The loss of the Russian export market for U.S. chicken companies is not expected to have measurable economic impact here in the U.S., according to Jim Sumner, president of the USA Poultry & Egg Export Council.

He said Russia is not the market it once was for U.S. chicken partially because of the cat and mouse game played between the two governments over the past decade. Sumner said for many years chicken has been used a political ploy between diplomatic tensions with Russia and other countries around the world.

The recent sanctions (fruit, vegetable, meat and dairy) imposed by Vladimir Putin in retaliation of the ongoing U.S. economic sanctions come as no surprise to local poultry companies who expect minimal impact during this latest chess game.

“We are disappointed about the loss of the Russian market but don’t expect the impact to be significant since the volume we ship there can be absorbed by our other global customers,” noted Worth Sparkman, spokesman for Tyson Foods.

Sumner said last year U.S. chicken exports to Russia were valued at $303 million. It represents about 7% of U.S. poultry exports today. The U.S. exports about 20% of its total production.

While Russia is the second leading export country for U.S. chicken, Sumner said that loss should have hardly be measurable given the tighter chicken supplies and uptick in demand here in the U.S. because of high red meat prices.

Linda Clifton has been named associate director of advising and retention at Arkansas Tech University-Ozark campus.

Clifton will serve as an academic advisor as well as monitor student records and coursework to ensure students are on track to graduate. Clifton, who previously served as an administrative specialist in the Office of Student Services, has been with ATU-Ozark since 2006.

“I’m excited to be embarking on this new journey in my career at Arkansas Tech-Ozark,” she said. “It’s all about our students, and I look forward to helping provide them with the tools they need to be successful.”

She holds an associate of applied science in business technology from Arkansas Tech-Ozark and is working toward a bachelor’s degree of professional studies from Arkansas Tech University in Russellville.

Clifton and her husband, Peter, live in Ozark. They have four children and three grandchildren.

A research team at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) has been approved for nearly $2.1 million from the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) to study how to improve diabetes self-management in the Marshallese community of Northwest Arkansas.

The study will focus on bridging the gap between knowledge of effective diabetes self-management education and actual implementation of that knowledge among the Pacific Islander community that has a rate of diabetes that is 400% higher than the general U.S. population.

The study is being conducted in partnership with the Arkansas Coalition of Marshallese and the Gaps in Services to the Marshallese Task Force.

Northwest Arkansas is home to the largest Marshallese population in the U.S., which experiences a significant and disproportionate burden of type 2 diabetes and as well as health disparities. The rate of occurrence among the Marshallese is one of the highest of any population group in the world.

“We hope to work closely with the Marshallese families to prevent, delay or moderate the complications of type 2 diabetes and thereby improve the health of this at-risk group,” said UAMS Northwest Vice Chancellor Dr. Peter Kohler, who will lead the research project.

Prior attempts to implement diabetes self-management education in Marshallese populations have failed to produce even short-term results, UAMS researchers said. This study will implement a family model of intervention and evaluate its effectiveness compared to traditional methods.

The Rogers Municipal-Carter Field Airport will receive a $3.3 million grant from the Federal Aviation Administration to continue rehabilitation of the airport’s apron. The work will include more than 230,000 square feet of new pavement.

The announcement came from the offices of U.S. Sens. Mark Pryor, D-Ark., and John Boozman, R-Ark., and U.S. Rep. Steve Womack, R-Rogers.

“Over the past few years, we’ve seen incredible population and job growth in Northwest Arkansas,” Pryor said in the statement. “These resources will allow Rogers to meet the demands of a rapidly growing region while ensuring that the airport can continue to deliver passengers and cargo safely to and from the airport.”

“The airport in Rogers plays a critical role in the economic growth of Northwest Arkansas. It’s necessary that the transportation infrastructure meets the needs of region’s booming business activity so we can continue to benefit from development and commerce,” Boozman said.

“As more and more people make Northwest Arkansas their home for their families and businesses, we must ensure our transportation infrastructure keeps pace and can support our growing population. This grant will enable the Rogers Municipal-Carter Field Airport to make necessary upgrades to meet the demands of the region, allowing both our population and our economy to continue to grow,” said Womack.

