Support the Arkansas Times Agricultural & Environmental Reporting Fundraising Effort

Dear Reader:

As a small farmer on my great grandparents' land, I want to share some exciting news.

When I was at the Gazette in 1971, both the Gazette and Democrat each had dedicated agriculture reporters. It was, and still is the largest industry in Arkansas.

Today, with newspapers gone or hollowed out, there is not a single fulltime ag reporter in the state.

With your help, Arkansas Times is about to change that.

We recently received a $25,000 match from Report for America that will allow us to hire a full-time agriculture and environmental reporter. Best of all, we’ve found a terrific one.

Let me tell you about him.

His name is Phillip Powell, a Hendrix College graduate with a masters in journalism from the Medill School at Northwestern, one of the nation’s top journalism schools. Phillip’s advisors at both Hendrix and Northwestern describe him as highly motivated, intelligent and a natural leader; a young man who wants to make a difference with his life. Phillip is an Arkansas native of the delta region who wants to come back home. We’re thrilled he will be joining us July 1 as our full time agriculture reporter.

To pay Phillip’s salary, we need your support to match the $25,000 we’re receiving from Report for America. If you’re not familiar with Report For America, it’s a terrific national program that is recruiting, training and placing journalists all around the country. They’ve placed over 650 journalists since launching in 2017.

Your contribution to help bring Phillip on board will ensure that the stories of our 49,000 family farmers and their immense contribution to our economy are properly told. Imagine the power of a dedicated voice bringing to light the challenges and triumphs of Arkansas’s largest industry! Agriculture employs 243,000 Arkansans and generates $19 billion annually.

Donate today and be part of preserving Arkansas’s rich agricultural legacy.

Help us match this grant and ensure that our farmers and agricultural workers are given the coverage they deserve. Please support local journalism that supports Arkansas.

Thank you for your consideration.

Alan Leveritt