Williams Baptist University meat processing facility opens

WALNUT RIDGE — The Williams Works initiative at Williams Baptist University is expanding its operations with the opening of a meat processing plant. The facility processes cattle, hogs and other livestock, and it is staffed in large part by WBU students who are working their way to an education through Williams Works. Future plans also call for a certificate program to train workers in meat cutting.

“Williams Baptist University’s meat processing plant will enable us to serve local livestock producers with an excellent processing service in a state inspected facility,” said Lucas Martin, manager of the plant. “This facility is a blessing to the university because we will be able to provide excellent products and processing services to our local community and will provide jobs for Williams Works students.”

The processing plant received its official stamp of approval from the Arkansas Department of Agriculture on Nov. 16, with Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders on hand to make the presentation. The Department of Health likewise approved the facility for retail meat sales.

The plant has the capacity to handle 20-25 cattle per week, providing an outlet for local and regional farmers who have lacked nearby facilities to process their livestock. Martin said the WBU processing plant also plans to sell products such as beef jerky, breakfast sausage, specialty sausages and brats, summer sausage and snack sticks.

“We are delighted to have the WBU meat processing facility open, and it was especially gratifying to have Gov. Sanders here to help us mark the occasion,” said Dr. Stan Norman, WBU president. “This is a major step forward for the Williams Works initiative, and it also fills a significant void for our local farmers, who have been waiting months to have their livestock processed due to a shortage of facilities like this one.”

Through the Williams Works program, students work 16 hours per week during the school year, and in exchange they receive full tuition and student service fees. In addition, they can apply to work full-time in the summer months to pay for the following year’s room & board.

Williams Works students are assigned to a wide array of workstations. In addition to the processing plant, they work with the Eagle Farms cage-free egg operation, vegetable farm, Williams Corner store, Hotel Rhea, WBU maintenance and

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Photo courtesy of WBU STATE

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housekeeping, as well as university offices. Student workers are also assigned to community partners, such as Bosch Power Tools, Lawrence Memorial Hospital, Fresh Ideas food service and several others.

WBU offers more than 25 majors across a broad range of academic disciplines. Students working in the meat processing plant may be in majors unrelated to their work, but they will also learn on the job about meat processing, livestock handling, safe food production and product handling.

Future plans also call for a certificate program to be offered in meat cutting, which is intended to address the current need for workers in the meat processing field.

“We are excited about adding the educational component to our meat processing operation,” Dr. Norman said.

“The certificate program will be open to students who are enrolled at WBU, as well as to those who are not currently students but want to gain training in this important field of work.”

The WBU meat processing plant is located at the corner of Hwy. 67 and Lawrence County.

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Arkansas Century Farm Program honors 36 farms from 25 counties

LITTLE ROCK — On Monday, Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders was joined by Arkansas Secretary of Agriculture Wes Ward to induct 36 farms into the Arkansas Century Farm Program.

The Arkansas Century Farm Program recognizes Arkansas farms of 10 acres or more owned by the same family for at least 100 years. The Arkansas Department of Agriculture established the program in 2012 to highlight the contributions of these families to the agriculture industry as well as our state. The program is voluntary and there is no cost for participating families.

Agriculture is the largest industry in Arkansas and contributes more than $20.9 billion to the state’s economy annually. Arkansas has 41,900 farms and 96 percent are family owned.

“A country that can’t feed itself, fuel itself, and clothe itself can’t survive.

That’s why it’s so important to thank and support our farmers,” said Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders. “[I was] honored to join the newest inductees to Arkansas’ Century Farm Program.

These 36 families have farmed the same land for over a century.”

Currently, 604 farms are recognized as Arkansas Century Farms throughout the state. The 36 newly-inducted farms are located in the following counties: Arkansas, Carroll, Cleburne, Conway, Craighead, Dallas, Faulkner, Fulton, Greene, Hempstead, Howard, Izard, Jackson, Jefferson, Lee, Little River, Logan, Lonoke, Mississippi, Monroe, Nevada, Ouachita, Perry, Randolph and Van Buren.

The 2023 Arkansas Century Farm inductees include: Arkansas County – Wilson-Thompson Farms (Est. 1898).

Carroll County – Wilson Family Farm (Est. 1912).

Cleburne County – Abram Agriculture, Timber & Wildlife Farm (Est. 1921).

Conway County – Houston Farm (Est.

1884).

Craighead County – Ridge Family Farm (Est. 1920).

Dallas County – HEW Farm (Est.

1884).

Fulton County – Hensley Farm (Est.

1915).

Greene County – Reddick Farm (Est.

1911).

Hempstead County – Phillips Family Farm (Est. 1883).

Howard County – Ponder Family Farm (Est. 1907).

Izard County – Windmill Hill Farm (Est. 1911).

Jackson County – Flora Peggy Murphy Farm (Est. 1916); Johnstown Camp Farm (Est. 1867) Waters Brothers Farm (Est. 1908).

Jefferson County – Tucker Farm (Est.

1916).

Lee County – Lizza Claire Farms Partnership (Est. 1887). Little River County – Hill Creek Farm (Est. 1910).

Logan County – Circle T Ranch (Est.

1850).

Lonoke County – Lloyd Edward Johnson Farm (Est. 1919); McSwain Farm (Est. 1920); Moss Prairie Farms, Inc.

(Est. 1914).

Mississippi County – Baxley Farm (Est. 1922).; C.W. Ramey Farm (Est. 1923); Halfmoon Sisters Farm, LLC (Est.1919).

Monroe County – Grace Breeding Rogers Farm (Est. 1897).

Nevada County – White’s Chapel Farm (Est.1868).

Ouachita County – J Howard Tate Farm (Est. 1906).

Perry County – Doughty Family Farm (Est. 1907); Randolph County Hills Farm (Est. 1910).

Van Buren County – C.R. “Rob” and Clara Barnett Family Farm (Est.

1920); Godfrey Homestead Farm (Est. 1904).