Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service

❗️New World Screwworm (NWS) is a devastating pest that can affect livestock, pets, and wildlife. NWS has been confirmed in South Texas, and our team is already working to get Arkansas-specific guidance for producers.

In the meantime, our beef systems specialists have pulled together links to resources about NWS and the most recent case.

The first detection of New World Screwworm (NWS) has occurred in Zavala County, Texas, on a 3-week-old calf in the umbilical area. This detection was confirmed yesterday by USDA-APHIS.

Want to learn more about the pest and the current response? Here are some links to some helpful links:

🔘Official APHIS announcement of NWS case: https://www.aphis.usda.gov/news/agency-announcements/usda-confirms-presence-new-world-screwworm-united-states

🔘Unified Government website for most accurate and up to date NWS information: screwworm.gov

🔘USDA New World Screwworm Playbook and Supplemental materials: www.aphis.usda.gov/sites/default/files/nws-response-playbook.pdf

🔘U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Animal Drugs for New World Screwworm: https://www.fda.gov/animal-veterinary/safety-health/new-world-screwworm-information-veterinarians

🔘USDA APHIS Pesticides for Control of New World Screwworm: www.aphis.usda.gov/sites/default/files/pesticides-for-nws.pdf

🔘NCBA resources including posters and handouts (will be updated in coming days): www.bqa.org/screwworm

🔘NCBA Cattlemen’s Webinar on “New World Screwworm - Regulations, Readiness & Response”: https://youtu.be/Xv6TfIoUEfM?si=iejH3ZmG9LUpCnL1

Meet the newest Arkansas 4-H Hall of Fame inductees!
Sulli Schaffer of Benton County, Daley Rogers of Grant County, and Channing Ashworth of Washington County.

They were honored tonight at the 2026 Teen Star and Hall of Fame Ceremony at the Arkansas 4-H Center.

The work speaks for itself. 👏

🏆 Congratulations to Kristin Higgins with the Public Policy Center on taking home three Arkansas Press Women awards. Congratulations also to our colleagues Mary Hightower and Torrie Smith on their awards!

Great things happening across extension! Read more about the recipients below 👇🏽

Congratulations to Kristin Higgins with the Public Policy Center for winning multiple awards this past week at the Arkansas Press Women award luncheon.

She won:
- First Place in Web and Social Media > Electronic Newsletter > Nonprofit, government, or educational for Arkansas Ballot Issue Education Newsletter
- Second Place in Graphics and Design > Graphics > Infographics for Approved Arkansas Citizen Initiatives by Decade
- Second Place in Radio and Television > Special Programming > Radio for Direct Democracy Minute. This series of public service announcements airs on DGold Music Hour on KABF-FM 88.3.

Congratulations also to our colleagues Mary Hightower and Torrie Smith on their awards.

https://www.uaex.uada.edu/media-resources/news/2026/june/06-04-2026-ark-apw-contest.aspx

🍅🎉 The 70th Annual Bradley County Pink Tomato Festival is almost here, and the All Tomato Luncheon menu is giving us all the reasons to show up!

Join us June 13 at 12:30 PM at 111 W Church St, in Warren, AR.

🎟️ Tickets are $15 per person and can be purchased the Bradley County Extension Office!

Learn more about the festival here 🍅👇🏽
https://www.pinktomatofestival.com

Budgeting doesn't have to feel restrictive, it's really just a plan for the life you want. 💵 💚

Our financial specialist Dr. Laura Hendrix was recently featured as a budgeting expert on WalletHub, sharing her budgeting tips on how to make one that actually works!

👉 Swipe through to see what she had to say and read her full feature here:
https://bit.ly/hendrix-budget-tips

Arkansas Extension Family & Consumer Sciences WalletHub

Blackberries on your radar? 🤔 Get the research-backed info you need before you plant. 🚜

Join us and the Arkansas Blackberry Growers Association on June 9 in Clarksville for a full afternoon of research updates, expert presentations, and a field tour at the UA System Fruit Research Station + a great opportunity to network with blackberry growers from across the state. 🤝

The agenda includes sessions on pest management, robotic harvesting, advanced blackberry selections, and more, including guests from NC State, University of Georgia, Clemson, University of Florida, and the University of Bristol.

🍽️ Dinner follows at 5 p.m. ($20/person) — registration required.

📍 1749 State Hwy 818, Clarksville, AR
🔗 https://bit.ly/blackberry-field-day-26

UAEX Fruit and Vegetable Production Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station NC State Extension UGA Extension University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences Clemson Extension

🐓 Avian Metapneumovirus (aMPV) is no longer just a periodic concern. It's now an established presence in U.S. flocks, and with avian flu still active, the disease pressure on your operation has never been higher.

The good news? Strong biosecurity WORKS. Join us June 8 in Fayetteville for a free workshop where you'll learn practical strategies to protect your flock: from early detection to on-farm biosecurity protocols. Lunch is provided.

Swipe through to learn more 👉

📅 June 8, 2026 | 11:45 AM - 2:00 PM
📍 Washington County Extension Office | 2536 N. McConnell Ave, Fayetteville, AR 72704
🔗 Register Today: bit.ly/4dJeHSY

University of Arkansas Poultry Science Department

🤔🪡 What if the quilt you made ended up in a museum??

That's exactly what happened for two Arkansas EHC members this spring. A quilt honoring veterans and a dolly crocheted with a family heirloom hook are both featured in Crystal Bridges Museum's "America 250: Common Threads" exhibit. The stories behind them are as beautiful as the pieces themselves. 💞

🔗 Read the fully story here: bit.ly/aehc-crystal-bridges



Arkansas Extension Homemakers Council-UAEX Benton County Extension Homemakers Council

❗️Missed our Theileria & Asian Longhorned Tick webinar last week? Don't worry — the recording is available on request! Click the link below to get access. 👇

https://uaex.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_03s06geBqbPQ7Xg?Q_CHL=qr&fbclid=IwY2xjawSCiqdleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETF3SlRzck5DS2UxNWFXUTNBc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQQMjIyMDM5MTc4ODIwMDg5MgABHn4i8ypu0QTQI3E_0_fpWV5yU_s2_y57e0dY5SvhiAH8QEEE5FCCwSSgcnRH_aem_zq3vR8CuXl2eVuV0O_2wkg