Tyson Foods and other local poultry companies are breathing easier with expectations of record U.S. corn and soybean crops this year, according to U.S. Department of Agriculture’s latest  forecast.

Poultry companies keep a close eye corn and soybean meal prices at all times as they are the two main ingredients used to feed chickens.

USDA forecast record corps this year based on actual field surveys. U.S. corn production for the 2014 to 2015 year is forecast at 14.03 billion bushels, up 172 million bushels from last month’s forecast. The projected season-average farm price for corn is lowered 10 cents at both ends of the range to $3.55 to $4.25 per bushel.

Corn supplies for this next year are projected at a record 15.24 billion bushels with the increase in production partly offset by a 65-million-bushel reduction in beginning stocks. Exports are expected to be 25 million bushels, compared to 20 million bushels last year.

Soybean production is forecast at 3.81 billion bushels, up 16 million due to a higher yield.

Soybean supplies for this year are projected slightly above last month’s estimate. With minimal supply gains, soybean exports and crush are unchanged, leaving ending stocks projected at 430 million bushels.

The U.S. season-average soybean price for this year is forecast at $9.35 to $11.35 per bushel, down 15 cents on both ends.

Soybean meal and oil prices are forecast at $340 to $380, down 10 dollars at the midpoint.

In the first nine months of this year Tyson Foods reported a $460 million savings in feed costs from the same period last year. Those savings should be larger next year if pricing stays strong.

NorthWest Arkansas Community College’s Adult Education Program is offering citizenship classes during the 2014 fall semester. 

The classes are free and are available on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons from 1 to 3 p.m. and Tuesday and Thursday evenings from 6 to 8 p.m. The classes are held at the Adult Education Center at 1200 W. Walnut St. in Rogers. 

In these classes, students will learn about the local community; about United States government and history; listening, speaking, reading, and writing English skills; about eligibility requirements for U.S. citizenship; the questions used in the citizenship interview; and how to complete the Application for Citizenship form.

The 2014 fall semester begins Aug. 25. Adults may enroll at any time. For more information, contact the NWACC Adult Education office at (479) 986-6911.

A request by Whirlpool Corporation to add additional monitoring wells at the northeast corner of its shuttered manufacturing plant and adjacent properties in south Fort Smith has been approved by the Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality.

In an Aug. 6 letter from ADEQ Hazardous Waste Division Engineer Mostafa Mehran to Whirlpool Director of Environmental Health & Safety Robert Karwowski, Mehran said the company would have to install at least one more monitoring well and soil boring location on property owned by the city of Fort Smith northeast of the intersection and Ingersoll Avenue and Jenny Lind Road.

The company will also be required to provide data to back up geological assertions by Whirlpool's environmental consultants that bedrock below the surface would be encountered at 24 feet to 30 feet underground, versus the historical experience of 30 to 35 feet.

"Information from the five (5) newly installed monitoring wells at the northeast portion of the site may have confirmed bedrock at a higher elevation east of the current MIP profiles, but ADEQ has not received any information on the geology penetrated or construction (including total depths) of these wells," Mehran wrote. "Soil borings must extend down to bedrock even if total depth is greater than thirty (30) feet."

In addition to the city of Fort Smith's property, some of the additional monitoring wells will be installed at the Boys and Girls Club in the neighborhood, the original supplemental work plan stated.

In a statement at the time of the request (Aug. 4), Whirlpool Vice President Jeff Noel said the company was committed to being a "responsible corporate citizen of Fort Smith and to managing this issue in an open and responsible matter."

The Arkansas State Highway and Transportation Department (AHTD) has announced that construction contractor Kolb Grading will begin rock blasting operations on the west side of McKissic Creek Road in Benton County as part of the Bella Vista Bypass construction work.

Weather permitting, the blasting will begin Thursday (Aug. 14) and will occur several times a week for approximately 30 days.

During the rock blasting operations, traffic will be stopped for up to 15 minutes at a time on McKissic Creek Road and U.S. 71 Business. The blasting will occur between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m.

