State News
State News
More Chicken Farms in Northwest Arkansas
BENTON – Poultry producers in northwest Arkansas are adding more chicken houses to their farms this year, according to new state data.
Benton and Washington counties saw an increase in poultry houses in 2018 compared to last year, according to a report released last week at the Arkansas-Oklahoma Arkansas River Compact Commission meeting.
“It used to be standard to have two, or four houses; but now it’s common to have six or eight,” said Travis Justice, chief economist at the Arkansas Farm Bureau. “It’s tended to go higher over the years.”
Benton County’s bird capacity increased to 28.9 million this year, up from 24.1 million in 2017. Washington County’s poultry capacity grew to 23.1 million in 2018, compared to 17.3 million last year. Capacities refer to the maximum number of birds that can be grown at once.
Benton and Washington counties are home to some of the state’s leading poultry producers, including Tyson Foods, Simmons Foods and George’s Inc.
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Some Arkansas Cities Raising Tobacco Age to 21
HARRISON – Some Arkansas cities are raising the tobacco age to 21 to bring down the number of teens who smoke.
Arkansas has one of the highest teen and adult smoking rates in the country. According to the American Heart Association, 13.7 percent of Arkansas high school students smoke.
In June 2016, Helena-West Helena became the first city in Arkansas to pass Tobacco 21 by a 9-0 vote. Mountain Home is considering a similar measure. Harrison unanimously approved the issue last week.
The tobacco age increase in Harrison goes into effect Jan. 1, 2019.
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New Delivery Service Coming to Arkansas
LITTLE ROCK – Postmates, an app with 24 hour, 7-days-a-week on-demand delivery service, is heading to Arkansas.
The smart-phone app delivery service is already accepting applications online and should be sending out its newest Arkansan fleet come the end of October, according to their website.
Yet, with multiple food delivery services like GrubHub and Uber Eats competing for business, some are asking if there is room for another business with a similar operating strategy. Dr. Michael Pakko, a University of Arkansas at Little Rock economist said, “Most recent statistics show the unemployment rate for 18 through 19-year-old's is about 12 percent — which is significant in comparison to the overall 3.9 percent nationwide,” Pakko said.
Postmates targets a younger demographic for its applicants. Uber Eats and Grub-Hub requires the driver to be 21 years of age.
