Jonesboro, AR – Jonesboro Right Now – As rice harvest continues across Northeast Arkansas, farmers will soon be entering another familiar phase of the agricultural cycle: removing crop residue from harvested fields, including through prescribed burning.
But this year, farmers face a more complicated set of conditions.
Drought, extreme heat, dry vegetation and widespread burn bans have created elevated wildfire danger across Arkansas. At the same time, the state’s rice harvest is moving ahead of its normal pace, meaning more harvested fields — and eventually more crop residue — will be ready for management…