Hempstead County Cooperative Extension Service

08/20/2026

📢 Get Certified with ServSafe! 🍽️✅
Are you a food service manager, restaurant owner, caterer, or food handler looking to earn your ServSafe certification? Join the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture for our upcoming ServSafe Class & Exam at SWREC in Hope!
📅 Class Dates • Monday, October 19 | 8:30 AM – 3:30 PM
• Monday, October 20 | 8:30 AM – 3:30 PM
📝 Exam • Monday, October 20 | 1:00 PM
💲 Cost • Class & Exam: $140
• Exam Only: $60
📍 Location SWREC
362 Highway 174 North
Hope, AR 71801
⏰ Registration Deadline Monday, October 12, 2026
🔗 Register today at: https://uada.formstack.com/forms/servsafe_registration
📞 Questions? Call 870-777-5771
Don't miss this opportunity to gain valuable food safety knowledge and earn a nationally recognized certification that can help advance your career and keep customers safe!

08/18/2026

⚠️🔥 Wildfire risk continues to climb across Arkansas, with all 75 counties now at moderate risk or higher, and 68 counties under active burn bans as of 8/19/26.

Dry conditions have spread quickly in recent weeks, and forecasters expect above-normal fire potential across southern and eastern Arkansas through the rest of August.

A few things to keep in mind as conditions stay dry:
🔥 Check for a burn ban in your county before doing any outdoor burning
🏡 Homeowners near wildland areas can find defensible space tips through Firewise USA
🌲 Forest landowners should plan for a shorter prescribed burn season this fall
🚒 Volunteer fire departments should prepare for increased call volume

Numbers to Save:
📞 Report a wildfire: 1-800-468-8834
📋 Report a prescribed burn before ignition: 1-800-830-8015

For the most up-to-date, county-by-county risk levels and burn ban status, check the Arkansas Department of Agriculture 's new wildfire dashboard here: https://nifc.maps.arcgis.com/apps/dashboards/34991c7fefb64ad7a89cb3905d1c6398

08/17/2026

👋Want to enter items in the Hempstead County Fair? Thursday, Aug. 20 is the deadline! All entries must be done online. Visit hempstead.fairwire.com. If you'd like a paper catalog, stop by the Extension office this week! 🪴🍪🍐🌻

08/14/2026

🌿Are you interested in learning more about plants and gardening, and in turn, using your love of gardening to educate and serve our community through volunteerism?

🌷 Consider becoming a Hempstead County Master Gardener through one of our Fall 2026 training opportunities!

📍Option 1: In-person Zoom training conducted by Extension specialists and agents will be held at the Hempstead County Extension office and will consist of 5 Wednesdays: October 21, October 28, November 4, November 11 and Nov.18; all sessions will be from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Cost is $100 which includes your resource book and official Master Gardener name badge.

💻 Option 2: Self-guided online training will begin on October 6 and ends December 11. You will need a computer to take this class; a tablet or mobile device won't suffice. Cost is $150 which includes your resource book and official Master Gardener name badge.

✍️ If you're interested in applying, stop by and pick up an application at our office at 1800 E. 3rd St. (former Farm Bureau office) in Hope or request one via email: [email protected]

⏳ Deadline to apply is Sept. 18. If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out: 870-777-5771.

👉 Find out more about the Master Gardener program in Arkansas: https://www.uaex.uada.edu/yard-garden/master-gardeners/default.aspx

Hope Farmers' Market HopePrescott News SWARK Today Amigo news Hempstead County Master Gardeners Arkansas Master Gardener Program

08/13/2026

Take advantage of this local opportunity to up your cattle repro game! 🧬

🐂 BEEF CATTLE REPRODUCTION WORKSHOP — HOPE, AR 🐂
Want to improve reproductive efficiency and fertility in your beef cattle operation? Join us for a hands-on Beef Cattle Reproduction.
OPEN TO THE PUBLIC!

📅 Friday, September 25, 2026
⏰ 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM
📍 SWREC – 362 Highway 174 North, Hope, AR, 71801
💲 $40 — Lunch included
👥 Only 15 spots available!

Come learn, practice, and take your beef cattle reproduction program to the next level!

👉 REGISTER NOW:
https://uada.formstack.com/forms/beef_cattle

08/07/2026

We look forward to hosting the annual Registered Forester training in Hope each year. This has been an ongoing multi-county effort with the Society of American Foresters for 20+ years and brings in around 150 professional foresters from all around the region for a day of continuing education.

07/31/2026

Hay and cattle producers, we do have armyworms among us. The small larval instars are much easier to find in a sweep net. We don’t have a good spray threshold for sweep netting like we do with field stops, however. Our current recommendation for spray threshold is 3 caterpillars per square foot in ten stops in the field. Scout your fields early in the morning when the caterpillars are more active and easier to see. 🐛
➡️ For spray recommendations, refer to this guide:https://www.uaex.uada.edu/publications/pdf/mp144/MP144_forages.pdf

07/31/2026

Okra demonstration harvest update from cooperator Donnia Cox. Direct seeded plantings, especially the Jambalaya 2.0, are showing out, while the transplants are lagging slightly. Field position may be creating some of the yield differences due to proximity of sprinklers, but it’s interesting to see! UAEX Fruit and Vegetable Production

07/29/2026

Today, some of our Hempstead County Master Gardeners spent several hours with our Extension consumer horticulture specialist, Randy Forst, looking at sanctioned projects, learning about pest management, fertility, and variety selection.

We are thankful to have such a knowledgeable and supportive expert to foster our group’s outreach in the county. Arkansas Master Gardener Program Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service

Pictured: Randy Forst, Randell Spencer, James Lamb, Rita Lamb and Theresa Neely.

If you’re interested in learning more about becoming a Master Gardener, call 870-777-5771. The fall training class is forming now. 🌻

07/29/2026

🌿Are you interested in learning more about plants and gardening, and in turn, using your love of gardening to educate and serve our community through volunteerism?

🌷 Consider becoming a Hempstead County Master Gardener through one of our Fall 2026 training opportunities!

📍Option 1: In-person Zoom training conducted by Extension specialists and agents will be held at the Hempstead County Extension office and will consist of 5 Wednesdays: October 21, October 28, November 4, November 11 and Nov.18; all sessions will be from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Cost is $100 which includes your resource book and official Master Gardener name badge.

💻 Option 2: Self-guided online training will begin on October 6 and ends December 11. You will need a computer to take this class; a tablet or mobile device won't suffice. Cost is $150 which includes your resource book and official Master Gardener name badge.

✍️ If you're interested in applying, stop by and pick up an application at our office at 1800 E. 3rd St. (former Farm Bureau office) in Hope or request one via email: [email protected]

⏳ Deadline to apply is Sept. 18. If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out: 870-777-5771.

👉 Find out more about the Master Gardener program in Arkansas: https://www.uaex.uada.edu/yard-garden/master-gardeners/default.aspx