by MBJ Staff Published: April 16,2013
Tags: agriculture, commodity, education, Extension Service, farm, farmer, farming, fruit, fungus, higher education, public university, rain, strawberry, Weather
ACROSS MISSISSIPPI — Growing strawberries in the South is especially challenging because of its variable weather, like that seen this spring. Wayne Porter, Mississippi State University Extension horticulture specialist in Lauderdale County, said the strawberries struggled because of excessive rain. “The crop started in late January and sputtered through February and March,” Porter said. “Berries [...] [...]
by Associated Press Published: April 15,2013
Tags: acreage, agriculture, commodity, corn, Extension Service, farm, farmer, farming, higher education, planting, public university, rice, row crop
ACROSS MISSISSIPPI — Mississippi farmers expect to have more than one million acres in corn this year and about 120,000 acres in rice — the largest corn acreage in 53 years and a 36-year low for rice. A U.S. Department of Agriculture planting survey shows Mississippi farmers plan to plant 1.95 million acres of soybeans, [...] [...]
by Associated Press Published: April 15,2013
Tags: agriculture, bill, crop, ecosystem, environment, executive, farm, farmer, farming, feral, governor, land, law, lawmaker, legislation, legislative, pest, pest control, property, real estate, wild hog, wildlife
ACROSS MISSISSIPPI — Farmers and wildlife officials say wild hogs are roaming throughout the state, damaging crops and land. As a result, Gov. Phil Bryant signed a bill that adds wild hogs to the state beaver-control program. Beginning July 1, a Beaver and Wild Hog Control Advisory Board will be created to come up with [...] [...]
by MBJ Staff Published: April 12,2013
Tags: agriculture, conservation, education, environment, farm, farmer, farming, higher education, irrigation, producer, public university, research, row crop, water
STONEVILLE — Mississippi State University experts have a new program to help Delta producers irrigate row crops more efficiently and economically. MSU Extension Service irrigation specialist Jason Krutz is leading a multi-faceted approach to water conservation, dubbed Row-crop Irrigation Science and Extension Research, or RISER. The researchers are working with producers to help reduce irrigation [...] [...]
by MBJ Staff Published: April 11,2013
Tags: acquaculture, agriculture, catfish, farm, farmer, farming, federal agency, federal government, fish, food, food safety, import, importer, importing, inspection, trade association
INDIANOLA — Catfish Farmers of America (CFA) are disputing a recent report by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) and Obama Administration that the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) catfish inspections are a “duplicative program” and should be eliminated. “Catfish Farmers of America is stunned by the misinformation recently distributed by the GAO and White House [...] [...]
by MBJ Staff Published: April 8,2013
Tags: acreage, agriculture, commodity, crop, farm, farmer, farming, goober, grower, maket, pea, peanut, planting, price, producer, row crop
ACROSS MISSISSIPPI — A significant decline in price potential has last year’s peanut growers looking to other crops in 2013. According to the recent U.S. Department of Agriculture Prospective Plantings report, acreage is declining in every peanut-producing state except Oklahoma. Mississippi is expected to post the greatest percentage decline, down 58 percent from the previous [...] [...]
by Associated Press Published: April 8,2013
Tags: acriculture, city government, demolition, factory, food, greenspace, manufacture, manufacturer, manufacturing, nut, Pecan
NATCHEZ — The city of Natchez is converting the site of an old pecan factory in the Mississippi River bluff into greenspace. The Natchez Democrat reports workers have been removing the concrete foundation, retaining walls and driveway at the factory site. Mayor Butch Brown said once the concrete is removed and the site cleaned up, [...] [...]
by Associated Press Published: April 3,2013
Tags: agriculture, bench, Chicken, court, crime, export, exporter, exporting, falsifying records, food, food safety, fraud, international trade, judge, justice, justicve, law, legal, poultry, sentencing
GULFPORT — A plea hearing has been rescheduled for a man indicted in an alleged conspiracy to falsify the temperatures of chicken exported from Mississippi to Russia. The Sun Herald reports U.S. District Judge Louis Guirola Jr. set a new plea date of May 20 for Terry White. White is one of three men indicted [...] [...]
by Associated Press Published: April 2,2013
Tags: agriculture, construction, economic development, employee, employer, energy, environment, expansion, facility, forest, forester, forestry, green, job, plant, renewable energy, tree, wood, wood pellet, work, worker
LUCEDALE and COPIAH COUNTY— Gulf Coast Renewable Energy is ramping up plans for a wood pellet plant in Lucedale, and plans to build another plant just as big in Copiah County. The Mississippi Press reports that the company says it now plans to double the plant’s capacity to 320,000 metric tons of pellets a year [...] [...]
by Associated Press Published: April 2,2013
Tags: case, Chicken, crime, excporter, export, exporting, food, food safety, international market, law, legal, plea, poultry, trial
PASCAGOULA — Court records say a man is expected to plead guilty in an alleged conspiracy to falsify the temperatures of chicken exported from Mississippi to Russia. The April 2012 indictment says Gerald Miller, Patrick McLain and Terry White arranged the export of chicken that did not meet temperature requirements under a trade agreement with [...] [...]