Arkansas

Tyson agrees to settlement with Oklahoma after decades-long poultry pollution lawsuit

Published

2 weeks ago

February 15, 2026

Tyson agrees to settlement with Oklahoma after decades-long poultry pollution lawsuit

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (KATV) — It appears the decades-long legal battle by the state of Oklahoma against poultry companies in northwest Arkansas over the pollution of the Illinois River watershed with chicken litter is reaching its conclusion.

Tyson and Cargill are the latest companies to agree to a settlement with Oklahoma after initially fighting a December federal court ruling holding them liable for pollution in the Illinois River watershed.

The new settlement, agreed to on Thursday, is a lot easier for Tyson and Cargill to swallow than that December ruling and the uncertainty it created.

That ruling demanded that farmers contracted with defendant poultry companies in northwest Arkansas be closely watched for at least 30 years by a monitoring team led by a special master to assure compliance with strict requirements for chicken waste disposal and land application and assess its impact on waterways.

What’s more, the December ruling would have had poultry companies pay for the team’s work, with initial payments of $10 million into an account and then $5 million more every time the fund fell below $5 million.

Panicking poultry companies, afraid of such a long period of liability and uncapped costs, began refusing to renew contracts with farmers in the region. Some farmers have already found themselves without a contract after being nonrenewed.

The new settlement helps eliminate the uncertainty by asking the companies for one-time payments—Tyson $19 million and Cargill $6.5 million. Some of that money will fund a special master who will ensure compliance with the settlement, but for a time period of seven years rather than at least 30.

For poultry growers in northwest Arkansas, it’s a relief, relatively.

“With the settlement, like I said, we feel a little bit more confident that Tyson would like to stay in northwest Arkansas,” Cheyenne Holliday, a poultry farmer for Tyson in Washington County, told KATV. Holliday says Tyson has told her family that their contract would not be renewed.

But the lawsuit against poultry companies in Arkansas has already done much damage, and the new settlement restricts the land application and sale of chicken litter as fertilizer, an important source of revenue for poultry farmers.

“I think that this is devastating to northwest Arkansas’s poultry industry. Undoubtedly, it’s going to impact the poultry production in northwest Arkansas. Poultry producers not having the ability to sell their litter is going to be hard on them,” Holliday said.

“If our farm was able to get a contract and able to sell our farm for any amount of money, we would probably leave northwest Arkansas. I don’t think that it would be smart business for us to stay in a place where we’re always going to be under the microscope as far as water quality is concerned,” she told KATV.

Holliday and other poultry farmers contracted with defendant companies don’t feel they’ve been treated fairly by the courts—since the lawsuit’s inception two decades ago, they say they’ve taken steps to better protect waterways from chicken litter pollution and say the Illinois River actually meets the original water quality standards demanded by Oklahoma in 2004.

“This settlement does not mean that poultry farmers are guilty of the water quality issue in the Illinois River watershed,” Holliday said.

What’s more, lawmakers say the state of Arkansas has instituted regulatory reforms to ensure it.

“That initiated a series of laws and changes that I was a part of even before I was in the Legislature to try to address this. I mean, the ultimate part is that we have to do things like we have farm plans that we have to go by. These are soil tests, and these give our application rates that we are supposed to abide by,” State Sen. Bryan King, (R) District 28, told KATV. King himself is a poultry farmer.

It’s not over just yet, as the judge in the case still has to approve Tyson and Cargill’s settlement with Oklahoma. And if he doesn’t do that, the December ruling still stands, and it’s back to the negotiating table.

“There is some relief in knowing that there was a settlement and that Tyson was at least willing to settle and not wait for the appeal process to happen, which could have taken several years. But if the judge doesn’t sign off on this settlement, honestly, the settlements don’t mean anything,” Holliday said.

Tyson, Cargill, and the state of Oklahoma have requested a court hearing for March 2, at which time the judge may decide whether or not to approve the settlement.

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Arkansas

George Dunklin’s legacy of conservation in Arkansas | Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

Published

10 hours ago

February 28, 2026

Press Room

George Dunklin’s legacy of conservation in Arkansas | Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

Rex Nelson

[email protected]

Rex Nelson has been senior editor and columnist at the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette since 2017, and he has a biweekly podcast called “Southern Fried.”

After graduating from Ouachita Baptist University in 1981, he was a sportswriter for the Arkansas Democrat for a year before becoming editor of Arkadelphia’s Daily Siftings Herald. He was the youngest editor of a daily in Arkansas at age 23. Rex was then news and sports director at KVRC-KDEL from 1983-1985.

He returned to the Democrat as assistant sports editor in 1985. From 1986-1989, he was its Washington correspondent. He left to be Jackson T. Stephens’ consultant.

Rex became the Democrat-Gazette’s first political editor in 1992, but left in 1996 to join then-Gov. Mike Huckabee’s office. He also served from 2005-09 in the administration of President George W. Bush.

From 2009-2018, he worked stints at the Communications Group, Arkansas’ Independent Colleges and Universities, and Simmons First National Corp.

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Arkansas

Hogs Look to Rebound After Midweek Split with Arkansas State

Published

23 hours ago

February 27, 2026

Press Room

Hogs Look to Rebound After Midweek Split with Arkansas State

Arkansas got a quick reminder this week that baseball doesn’t hand out easy wins.

The Razorbacks head into the weekend after splitting a midweek set with Arkansas State, a two-game stretch that showed both the highs and lows of early season baseball.

