Henning criticizes request for aid to area farmers

The communications director for Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders last week criticized state Sen. Bryan King’s request that Sanders declare an emergency that would allow the state to provide financial assistance to local farmers affected by the shutdown of poultry aggregator Cooks Venture and the subsequent euthanization of more than 1 million chickens.

King issued a formal letter to Sanders on Friday, Dec. 8, requesting the emergency declaration.

“We need to provide full compensation to the growers, feed suppliers, and any entity related to helping this situation,” King wrote in his letter to the governor. “The company is under financial duress, and at this time, the state needs to assume responsibility. It is my hope the state can recoup the cost at a later date.”

Wes Ward, secretary of the state Department of Agriculture, responded to King’s request the same day.

“Because the proper role of government does not include state assumption of private debts, your request has been respectfully declined,” Ward wrote in his response to King, a copy of which was provided by Amy Lyman, director of marketing and communications for the state agriculture department.

“Poultry farmers and poultry production are integral to our State’s success. Northern Arkansas chicken growers have long provided an affordable source of nutrition not only to their fellow Arkansans, but also to the nation and the world. This is precisely why staff from the Arkansas Department of Agriculture and I proactively worked over Thanksgiving to provide necessary assistance.

“However, your request that the government ‘provide full compensation’ to ‘any entity related [to the closing of Cooks Venture, Inc.]’ goes beyond the scope of appropriate state action. The State of Arkansas cannot ‘assume responsibility” for a company simply because that company has encountered ‘financial distress.’

“Our farmers are the greatest in the world. And we can compete with anyone so long as markets remain free and fair. Unfortunately, because granting your request would be contrary to those values, your request must be declined.”

On Tuesday, Dec. 12, Sanders’ communications director, Alexa Henning, shared a published report about the denial of King’s request on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter).

“The Dept. of Ag and the Secretary worked over Thanksgiving within the appropriate scope of government to assist these farmers,” Henning wrote. “ ‘Conservatives’ shouldn’t ask for government bailouts of private businesses on the backs of Arkansas taxpayers.”

King reposted Henning’s comments twice on his own X page, first writing “(L)et me clear this up. What I was asking for wasn’t a bailout for farmers. It was the state to assume responsibility for the cleanup, that wasn’t the farmers’ fault, and hold the responsible company accountable. Much like the stump dump fire.”

King’s post referred to an appropriation of $20 million approved by the state Legislature in 2019 to help with costs for cleanup after a massive underground fire at a former dump site in the Bella Vista area.

Later, King reposted Henning’s comments a second time, this time writing: “Please come up here and I will show you what a cleanup is and what a bailout is. Also would be great if you could visit with farmers, non conservatives, that were calling me about … what the State and company has done to them. Just asking you to hear both side(s).”