center in the state. Ouachita Mountains, and the Arkansas River Valley. Mechanical milking machines, new techniques in pasteurization, homogenization, and refrigerationcoupled with improved transportationbrought modernity to the industry. In the Pre-Colonial era, the River Valley was inhabited by Native American tribes, including Caddo, Cherokee, Choctaw, Osage, Tunica, and Quapaw tribes. Black and white farmers joined these improvement societies but maintained separate affiliations. The model shows how changes in salt levels that are external to the farm influence on-farm profits, production levels, and water applications. var test = "" + str; [CDATA[ When a tribute gift is given the honoree will receive a letter acknowledging your generosity and a bookplate will be placed in a book. As the demographic shifts occurred, rural Arkansas developed pockets of settlement occupied by people without land and dependent on a day wage. Whayne, Jeannie M.Creation of a Plantation System in the Arkansas Delta in the Twentieth Century. Agricultural History 66 (Winter 1992): 6384. Cotton had been the states bellwether crop, but by the end of the war, rice and soybeans appeared and quickly won a loyal following. North of Clarksville, Lake Ludwig offers swimming, boating and fishing to visitors. But the Red River valley sat higher and was not as subject to flooding, and the soil had a sandy loam rather than clay base. Our programs include aquaculture, diagnostics, and energy conservation. There was some fertile land along the many streams that drained the upland watershed, but these valleys were typically narrow and subject to flooding. if (css.styleSheet) { // For IE The Arkansas Department of Agriculture and its partners in wildfire suppression, prescribed fire, and conservation combine hands-on exercises and classroom material to teach basic fire suppression, advanced suppression strategy and tactics, engine operation, dozer operation, Incident Command procedures, and more. Despite significant efforts by scientists in the University of Arkansass College of Agriculture to control disease and pests and to develop new varieties, apple producers have not been able to regain a significant share of the market from the Pacific Northwest. Washington, DC - The Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU) and 340 national, regional, and state agriculture, food, and forestry stakeholder groups today sent a letter to congressional leadership urging House and Senate agriculture committee leaders to fund the Research Facilities Act in 2023 Farm Bill. Soils derived from ancient marine deposits occupy the southern part of Arkansas. The valley divides the Ozark and the Ouachita Mountains with a width of forty square miles. Research-based connection to government and policy issues. // ]]> c[e].id = "answer" + b; Whats wrong with my plants? However, disease infested most orchards less than two decades after apple growing became commercially feasible. If you can, provide 1-2 sources of information backing up this correction. Howard, James Edgar. In southwest Arkansas, the Red River formed another alluvial plain and shared some of the same qualities of the Mississippi River region. Fourche River Days in Perryville, April. Mount Magazine hosts an annual International Butterfly Festival in June, Frontier Days in October, and is the final destination on the Peak to Peak Poker Run, which begins at Queen Wilhelmina State Park in May. The first extended the responsibilities of the Freedmens Bureau to assist with farming. var d = document.querySelectorAll('#ptac-faq'); In Clarksville, the Walton Fine Arts Center on the campus of the University of the Ozarks offers university theater, performers, and speakers to patrons. By the mid-1980s, the states agricultural revolution was largely complete. return s4() + s4() + '-' + s4() + '-' + s4() + '-' + s4() + '-' + s4() + s4() + s4(); Still others migrated from the upland counties to the Delta counties and initially hired out as day laborers on the areas larger cotton plantations. The River Valley as seen from atop Petit Jean Mountain in, Early history of the Arkansas Valley in Colorado, Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas, Johnson County Historical Society Heritage Center, Logan County Coal Miners Memorial and Museum, Encyclopedia of Arkansas History and Culture, "Osages participate in Carden Bottoms excavation in western Arkansas", "Google Maps (Search for Russellville, AR and Fort Smith, AR)", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Arkansas_River_Valley&oldid=1147017263, Arkansas Valley Hills - North and east of the Arkansas River, sometimes associated with the Ozarks, Bottomlands - Low swamps and