On Feb. 2, 2026, the Arkansas Corn and Grain Sorghum Promotion Board approved $1,266,859 in funding for 28 research and promotion projects during its meeting. The projects are intended to support the growth and market development of Arkansas’s corn and grain sorghum industries.
The funding aims to provide resources for producers to improve profitability and long-term sustainability. According to Trent Dabbs, Arkansas Corn and Grain Sorghum Promotion Board Chair, “The Arkansas Corn and Grain Sorghum Promotion Board plays a vital role in supporting our state’s corn and grain sorghum farmers (…) By investing assessment dollars into research and promotion efforts, the board helps provide the tools and resources producers need to improve profitability and long-term sustainability.”
The board received 46 proposals requesting more than $2.1 million in funding. Of these, eight promotion projects totaling $180,182 and 20 research projects totaling $1,086,677 were approved for fiscal year 2027. Funding decisions are made by board members at open public meetings.
Promotion project recipients include the National Corn Growers Association ($29,500), U.S. Meat Export Federation ($8,600), U.S. Grains & BioProducts Council ($77,082), University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture – Arkansas Irrigation Yield Contest ($10,000), University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture – Arkansas Future Ag Leaders Tour ($5,000), Ag Learning Center at Four States Fairgrounds ($10,000), Arkansas FFA Foundation ($25,000), and a joint education program by the Arkansas 4-H Foundation and Arkansas FFA Foundation ($15,000). Research project recipients from the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture include initiatives on hybrid performance testing, water quality monitoring, management systems evaluation, biologicals development for crop production, drone imagery applications for stand counting, nematode management options, economic analysis through verification programs, sustainable food packaging development using corn gluten meal, nitrogen management improvement studies among others.
The board is funded through a one-cent-per-bushel assessment on corn and grain sorghum grown in Arkansas. The seven-member board consists of practical producers appointed by the Governor for two-year terms with Senate confirmation.
According to the official website, Wes Ward serves as Cabinet Secretary of the Arkansas Department of Agriculture. The department focuses on agriculture as the state’s leading industry; it operates throughout the state with reach into national and global markets; it advocates conservation practices such as prescribed fires; it works to bolster farming while ensuring safety in food products; it offers programs encompassing animal care, crop management, forest protection and natural resource oversight.
