Benton County Fair Booklet

This is headed up by our Women's Leadership Committee and it's become a big deal. " The Farm Bureau plays a vital role in the Northwest Arkansas agriculture community, which is bigger than many might imagine. "A lot of people are not aware that Benton County is one of the top fifty counties in the United States for agriculture receipts, and number one in Arkansas." Kevin said. "Obviously, when people think of Benton County they think chicken. And there is, of course, a lot of chicken and it is one reason Benton County is ranked so high. But what a lot of people don't know is that Benton County is also number one in cattle production in Arkansas and ranked high in the country as well." "Most of Benton County cattle population is in the cow/calf variety," Kevin continued. "This is because Benton County doesn't have a USDA certified slaughterhouse, plus Northwest Arkansas really isn't a good environment for feeding cattle. But we excel in raising the young cattle that we then send to feed yards and, after that, meat processing. So they start here and go off to grow up and then come back as meat products. And it is a growing trend to have restaurants offer only locally raised beef on their menus." One of the big issues the Farm Bureau has been trying to address recently is the plight of the dairy farmers. The last five years or so, the Farm Bureau has worked diligently with policymakers trying to make better policies for the American dairy farmer. "Only one in five dairies that were operating fifteen years ago are still in business today," Kevin said. "People still drink milk and eat cheese and ice cream but the ability of your local dairy farmer to survive has become a real issue. It's 'go big or go home' sort of situation. It's all gone corporate. When I was a kid there were about 30 dairy farms in Benton County now I know of about five." 2020 Benton County Fair 107

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