USDA to mandate pig-virus tracking

In an effort to stop the spread of the porcine epidemic virus, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said it will issue a federal order that requires the reporting of all afflicted herds.

The USDA also will require tracking of pigs, vehicles and equipment that are moved from affected farms. The virus has a high mortality rate among piglets. The agency has not announced when the orders will take effect.

The virus has spread to 29 states, including five of the six states that border Arkansas. Cases have been reported in Mississippi, Missouri, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Texas.

A vaccine doesn't exist, but researchers with the USDA's Agricultural Research Service and the National Animal Disease Center have been working to create one.

"USDA has been working closely with the pork industry and our state and federal partners to solve this problem. Together, we have established testing protocols, sequenced the virus and are investigating how the virus is transmitted," Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said in a release.

The USDA's Farm Loan Programs will provide restructuring loans and new credit options for recovery to farmers with affected herds.

-- Tina Parker

Southern Living taps Capital Hotel for list

The Capital Hotel in Little Rock has been added to the Southern Living Hotel Collection, the Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism said Tuesday.

The hotel is now one of 30 in the magazine's Hotel Collection, a group of independent hotels and inns in 18 states in the South, according to a news release.

The properties in the Hotel Collection are chosen by the editors at Southern Living, according to the publication's website. Southern Living is a brand under Time Inc., a content and publishing company.

"This storied hotel is richly ingrained in Americana and Southern culture," Sid Evans, editor-in-chief of Southern Living, said in a statement. "Its colorful history makes it fascinating, but its luxurious amenities ... [turn] this gem of a hotel into 'a must stay' on every sophisticated travelers bucket list. "

-- Jessica Seaman

State index off 1.13; Windstream up 1.7%

The Arkansas Index, a price-weighted index that tracks the largest public companies based in the state, fell 1.13 to 340.36 Tuesday.

"The major averages were mixed as investors moved to the sidelines and digested the latest consumer statistics," said Bob Williams, senior vice president and managing director of Delta Trust Investments Inc. in Little Rock.

Shares of Windstream gained 1.7 percent and approached a 52-week high in extremely light trading, Williams said.

On the downside, Home BancShares fell by 3.6 percent on low volume, Williams said.

Total volume of the index was 15.8 million shares.

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

Business on 05/14/2014