Traffic on Interstate 49 may be slowed as a safety precaution, and the pedestrian trail along McKissic Creek Road will be closed during the blasting. Watch for warning signs and safety personnel during this operation.

This project is constructing approximately 6 miles of the bypass, extending from U.S. 71B to Highway 72 South. The project involves the initial two lanes of a four-lane facility. The project is part of the Connecting Arkansas Program (CAP), which is funded through a 10-year, half-cent sales tax.

The CAP’s 35 projects in 19 corridors are improving Arkansas' transportation system by expanding selected two-lane roadways to four-lane highways and adding new lanes to identified interstate highways.

Rosalind Brewer, president and CEO of Sam’s Club, officially was named presiding co-chair of the Northwest Arkansas Council during its annual meeting held Wednesday (Aug. 13) at the 21c Museum Hotel in Bentonville.

Brewer was recognized earlier this year by Forbes magazine as one of the World’s 100 Most Powerful Women. After 22 years with Kimberly-Clark, she joined Walmart in 2006 as a regional vice president. She was promoted multiple times, becoming the leader of the company’s Sam’s Club division in 2012.

She takes over for Mark Simmons, who has served as the council’s presiding co-chair since June 2013. Simmons, one of the Council’s founding members, is chairman of Simmons Foods in Siloam Springs.

The council, which was established in 1990, is a private, non-profit organization committed to sustaining and improving Northwest Arkansas as a great place to live and conduct business. The organization has a history of being led by Northwest Arkansas’ top business leaders and executives. Alice Walton was chair when the organization was first established and then John Paul Hammerschmidt took over in 1993.

Hammerschmidt, who was ending his 26 years in Congress, led the Council until 2006. In 2006, the Council announced that it would use a system of presiding co-chairs to serve as the organization’s top official, changing the presiding co-chair annually. Past presiding co-chairs are Simmons, Lee Scott, Jim Walton, John A. White, Kirk Thompson, David Gearhart and John Tyson.

Blue Rooster is finalizing plans to open a poultry deboning operation at the former H&L Poultry plant in Warren, and anticipates 100 new jobs will be created, according to the Arkansas Economic Development Commission.

Blue Rooster’s operation will primarily focus on deboning poultry for Ozark Mountain Poultry (OMP), a family-owned company based in Rogers. OMP produces more than 3 million pounds of antibiotic-free poultry per week for the restaurant industry and for retail under the Forester Farmer’s Market brand. OMP will also be a majority owner of the newly formed company.

Work is already under way to get the facility ready for production in October.

Blue Rooster is leasing the former H&L facility through an agreement with the Arkansas Development Finance Authority.

The International Mountain Bike Association (IMBA) recently announced the cities and trails that achieved Ride Center recognition and Bentonville was on the list along with Sun Valley, Idaho; Livigno, Italy and Taupo, New Zealand.

The IMBA Ride Center® designation represents the IMBA’s Model Trail recognition for large-scale mountain bike facilities that offer something for every rider. From backcountry adventures to shuttle-served gravity trails, from expert-only to family-friendly, riders should encounter the best the sport has to offer from designated ride centers.  

Bentonville earned a silver rating because of its 40 miles or bike trails, 20 of which are natural surface.The majority of Bentonville’s singletrack trails link directly to its urban trail system, allowing mountain bikers easy access to city amenities including bike stations with air pumps, repair tools, shower facilities and wi-fi check-in spots.

Leading the effort in acquiring the IMBA Ride Center recognition, the Bentonville Convention and Visitors Bureau recently designated bicycle tourism as a priority and works in partnership with Bentonville Parks and Recreation, Bike Bentonville, and Friends of Arkansas Singletrack (FAST) to offer multiple race, ride and skills clinics throughout the year, according to Blair Cromwell, communications director for the Bentonville Convention and Visitors Bureau.

Wal-Mart Stores is in need of more retail workers in China and is working with China Chain Store and Franchise Association on a three-year training program aimed at producing 20,000 additional vocational graduates to meet the growing retail demand, according to China Daily.

The program dubbed “Future Retail Star Training” begins in August. The retail giant contributed $812,000 toward to the training program focused on retail basics being taught in 100 vocational schools.

