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Arkansans can gobble up savings with Thanksgiving meals costing 20% less than last year

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Arkansans can gobble up savings with Thanksgiving meals costing 20% less than last year


With Thanksgiving just around the corner, many Arkansans are asking the question: How much will my Thanksgiving dinner cost?

According to new data from the Arkansas Farm Bureau, your Thanksgiving meal may cost less than it did in 2024.

The Farm Bureau released its findings from its annual Thanksgiving Dinner Survey, and it found that meal prices across the board are lower than it has been since before the COVID-19 Pandemic.

“It’s about a 20% drop from last year. I think we said it was around $71 last year and $56 this year,” Director of Commodity Economics with the Arkansas Farm Bureau, Tyler Oxner, said.

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According to the survey, the total average cost of a Thanksgiving meal for a family of 10 in 2025 is $56.77, which is $5.68 a person. In 2024, the total cost was $71.29, which is $7.13 a person. The pricing decrease is also evident across various items.

“The protein is what we’re seeing the biggest decrease in. We got a 7% decrease in turkeys year over year. About a third of the price of last year’s ham,” states Oxner.

A 16-pound turkey cost $15.13, or $0.94 per pound. In 2025, that same turkey may cost $14.10 and .88 a pound.

The survey also reports that a 4-pound ham cost Arkansans $21 last year. Now it’s costing $14.07, a 34% decrease.

Several classic Thanksgiving sides have also seen a decline in average cost:

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  • -3-pound bag of Sweet Potatoes from $3.03 to $2.40 (21% decrease)
  • -5-pound bag of Russet Potatoes from $2.97 to $2.47 (17% decrease)
  • -12-ounce package of Fresh Cranberries from $1.83 to $1.43 (22% decrease)
  • -16-ounce package of Frozen Green Peas from $1.44 to $1.02 (29% decrease)
  • -16-ounce package of Frozen Green Beans from $1.77 to $1.57 (11% decrease)
  • -9-inch Frozen Pie Shells from $3.29 to $1.94 (41% decrease)
  • -14-ounce package of Cube Stuffing, Herb Seasoning from $3.99 to $2.61 (35% decrease)
  • -12-count package of Dinner Rolls from $4.20 to $1.68 (60% decrease)
  • -30-ounce can of Pumpkin Pie Mix from $4.20 to $3.98 (5% decrease)
  • -1 gallon of Whole Milk from $4.23 to $3.64 (14% decrease)

Some products did not see the same declines. The price of 1 pound of fresh carrots increased by 12%, jumping from $1.04 to $1.16. The price of 1 bunch of fresh celery jumped up by 66%, from $1.05 to $1.74. A 1/2-pint carton of whipping cream also soared by 54%, increasing from $1.92 to $2.96.

Of course, this all depends on where you shop.

“You’re going to see, depending on what grocery store you go to, what promotional deals they have going on at those stores,” says Oxner.

“Arkansas is normally cheaper, and the South in general is normally cheaper than the rest of the United States,” he adds.

These prices not only depend on what retailer you shop at, but what county you shop in.

The survey reports that prices on Thanksgiving meals range from $50.89 in Boone County to $68.36 in Garland County. All of the other counties that the Farm Bureau surveyed came in under $60:

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  • -Hempstead County: $51.27
  • -Faulkner County: $53.58
  • -Craighead County: $55.89
  • -Sevier County: $56.34
  • -Sharp County: $57.48
  • -Carroll County: $58.46
  • -Lonoke County: $58.54

Oxner credits these pricing trends to one group.

“Arkansas families may see lower prices for their traditional Thanksgiving meal, and they just need to know that this is the work of those Arkansas farmers out there that are working tirelessly to provide sustainable food.”

Oxner says that these prices have the potential to continue to decline in the coming years, but that all depends on various factors, such as changing transportation and production costs, as well as if the Avian Influenza becomes a problem again in Arkansas like it was in 2024.



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Arkansas driver’s licenses and state IDs now available in Apple Wallet

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Arkansas driver’s licenses and state IDs now available in Apple Wallet


Arkansans can now present their driver’s licenses and state identification cards on mobile devices using Apple Wallet, state finance officials announced Wednesday.

The Department of Finance and Administration said Arkansans can use Apple Wallet to present their license or ID in person, online and in apps at select organizations, including at more than 250 Transportation Security



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Your Arkansas Driver’s License Can Now Live on Your iPhone

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Your Arkansas Driver’s License Can Now Live on Your iPhone


IDEMIA Public Security North America and the Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration’s Division of Driver Services and Motor Vehicles have launched Arkansas driver’s licenses and state IDs in Apple Wallet, allowing residents to securely store and use their credentials on an iPhone or Apple Watch.

