News in brief

LR firm to build, run

Clarksville solar farm

Clarksville Light & Water Co. is working with Little Rock-based Scenic Hill Solar to build Arkansas' third-largest solar power farm.

Scenic Hill will build, own and operate the 6.5-megawatt plant on land in the city leased from the Clarksville utility. The Clarksville-owned utility will purchase the solar plant's power according to the terms of a 30-year power purchase agreement.

The plant will produce enough electricity to satisfy more than 25 percent of Clarksville's residential electricity consumption. The farm will cover more than 40 acres, contain more than 20,000 solar modules and be visible from Interstate 40.

Former Arkansas Lt. Gov. Bill Halter is Scenic Hill Solar's chief executive officer.

-- David Smith

China's 13-year ban

on U.S. beef at end

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue will be attending events in China today to mark the return of U.S. beef exports to China after a 13-year-hiatus.

Perdue will be meeting with Chinese government officials this weekend to celebrate the resumption of such shipments, which were stopped in 2013.

In Beijing, Perdue and Terry Branstad, U.S. ambassador to China, will ceremoniously cut into prime rib shipped from the Greater Omaha Packing Co. in Nebraska.

Randy Veach, president of the Arkansas Farm Bureau, said the return to China's market is "monumental for U.S. agriculture."

Overall net farm income in the U.S. has dropped precipitously from 2012. Arkansas farmers and ranchers are still reeling from that decline and from flooding and cattle losses this year, Veach said.

Exports make up 30 percent to 40 percent of Arkansas' agricultural production business, Veach said.

-- Nathan Owens

State index up 1.79;

Dillard's top gainer

The Arkansas Index, a price-weighted index that tracks the largest public companies based in the state, rose 1.79 to 341.39 Thursday.

"Technology stocks led equities lower as investors shifted into financials and energy stocks in advance of the end of the calendar quarter today," said Leon Lants, managing director at Stephens Inc. in Little Rock.

Nine stocks advanced and eight declined.

Dillard's had the biggest gain at 5.1 percent.

Home Bancshares rose 2 percent.

Uniti Group shares fell 2.1 percent, and Acxiom shares fell 1.7 percent.

Total volume for the index was 26.8 million shares.

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

Business on 06/30/2017

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