prairies along the Arkansas River itself, 10 miles (16km) wide in some places, Tri-peaks Region - Region punctuated by three steep mountains: Mount Magazine, Mount Nebo and Petit Jean Mountain, Valley - south of the Arkansas River, level plains and gently rolling hills, Adona Bluegrass Festival in Adona, second weekend in July. { Not only did Rockefeller import new cattle, he also started a scientific breeding program that included an annual bull sale featuring prize-winning animals. The Arkansas River Valley bisects the Ozarks and the Ouachitas and offered the best farmland in the upland region. ________. Soils in this For two very different reasons, viniculture also developed in the state in the late nineteenth century. Beef cattle became an increasing part of the rural scene in the counties west of Little Rock after World War II. Farm bill, farm marketing, agribusiness webinars, & farm policy. a++; The Jack Creek Recreation Area and Knopper's Ford Recreation Area offer well-known Arkansas swimming holes as well as hiking, camping and fishing. Strawberries also began to have some commercial success by the early twentieth century. c = document.getElementById('threecolblock' + i); In that period, the price averaged about eleven cents per pound and the price increased, marginally, only eight times. The Arkansas Department of Agriculture's Natural Resources Division (NRD) has released the 2022 Arkansas Groundwater Protection and Management Report. Use virtual and real tools to improve critical calculations for farms and ranches. considered here. One of his first actions was to introduce Santa Gertrudis cattle in the state, a breed specifically developed in south Texas to thrive in the regions hot weather and multiple pests. Once thought to be unique to the Grand Prairie, success came for rice farmers in the new drainage districts. But even as late as 1876, when the original legislation was amended to allow for unrestricted access, there were only 26,395 original entries. These individuals claimed 2.3 million of the nine million acres set aside in 1866. Concurrent with the growth in human population in Colorado, there has been increasing pressure on land and water resources that were historically devoted to agriculture. Residents and businesses along the highways offer items for sale to visitors and residents traveling two of the main east-west highways in the River Valley. Much of the farmers improved situation was due to World War I. Wartime demands for food and fiber led to a golden age in agriculture when cotton prices approached their Civil War levels. function accordionClick2(b) { Opportunities for quick profits attracted a variety of new farmers and non-farm investors; many were unfamiliar and unconcerned with traditional cropping practices. } The most obvious change came after 1863, when the Emancipation Proclamation freed Arkansass 111,115 slaves. Elsewhere in the county, cotton and timber had given way to strawberry, hay, and cattle. Between the Mississippi and Red River floodplains lay the West Gulf Coastal Plain. The Bracero Program brought thousands of immigrants to the fields and orchards of the United States. { The expedition traveled to Tanico, an important city somewhere in the River Valley, in September 1542. Arkansas produces about 4,000 acres of sweet potatoes, valued at $20 million; 2,000 acres of tomatoes for a crop value of $10 million, and 1,600 acres of watermelons with a value of $5 million,. The commercial timber industry in Arkansas began in the 1880s and reached its peak around 1910. The Roman Catholic Diocese of Little Rock, which covers the entire state, was also active in recruiting immigrants to settle on land the Church purchased from railroad companies. . The way of life that had sustained them for generations was rapidly dying. Tractors, although making an appearance in the Delta soon after World War I, were at first impractical due to poor design, high cost, and the dominance of small-scale sharecropping and tenant farming in the state. d[i].id = "threecolaccord" + a; Over time the coarser particles (sand) built a dike along the riverbank and frequently prevented water carrying finer particles from returning to the main channel. For most, having spent their lives close to the soil working crops and livestock with a limited selection of tools, continuing in agriculture was expected. In 1945, about 4.5 acres of cotton were planted for each acre of soybeans; by 1955, acreage of the two crops was almost equal, and by 1960, there were more than six acres of soybeans per acre of cotton. Whayne, Jeannie M., ed. For many of the farmers new to the Delta, a key was in growing rice instead of, or in addition to, cotton.