The new feature gives Arkansans the ability to present their identification at participating businesses and venues, at Transportation Security Administration (TSA) checkpoints in more than 250 airports, and online or within apps when age or identity verification is required.

The launch builds on Arkansas’ ongoing efforts to expand digital identification options. In March 2025, the state introduced the Arkansas Mobile ID app, and officials say adding IDs to Apple Wallet offers residents another secure and convenient way to access their credentials.

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“We’re proud to build on our partnership with the Arkansas DFA’s Division of Driver Services and Motor Vehicles, expanding on the launch of the Arkansas Mobile ID app in March 2025. The launch of ID in Apple Wallet in the state provides Arkansas residents a new, secure way to store and present their digital credentials, with transparency and control over how their information is shared at the forefront,” said Rob Gardner, CEO, IDEMIA Civil Identity.

To add an Arkansas driver’s license or state ID to Apple Wallet, users can tap the plus sign at the top of the Wallet app on their iPhone, select “Driver’s License or State ID,” and follow the verification process.

Officials say privacy and security were central considerations in the rollout. Information stored in Apple Wallet is encrypted on a user’s device, and users control when and how their information is shared. When presenting an ID, only the information necessary to verify age or identity is provided.

Apple and the Arkansas Division of Driver Services and Motor Vehicles also do not receive information about when or where residents use their digital IDs.

The technology is also designed to make verification easier for businesses. Participating businesses can use IDEMIA’s Mobile ID Verify app to accept and verify mobile IDs directly from an iPhone without requiring customers to hand over their devices or use additional hardware.

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The launch marks another step toward broader adoption of digital credentials in Arkansas, giving residents a secure alternative to carrying a physical driver’s license or state ID while maintaining control over their personal information.

For information on the launch of IDs in Apple Wallet in Arkansas, click here.

READ ALSO: Adam O’Neal Stepping into Chancellor Role at UA-EACC



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Arkansas gymnatics coach Chris Brooks completes staff with hiring of Zan Jones | Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

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Arkansas gymnatics coach Chris Brooks completes staff with hiring of Zan Jones | Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette


New Arkansas gymnastics coach Chris Brooks announced Monday the hiring of Zan Jones to complete his first staff, as well as the promotion of assistants Kyla Ross and Catelyn Branson.

Brooks succeeded his wife, Jordyn Wieber, on April 28 after Wieber stepped down.

Jones joins the Razorback after two seasons as an assistant coach at Texas Woman’s University in Denton, Texas. The Pioneers won back-to-back Women’s Collegiate Gymnastics National Invitational Championship titles in 2025 and 2026 with Jones on staff. He has been named a Women’s Collegiate Gymnastics Association Division II assistant coach of the year three times, including this spring.

Jones also earned Midwest Independent Conference assistant coach of the year in both of his seasons at Texas Woman’s.

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Jones served as the Pioneers’ primary vault and uneven bars coach, and the team set a program record of 49.35 on the bars in March.

An Alabama alumnus, Jones served as a student manager for the Crimson Tide gymnastics team. He served a year at Talladega (Ala.) College in its inaugural season of gymnastics and spent time as a recreational and team coach at Trussville (Ala.) Academy of Gymnastics.

Brooks also promoted both Ross and Branson to the title of associate head coach. Ross, a former UCLA gymnast and Olympic gold medalist as part of Team USA in 2012, started at Arkansas as a volunteer assistant in 2022. Ross helped Arkansas produce program records on the balance beam in back-to-back years before taking over the vault squad, which set a program high 49.675 in 2026. 

The Razorbacks ranked as high as No. 2 on the vault last season and were never lower than No. 7. Senior transfer Morgan Price landed the first 10 in school history on the vault in February.

Branson returned to the Arkansas staff ahead of the 2025 season, helping lead the floor squad. In that time, Branson has led the Gymbacks to two of their top five best floor scores ever and Arkansas has been ranked as high as No. 2 in the country on floor in the last two seasons. In 2026, over 60% of the team’s scores on floor were 9.85 or better.

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Branson served as Lindenwood’s head coach from 2022-24, where she was named 2024 Women’s Collegiate Gymnastics Association South Central Region Coach of the Year and the Midwest Independent Conference Coach of the Year. She led the Lions to their second consecutive and fifth overall USAG national championship and seventh MIC title in 2024.

Branson had a prior stint at Arkansas from 2020 to 2022, in which time the Gymbacks ranked as high as third on beam and second on floor.



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