by Associated Press Published: March 12,2010
Tags: agriculture, disaster relief, Legislature, sweet potatoes
JACKSON — The state Senate has passed a bill to establish a fund to provide loans to sweet potato farmers, many of whom lost much of their crop last year because of the unusually heavy rains during harvest time. Under the bill, a sweet potato farmer could apply for a 2.5 percent interest rate loan. They [...] [...]
by Wally Northway Published: March 11,2010
Tags: agriculture, Congress, disaster recovery, disaster relief
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Senate has passed important provisions introduced by Sen. Blanche Lincoln (D-Ark.) as well as Sen. Thad Cochran (R-Miss.) and Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) to provide timely disaster assistance to producers facing severe crop loss from last fall’s heavy rains and floods. Rep. Travis Childers (D-Miss.) has led the effort to pass disaster assistance [...] [...]
by Associated Press Published: March 10,2010
FLORA — To better serve the needs of southern farmers, Monsanto has broken ground on a new corn breeding station in Flora. The 26,000-square-foot, $2.4-million corn breeding station, located in the Flora Industrial Park, will employ approximately 10 full-time and up to 50 seasonal workers. Corn production in the southern region has been growing in [...] [...]
by Wally Northway Published: March 4,2010
Tags: agriculture, international trade, TAA, USDA
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has launched the Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) for Farmers Program to help American agricultural producers adjust to the current, challenging economic environment. In August, USDA requested public comments on a proposed rule for establishing the procedures and eligibility criteria for receiving assistance. Comments focused on payment limitations and adjusted gross [...] [...]
by Wally Northway Published: February 24,2010
Tags: agriculture, banking and finance, credit
AUSTIN, Texas — Farm Credit Bank of Texas (FCBT), a wholesale bank that provides funding for rural lending cooperatives, reported strong financial results for 2009, in spite of last year’s weak economy. FCBT net income for 2009 totaled a record $106.6 million, an increase of 38.9 percent over 2008 net income. This increase was driven principally [...] [...]
by Wally Northway Published: February 23,2010
Tags: agriculture, banking and finance, patronage
FLOWOOD — Southern AgCredit is making a record patronage payment to its customer-owners based on its 2009 financial performance. Southern AgCredit customers will soon receive a check for their portion of the co-op’s $2.5-million cash patronage, plus a statement detailing their portion of a $4.7-million allocation that is eligible for future cash distribution. The combined $7.2-million [...] [...]
by Wally Northway Published: February 23,2010
Tags: agriculture, Mississippi State University, plant disease
STARKVILLE — Black root rot, a fungal disease that infects cotton and soybeans, may be affecting more soybean acres across the Delta, and Mississippi State University (MSU) researchers are working to prevent its impact. Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station researchers Gabe Sciumbato and Tom Allen have been conducting laboratory studies to learn more about the [...] [...]
by Associated Press Published: February 23,2010
Tags: agriculture, boll weevil, cotton, pest control
STARKVILLE — Cotton production costs continue to climb in most categories with one exception – boll weevil control. When the boll weevil eradication program first entered Mississippi’s eastern counties in 1997, cotton growers were assessed $20 per acre. As the program progressed westward, first-year assessments ranged from $20 to $24 per acre. Initially, weevils were also [...] [...]
by Wally Northway Published: February 22,2010
Tags: agriculture, banking and finance, Congress
FLOWOOD — Recent economic turmoil has made it evident that not all financial organizations are created equal. That was the message that the leaders of Southern AgCredit delivered to their representatives in Congress recently. Five members of the Southern AgCredit board of directors and the cooperative lender’s CEO, Joe Hayman, attended the Farm Credit Council’s Annual [...] [...]
by MBJ Staff Published: February 21,2010
Tags: agriculture, editorial, mississippi farmers
Agriculture in Mississippi is an almost after thought these days in Washington. Despite the fact that Mississippi farmers lost nearly $500 million last year because of torrential rains and floods, policy makers in Washington do not feel the need to provide aid. In an exclusive story in today’s Mississippi Business Journal, the agriculture relief backers in the [...] [...]