By The Cooperative Extension Service
U of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture
Media Contact: Mary Hightower
[email protected]
July 10, 2013
501-671-2126
Fast facts:
 2013 Arkansas Rice Expo set for Friday, Aug. 2, at Grand Prairie Center, Stuttgart
 Event opens at 8 a.m. Field tours begin at 9 a.m.
 Sen. Mark Pryor, keynote set for 11:45 a.m. in auditorium
(350 words)
Sen. Mark Pryor to keynote family friendly Rice Expo
STUTTGART, Ark. – Sen. Mark Pryor is set to be the keynote speaker at the 2013 Arkansas
Rice Expo, Friday, Aug. 2, at the Grand Prairie Center in Stuttgart.
“This year’s Rice Expo features more food, more family friendly activities and an even deeper
lineup of farm-focused tours, exhibits and seminars,” said Chuck Wilson, director of the Rice
Research and Extension Center. “We’ve tried to pack in a lot in a half-day event.”
The fun and learning begins at 8 a.m. at the Grand Prairie Center, 2709 U.S. 165.
Pryor is a key figure for agriculture in Washington, chairing the Senate subcommittee on
Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration and Related Agencies and is
sponsor and guiding hand on the Senate agriculture appropriations bill.
The first shuttles for the field tours leave the Grand Prairie Center Field tours begin at 9 a.m.
and run though 11, with shuttle buses leaving the Grand Prairie Center at 8:30 a.m., 9 a.m., and
9:30 a.m., into the fields at the Rice Research and Extension Center. Want to stay out of the
heat? Virtual field tours will be shown in the auditorium beginning at 9 a.m. This year’s tours
include:
 Breeding for higher yield and quality
 Managing bacterial panicle blight and other rice diseases
 Hybrid rice for Arkansas rice farmers
 NST*R implementation in Arkansas
 Nutrient Management for rice rotations
 Optimum seeding rates for new rice varieties
 Rice weed control
 Irrigation management
Janet Carson, extension horticulture specialist, author and columnist, will talk about raised-bed
gardening at 10 a.m. in Grand Prairie Salon A&B.
Sen. Pryor will deliver his keynote at 11:45 a.m. in the auditorium. A fresh, hot catfish lunch,
catered by the Yoder Ruritan, begins at 12:15 p.m., with Betsy Ward of the USA Rice
Federation as the luncheon speaker.
For children, there will be youth archery sponsored by Mack’s Prairie Wings, the National Guard
football and basketball toss, a youth BB shoot and a pedal tractor derby.
Don’t forget to check out the “Farm to You” walkthrough exhibit, enjoy the Living Well with Rice
tastings and the exercise demos.
To find out more about the 2013 Arkansas Rice Expo, visit http://aaes.uark.edu/rice.html or
follow us on Twitter at @ARicExpo
The Cooperative Extension Service is part of the University of Arkansas System Division of
Agriculture and offers its programs to all eligible persons regardless of race, color, national
origin, religion, gender, age, disability, marital or veteran status, or any other legally protected
status, and is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer.
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