Arkansas’ agriculture secretary has denied a state senator’s request to provide financial assistance to farmers affected by the sudden closure of a poultry company.
Sen. Bryan King, R-Green Forest, received a letter Saturday in which Agriculture Secretary Wes Ward “respectfully declined” King’s request for an emergency declaration because “the proper role of government does not include state assumption of private debts.”
King couldn’t be reached for comment Monday.
King sent a letter to Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders on Friday requesting a disaster declaration and that the state “provide full compensation to the growers, feed suppliers, and any entity related to helping this situation” who are losing income due to the closure of Cooks Venture.
Unlike large poultry companies like Tyson and Cargill mass produce meat that’s sold in grocery stores, Cooks Venture sold pasture-raised heirloom chickens, as well as other meat like grass-fed beef and lamb, that was flash frozen and delivered in a customizable box to customers’ homes, according to its website.
Arkansas Department of Agriculture Cooks Venture Letter
“The company is under financial duress, and at this time, the state needs to assume responsibility,” King wrote. “It is my hope the state can recoup the cost at a later date.”
The state cannot assume responsibility for a company simply because of financial trouble, so providing full compensation to growers “goes beyond the scope of appropriate state action,” Ward wrote.
“Our farmers are the greatest in the world. And we can compete with anyone so long as markets remain free and fair,” Ward wrote. “Unfortunately, because granting your request would be contrary to those values, your request must be declined.”
In his letter to the governor, King pointed to former Gov. Asa Hutchinson allocating $20 million in 2019 to extinguish a stump dump fire in Bella Vista as precedent for declaring an emergency.
Agriculture is Arkansas’ largest industry, contributing $16 billion annually to the state’s economy, according to Arkansas Farm Bureau.
Arkansas ranks third in the nation for broiler production, producing 7.46 billion pounds of poultry meat valued at $3.97 billion in 2021, according to the Poultry Federation. The state is also home to Tyson Foods, one of the largest meat processors in the world.
Ward noted poultry farmers and poultry production are vital to the state’s success, which is why agriculture department staff “proactively worked over Thanksgiving to provide necessary assistance.”
Arkansas state senator requests assistance for poultry farmers impacted by company closure
The Agriculture Department has been depopulating farmers’ flocks. At a Thursday meeting, Arkansas Livestock and Poultry Division Director Patrick Fisk told about 50 former Cooks Venture growers that he was responsible for deciding to kill the chickens, according to the Madison County Record. Fisk said he acted in the best interest of the animals, which faced starvation after the closure.
Chicken farmer Dustin Maybee told the Advocate Friday that he was notified by letter on Nov. 20 that Cooks Venture was experiencing financial difficulty and that if the company wasn’t sold, it would close between Nov. 20 and Nov. 30.
Information about next steps keeps changing, Maybee said. Initially, the company told Maybee it would pick up and ship his flock. Last Monday, Maybee was notified his birds would be killed and he’d be responsible for composting or burying the remains.
Maybee reached out for more information and on Thursday, he received an email from Cooks Venture saying it would dispose of the birds. However, Maybee said the company still hadn’t removed the dead animals from other growers’ farms and some of those growers have started to compost the animals themselves.
GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
