Governor Hutchinson has proclaimed August as Arkansas Catfish Month. During a ceremony today at the Arkansas Department of Agriculture, agriculture leaders, industry partners, and Arkansas catfish industry representatives joined Secretary Wes Ward for the Arkansas Catfish Month proclamation presentation. The proclamation highlights the state’s catfish industry and its value to Arkansas’s economy and agriculture industry. The full proclamation can be found, here.
Arkansas consistently ranks in the top three states in the nation in the production of foodsize, farm-raised catfish. Arkansas catfish farmers contributed $19.7 million to Arkansas’s agricultural economy in 2019.
“Agriculture is our state’s number one industry, and it has been successful due to the hard work and perseverance of the farmers and ranchers who work hard every day to provide our state with healthy food. Arkansas catfish farmers sold over 18.6 million pounds of foodsize fish in 2019, contributing greatly to our state’s economy. I am grateful for everything our farmers do for Arkansas,” said Governor Hutchinson.
Each year, agriculture contributes more the $21 billion in economic value to the state’s economy.
“The catfish industry is an important part of Arkansas’s diverse agricultural industry and keeps the state nationally competitive in catfish production,” said Agriculture Secretary Wes Ward. “We are thankful for the farmers and the industry that provide this protein throughout the entire year.”
The proclamation event featured a catfish lunch from King Kat of Carlisle who catered the event on the front lawn of the Department.