"Some Wal-Mart staff members are getting older and are not familiar with online-to-offline business," said Wu Zenglun, senior director of human resources at Wal-Mart China. "The key strategies are food safety and category management training."

Wal-Mart China said the high demand for entry-level retail employees prompts the need for professional retail vocational training with emphasis on practical and soft skills, such as communication and teamwork.

Tyson Foods and Hillshire Brands were asked to provide more details on their pending merger to the U.S. Department of Justice's Antitrust Division.

The request relates to a "very small portion" of the combined business, the companies said in a combined statement.

As a result of this recent request Tyson has extended the offering period of its previously announced tender agreement to pay $63 per share for Hillshire Brands up to midnight on Aug. 12. Tyson extended the cash offer until Tuesday, Aug. 19.

Tyson and Hillshire Brands continue to expect that the transaction, which remains subject to customary closing conditions, will be completed by or before Sept. 27. As of Aug. 12 about 91.22 million shares had been tendered. This represented about 73% of the company’s outstanding shares.

Wall Street experts expect the deal will pass muster with the Trust Department given the two companies will continue to sell their branded products.

On Thursday (Aug. 14) the Arkansas Board of Education unanimously agreed to enter into a partnership with the Walton Family Foundation and the Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation to target improvement in academically distressed schools and districts across Arkansas.

“No one person or organization has all the answers to the challenges we face in education. Collaboration with others is essential if we are to take the bold and brave steps necessary to motivate change,” said Kathy Smith, senior program officer for the Walton Family Foundation.

The program, dubbed ForwARd, is aimed at making change at underperforming schools. Smith said too many students are being held back from their full academic potential because schools and some districts are not equipped to teach them.

“With this partnership we will tackle this issue head-on,” Smith said.

According to recent research, the economic impact of ensuring all Arkansas students graduate high school prepared for college would save the state approximately $50 million annually in college remediation costs and lost earnings. This research demonstrates that the future success of Arkansas’ economy begins with the success of the state’s students, according to ForwARd.

“Every Arkansas student should graduate high school fully prepared for success in college and the workplace,” said Sam Ledbetter, chairman of the Arkansas State Board of Education. “The time is now to develop an actionable plan that will involve multiple stakeholders in communities with schools or districts in academic distress to push our state forward to ensure high-quality educational opportunities for all Arkansans.”

Ledbetter said the strategic recommendations of the ForwARd initiative will allow the state to create one of the finest public education systems in the nation.

Later this fall, the ForwARd initiative will release The State of Public Education in Arkansas, a report featuring baseline data on the state’s educational outcomes. The ForwARd initiative will also begin to convene educators, parents, educational advocacy stakeholders, and policymakers in support of a strategic planning process. The comprehensive strategic plan is scheduled to be completed by summer 2015.

Smith Chevrolet-Cadillac announced Friday (Aug. 15) an $11,000 donation to the Fort Smith Emergency Children’s Shelter.

The dealership donated $100 to the shelter for each new and used vehicle sold during July.

“Smith Chevrolet-Cadillac was proud to be partnered with the Children’s Emergency Shelter. Each and every employee of Smith was committed to this fund raising opportunity to help the children, who are experiencing a traumatic, life changing situation. We hope that with the additional funds raised we can help make this difficult time a little easier,”Bryan Penniman, general manager of Smith Chevrolet-Cadillac, said in a statement. “A special thank you goes out to each and every customer that purchased during this event! They truly made this a huge success and their purchase was more than just a vehicle purchase.”

Ashley Ahlert, advancement coordinator with the Children’s Emergency Shelter, said the dealership deal showed community support.

“This is a great community. We are thankful that the community shopped local and supported Smith Chevrolet, and in-turn Smith Chevrolet gave back to the community but donating a portion of their sales to us,” Ahlert said.

The Children’s Emergency Shelter of Fort Smith provides shelter and care to area children ages 6-17 who have been removed from the custody of their guardian by child welfare authorities. CES provides a home-like environment to these abused and neglected children until an alternate placement can be procured. The Shelter is licensed to house up to 24 children at a time, and as many as 300 children will walk through its doors each year.

