Media Contact: Ryan McGeeney
June 23, 2017
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501-671-2120
Blackberry demonstration expands throughout state
By Meleah Perez
U of A System Division of Agriculture
Fast Facts:
 Seventeen extension agents volunteering for blackberry demos in counties across
Arkansas
 Demonstrations will teach about how to grow blackberry plants effectively
(505 words)
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — An extensive blackberry demonstration effort is stretching across
Arkansas to include 17 extension agents.
University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture Cooperative Extension Service agents are
setting up plots now through fall of around 9-12 blackberry plants in all four corners of the state
and everywhere in between to show the public the best methods for blackberry production, said
Amanda McWhirt, extension horticulture specialist for the Division of Agriculture. Demonstration
activities will begin later in the fall or next spring.
The demonstrations will display adapted varieties, irrigation practices, trellising, mulching and
pest management. Some demonstrations will be at Cooperative Extension Service offices,
schools and community gardens. The plots will replicate how plants are grown on large
acreages, but on a smaller scale to allow hands-on experience for the participants.
McWhirt said the idea evolved from Blackberry School, a class she teaches with Jackie Lee, a
horticulture extension specialist with the Division of Agriculture. The class, which meets four
times a year in Clarksville, aims to teach the basics of commercial blackberry production.
The class got good feedback, but people who couldn’t travel to Clarksville for the class, were
interested in growing blackberries both commercially and in their home gardens, McWhirt said.
McWhirt spoke with county agents, and they thought of a plan to show blackberry production
was possible in all regions of the state.
The staff at the Fruit Research Station in Clarksville helped raise the blackberry transplants,
which are small plants that people can plant to establish an orchard, McWhirt said.
Fewer pests severely affect blackberries than other fruit crops, McWhirt said.
“I think very often people learn best by seeing things happen,” McWhirt said. “Our county agents
have a lot of knowledge, but sometimes it is easier to show someone something rather than to
just tell them.”
Jesse Taylor, a student of the Blackberry School and the Division of Agriculture Franklin County
Extension Agent staff chair, volunteered for the blackberry demos.
Taylor said he has been interested in blackberry planting since he learned about the work of the
Division of Agriculture Fruit Research Station, which breeds blackberries.
“We’ve made it to where you can pick a 5-gallon bucket in your backyard,” he said. “It’s a
rewarding crop.”
Blackberries do not require a lot of manual labor, so it would be easy for homeowners to grow
them, Taylor said.
McWhirt said the demos go with Arkansas’ food trend.
There is an increasing demand for locally grown fruits, and the state is well adapted to supplying
blackberries to local markets, she said. The demos use varieties that were developed in
Arkansas and are well adapted for Arkansas climate and soils.
“The availability of the plants, especially University of Arkansas-developed varieties, was very
enticing,” said Brian See, agricultural agent with the Marion County Cooperative Extension
Service, regarding his decision to participate.
He said the demos will be beneficial to him because he can continually inform home gardeners
and clients and showcase University of Arkansas varieties.
“In my eight years as a county agent, I have not seen a demonstration like this replicated
throughout the state at one time,” See said.
If people are interested in seeing a blackberry demonstration, they can contact their local county
agent (https://www.uaex.edu/counties/default.aspx).
About the Division of Agriculture
The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture’s mission is to strengthen agriculture,
communities, and families by connecting trusted research to the adoption of best practices.
Through the Agricultural Experiment Station and the Cooperative Extension Service, the
Division of Agriculture conducts research and extension work within the nation’s historic land
grant education system.
The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture offers all its Extension and Research
programs to all eligible persons without regard to race, color, sex, gender identity, sexual
orientation, national origin, religion, age, disability, marital or veteran status, genetic information,
or any other legally protected status, and is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer.
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