Farmers are covering their crops in anticipation of a frigid cold front later tonight.
The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture warned growers Monday about the National Weather Service alert, which forecast freezing temperatures that could damage unprotected berries, vegetables and winter wheat for farmers across the state.
Experts say growers should be on guard, particularly those in the northern counties.
Amanda McWhirt, extension horticulture crop specialist for the Division of Agriculture, alerted farmers that blooms are usually the most cold-sensitive and are damaged at 27-30 degrees Fahrenheit, followed by small fruits at 26-28 degrees.
She recommended that fruit growers cover their crops by this afternoon and that some "try burning hay or other ways to add warm air around the plants."
She also advised vegetable growers to cover warm-season vegetable transplants or seedlings with "upside-down buckets or light blankets."
Winter wheat may be more vulnerable to unseasonably harsh weather than other row crops in the state.
Kevin Lawson, staff chairman for the Faulkner County Cooperative Extension Service office, said in a statement that in his county, wheat crops are anywhere from the "boot" to "heading" growth stages. With temperatures expected below 28 degrees, "this could get interesting," he said.