Cobb-Vantress gets
$1.1 million in grant
Siloam Springs-based Cobb-Vantress Inc. received a $1.1 million grant from the United Kingdom to save the genetic material of chickens.
The grant, which went to Cobb Europe and the Roslin Institute in Scotland, will preserve the genetic code of pure lines of broiler chickens, according to a news release. New stem cell preservation technology will be used to "biobank" the lines.
In addition to saving the genetic code for future generations, the work will allow researchers to understand the genetic drivers behind certain traits and improve commercial performance of chickens in emerging markets.
The award was made in the context of a need to double global poultry production in the next 25 years to meet growing demand for protein in the developing world. Chickens will need to have the genetic potential to meet local environmental conditions, which include severe climate and disease challenge pressures, the release states.
-- Brian Fanney
High court upholds
Real Forms verdict
The Arkansas Supreme Court on Thursday upheld a 2012 Washington County Circuit Court jury verdict for $150,000 against the Arkansas Realtors Association.
The Supreme Court ruled in favor of Real Forms LLC, a Fayetteville-based software company that had been awarded a five-year software development contract in 2010 by the association. The association terminated the contract after one year.
Real Forms sued the association for breach of contract and the Washington County jury ruled in favor of the software firm.
"Substantial evidence supported the jury's breach-of-contract verdict in this instance," wrote Donald Corbin, associate justice. The decision was unanimous.
Real Forms also sought $100,000 in attorneys' fees. The Supreme Court ordered the Washington County Circuit Court to provide findings on why it had denied the motion for attorneys' fees so the Supreme Court can review that decision.
-- David Smith
Arkansas Index falls
4.5 as stocks slump
The Arkansas Index, a price-weighted index that tracks the largest public companies based in the state, dropped 4.5 to 342.66 Thursday.
"U.S. stocks sank the most in eight weeks on Thursday, led by Apple Inc. as the stock traded off after glitches with the latest software update and worries over durability of the new smartphone," said John Blackwell, senior vice president and managing director of equity trading at Stephens Inc. in Little Rock.
Acxiom Corp. shares fell 2.7 percent in light trading volume.
Dillard's Inc. shares declined 2.7 percent in average trading.
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 09/26/2014