NEWS IN BRIEF

Applications taken

for century farms

Now in its second year, the Arkansas Century Farm Program is accepting applications from family farms that have been in operation for at least 100 years by the end of 2013.

The program, which is overseen by the Arkansas Agriculture Department, certified 83 farms as “Arkansas Century Farms” in 2012, its first year.

To qualify, farms must have been owned by the same family for at least 100 years by Dec. 31, with a line of ownership that can be from the original settler through children, grandchildren, siblings, and nephews or nieces, including through marriage and adoption. The farm must also include 10 acres of the original farm property and still make a financial contribution to the operation’s overall farm income. Only the legal owners of the land may apply.

Applications must be postmarked by May 31 to be eligible for designation in 2013. There is no cost to apply, and applications and more information can be obtained from the department’s website at: www.aad.arkansas.gov/ Pages/programs.aspx.

• Glen Chase Stephens hires 7 for tech-trade side

Stephens Inc. expanded its technology-investment banking group, hiring seven professionals in offices in Boston and San Francisco, the Little Rockbased firm said Tuesday.

The seven previously worked with ThinkEquity LLC, a San Francisco investment banking firm, Stephens said in a news release. ThinkEquity filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy protection last year, Bloomberg News reported.

The new employees will join Stephens’ information-services banking team, which is based in Little Rock. The team will focus on mergers and acquisitions and public and private equity and debt offerings for technology companies.

• David Smith Market upswing boosts state index

The Arkansas Index, a price-weighted index that tracks the largest public companies based in the state, rose 0.81 to 262.91 Tuesday.

“Despite another quiet trading day, upbeat earnings reports and a rally in financial shares took the major market indexes higher,” said Bob Williams, senior vice president and managing director of Delta Trust Investments Inc. in Little Rock. He noted that advancing stocks outperformed declining issues by a 2-to-1 ratio.

While overall volume was low in the Arkansas Index, above-average volume fueled P.A.M.

Transportation’s rise of 3.5 percent and J.B. Hunt Transport’s fall of 1.7 percent, Williams said.

The index was developed by Bloomberg News and the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette with a base value of 100 as of Dec. 30, 1997.