“Last year the Children’s Emergency Shelter served 253 children. The money donated by Smith Chevrolet-Cadillac will allow us to move our mission forward and directly impact the children we serve” Ahlert said.

In 2013, 854 children entered the foster care system in Sebastian County. The Children’s Emergency Shelter serves all foster children throughout the state, primarily children in Sebastian, Crawford, Logan, Franklin, Yell, Scott, and Johnson Counties.

The Donald W. Reynolds Cancer Support House received a $36,000 grant from the Arkansas Cancer Coalition to Enhance the Quality of Life for Cancer Survivors through Patient Navigation Services.
 
The Reynolds Cancer Support House Navigation Program works to identify and eliminate barriers that prevent individuals from getting the right care, at the right time, and by the right person. Whether the need is access to health insurance, working with physicians and pharmacies to identify less expensive generic drugs, finding transportation to treatment, helping a person access information about treatment options, or connecting to a support group, the Agency seeks to help cancer survivors reduce the communication, information, financial, and psychological barriers that threaten their chances of receiving the care they need.

Proceeds from the grant will benefit cancer survivors who reside in Fort Smith and the surrounding counties. The Reynolds Cancer Support House helped more than 7,700 people during 2013, and provided direct support to more than 1,300 Cancer Survivors, (600 newly diagnosed). The center also offers 11 weekly support groups (2 groups for adolescent cancer survivors and children of cancer fighters), 2 fitness and 4 art classes – for adult and adolescent survivors.

In addition to grant funding, the Cancer Support House hosts several fundraising events annually to ensure all of the services offered by the Support House are provided free of charge. The partnerships with volunteers, community agencies, healthcare providers, donors, corporations, foundations and other funders allows the center to provide services at no cost to cancer patients.

The Arkansas Cancer Coalition’s mission is, “To facilitate and provide partnerships to reduce the human suffering and economic burden from cancer for the citizens of Arkansas.”

Supporters of raising the minimum wage and a group wanting a statewide vote on expanding alcohol sales have both turned in additional numbers of signatures to potentially qualify their measures for the November ballot.

Give Arkansas A Raise Now and its signature collection firm, The Markham Group, turned in an additional 69,027 signatures on Monday to the Secretary of State’s office.

Give Arkansas A Raise Now is promoting an initiated act ballot issue to incrementally raise the minimum wage to $8.50 per hour over the next three years. Its efforts have been endorsed by incumbent Democratic Sen. Mark Pryor and Democratic gubernatorial candidate Mike Ross.

The group had turned in more than 62,507 signatures needed to qualify for the ballot last month, but a review of signatures reduced the qualified amount to roughly 48,000. Supporters were given a 30-day cure period to collect more signatures to meet the 62,507 threshold.

Let Arkansas Decide, a group seeking a constitutional amendment to allow alcohol sales in all 75 counties, turned in an additional 41,492 signatures to Secretary of State Mark Martin on Friday.

About 17,000 original signatures turned in by the alcohol expansion group last month were disqualified leaving it short of its goal of 78,133 signatures to make the November ballot.

Northwest Health Systems and Willow Creek Women’ facility in Northwest Arkansas are among dozens of health providers within Community Health System’s operations to recently have their computers hacked. Records from Sparks Health System and Summit Medical Center were not part of the data breach.

Franklin, Tenn.-based Community Health Systems portfolio of Arkansas hospitals include Northwest Medical Center-Bentonville, Northwest Medical Center-Springdale, Siloam Springs Regional Hospital, Willow Creek Women’s Hospital in Johnson, Sparks Health System in Fort Smith and Summit Medical Center in Van Buren.

The health care provider confirmed that limited personal identification data belonging to some patients who were seen at clinics affiliated with Northwest Health System over the past five years was transferred out of its organization in a criminal cyber-attack by a foreign-based intruder.

“The transferred information did not include any medical information or credit card information, but it did include names, addresses, birth dates, telephone numbers and social security numbers,” according to Patricia Driscoll, spokeswoman for Northwest Health Systems.

“We take very seriously the security and confidentiality of private patient information and we sincerely regret any concern or inconvenience to patients. Though we have no reason to believe that this data would ever be used, all affected patients are being notified by letter and offered free identity theft protection.”