Now, the Hogs turn the page and prepare to host UT Arlington in a three-game series at Baum-Walker Stadium.

Arkansas enters the weekend 7-2 overall. UT Arlington comes in at 2-6. First pitch Friday is set for 3 p.m., with Saturday at 2 p.m. and Sunday at 1 p.m. Friday’s game will stream on SEC Network+.

Midweek Split Shows Two Sides of Arkansas

The midweek matchup with Arkansas State didn’t go the way the Razorbacks expected at first. In Game 1, Arkansas State won 12-4. It marked the first loss to the Red Wolves in program history.

The Hogs struggled on the mound and couldn’t keep pace as Arkansas State built separation. The result was a reminder that even in-state games can turn quickly if things slip early.

But 24 hours later, Arkansas looked like a different team.

In Game 2, the Razorbacks leaned on dominant pitching and edged Arkansas State 1-0 in a tight contest. It was the kind of bounce-back performance coaches want to see after a tough loss.

The split left Arkansas with lessons on both sides — how quickly things can unravel and how steady pitching can win a game even when runs are hard to find.

Home Comfort at Baum-Walker Stadium

Now the Razorbacks return to Baum-Walker Stadium looking to build momentum.

The Hogs have been strong at home and will try to use that setting to steady the ship after the midweek ups and downs. Playing in Fayetteville gives Arkansas a familiar environment and a chance to settle into its routine.

UT Arlington, meanwhile, is coming off a rough stretch. The Mavericks lost their midweek game to Dallas Baptist 6-1 and were swept in a weekend series against Lamar after winning the opener 10-2 before dropping the next two games.

Arkansas has the edge historically, leading the all-time series 7-1. The teams haven’t met since 2006, when the Razorbacks swept a series in Honolulu. This will be the first time UT Arlington plays in Fayetteville.

Pitching Matchups to Watch

The Hogs will roll out a strong weekend rotation.

Friday’s starter is right-hander Gabe Gaeckle (1-0, 1.93 ERA). He’ll face UT Arlington right-hander Caylon Dygert (0-0, 1.80 ERA). That matchup could set the tone for the series opener.

On Saturday, left-hander Hunter Dietz (0-1, 9.00 ERA) is scheduled to pitch for Arkansas against Dylan Skolfield (0-2, 6.48 ERA) for the Mavericks.

Sunday’s game will feature left-hander Colin Fisher (1-0, 0.00 ERA) for the Razorbacks. UT Arlington has not yet named a starter for the series finale.

After seeing how important pitching was in the 1-0 win over Arkansas State, Arkansas will look for more steady outings from its starters and bullpen.

Finding Consistency Early

Through nine games, the Hogs have shown flashes of strong offense and solid pitching. But the midweek split showed that consistency is still forming.

The loss to Arkansas State proved that mistakes can pile up fast. The narrow win that followed showed that disciplined pitching and defense can close out tight games.

This weekend gives Arkansas another chance to sharpen its approach before the schedule gets tougher later in the season.

For fans, the path to watching is simple. Friday’s game streams on SEC Network+, and radio coverage will be available in Fayetteville on 92.1 FM and AM 1590, along with other affiliates across the state.

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Arkansas

No. 1 Arkansas leads SEC Indoor after first day finals

Published

1 day ago

February 27, 2026

Press Room

No. 1 Arkansas leads SEC Indoor after first day finals

Shawn Price
February 26, 2026

COLLEGE STATION – A victory in the 5,000m by Nick Busienei and third place in the distance medley relay had No. 1 Arkansas leading the team score with 18 points on the first day of the SEC Indoor Championships.

The Razorbacks produced 12 of those points in the 5,000m as Nick Busienei won the race in a meet record of 13;31.86, which ranks him No. 7 on the UA all-time list. Busienei bettered the meet record of 13:37.52 set by Razorback Patrick Kiprop in 2025.

James Sankei added two more points in placing seventh with a time of 13:44.57.

Dating back to 1992 when Arkansas competed in its first SEC Indoor meet, Busienei claimed the 21st title for the program and is the 14th Razorback to win the indoor 5,000m.

Six more points were added in the distance medley relay as Arkansas posted a time of 9:30.84 from the foursome of Owan Logorodi (2:58.46), Zyaire Nuriddin (46.51), Julian Carter (1:49.10), and Brian Masai (3:56.77).

South Carolina won the race in 9:30.08 with Ole Miss runner-up in 9:30.34. Florida originally placed third in 9:30.37 but was disqualified for spiking the baton at the conclusion of the race.

Jelani Watkins led the Razorback crew in the 200m prelims as three Arkansas sprinters advanced to the final. Watkins produced an indoor career best of 20.42 rank second overall to a 20.38 by Florida’s Wayna McCoy. Watkins remains No. 2 on the UA all-time list as he improved his previous time of 20.43.

Dapriest Hogans followed with a 20.63 that equaled his career best and his No. 8 ranking on the UA all-time list. Tevijon Williams clocked 20.65 to reach the final where 20.71 was the cutoff time. Jamarion Stubbs ran 20.87 in his prelim heat.

Cooper Williams completed the first day of the heptathlon in sixth place with 2,862 points. He started with a 7.43 in the 60m (736), then added a 21-9.5 (6.64) long jump (729). In the shot put, a mark of 36-8.25 (11.18) picked up 557 points. Williams wrapped up day one by topping the field in the high jump with a clearance of 6-8.25 for 840 points.

Link Lindsey placed 15 in the long jump with a mark of 23-6.75 (7.18).

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