Community Health Systems, which operates 206 hospitals across the U.S., said it believes the intruder was a foreign-based group out of China that was likely looking for intellectual property. Some 4.5 million patients at Community Health Systems facilities are victims of this data breach. The intruder used highly sophisticated methods to bypass security systems. The intruder has been eradicated and applications have been deployed to protect against future attacks, according to the release.

“We are working with federal law enforcement authorities in their investigation and will support prosecution of those responsible for this attack,” Driscoll noted.

The company issued this statement with the federal Securities and Exchange Commission:
“In July 2014, Community Health Systems, Inc. (the “Company”) confirmed that its computer network was the target of an external, criminal cyber attack that the Company believes occurred in April and June, 2014. The Company and its forensic expert, Mandiant (a FireEye Company), believe the attacker was an “Advanced Persistent Threat” group originating from China who used highly sophisticated malware and technology to attack the Company’s systems.

“The attacker was able to bypass the Company’s security measures and successfully copy and transfer certain data outside the Company. Since first learning of this attack, the Company has worked closely with federal law enforcement authorities in connection with their investigation and possible prosecution of those determined to be responsible for this attack. The Company also engaged Mandiant, who has conducted a thorough investigation of this incident and is advising the Company regarding remediation efforts.

“Immediately prior to the filing of this Report, the Company completed eradication of the malware from its systems and finalized the implementation of other remediation efforts that are designed to protect against future intrusions of this type. The Company has been informed by federal authorities and Mandiant that this intruder has typically sought valuable intellectual property, such as medical device and equipment development data.

“However, in this instance the data transferred was non-medical patient identification data related to the Company’s physician practice operations and affected approximately 4.5 million individuals who, in the last five years, were referred for or received services from physicians affiliated with the Company. The Company has confirmed that this data did not include patient credit card, medical or clinical information; the data is, however, considered protected under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (“HIPAA”) because it includes patient names, addresses, birthdates, telephone numbers and social security numbers. The Company is providing appropriate notification to affected patients and regulatory agencies as required by federal and state law.

“The Company will also be offering identity theft protection services to individuals affected by this attack. The Company carries cyber/privacy liability insurance to protect it against certain losses related to matters of this nature. While this matter may result in remediation expenses, regulatory inquiries, litigation and other liabilities, at this time, the Company does not believe this incident will have a material adverse effect on its business or financial results.”

Amazon recently removed the pre-ordering option for several DVD releases of Walt Disney Co. over a pricing dispute. But competitor Wal-Mart wasted no time in promoting pre-orders for the same films shunned by Amazon.

“Muppets Most Wanted” that was released Aug. 12 became available on Walmart.com at a 50% discount on Aug. 15. Pre-orders for new releases of “Captain America: The Winter Soldier”, “Million Dollar Arm” and “Maleficent” are all available at Wal-Mart.

Wal-Mart told Bloomberg its pre-orders are up 90% for “Captainl America” and 40% higher on other titles in recent days.

Consumers shopping Amazon’s site for the pre-orders get the following message: Sign up to be notified when this item becomes available.

This dispute with Disney comes on the heels of Amazon’s distribution disagreement with book publisher Hachette that has been brewing since June. Amazon disallowed pre-orders for Hachette titles trying to get the publisher to accept lower pricing for e-books.

Don Foster has joined Arvest Bank in Berryville as a community lender.

Foster joins Arvest Bank after 25 years with Tyson Foods and is the owner and operator of a broiler and cattle farm in Green Forest.

“We are so excited that Don is bringing his lifetime’s worth of experience and knowledge of Carroll County to work with us here,” said John Gregson, Arvest Community Bank President in Berryville. “He knows and understands the needs of the local customers and will be a valuable asset to our Arvest team. ”


He has an extensive list of service to his community having served as the president of the Carroll County Fair Board, the Carroll County 4H Foundation Board, Agri Day Committee, Books and Bloom Volunteer, was Carroll County Farm Family of the Year and a member of many other civic organizations.

Foster and his wife Barbara have two grown daughters.