Mississippi Business Journal » agriculture

Bill exempting small farms from fuel storage regs passes Senate

MBJ Staff — Tue, 21 May 2013 12:11:26 +0000

WASHINGTON — Legislation to exempt small farms from Environmental Protection Agency fuel storage requirements has been incorporated into the Senate-passed Water Resources Development Act of 2013 (WRDA), according to a release from U.S. Sen. Thad Cochran (R-Miss.). The Senate passed WRDA legislation (S.601), and with it also approved all the provisions included in the Farmers [...]

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Undersecretary: ‘I understand the frustration’ over catfish inspections

Associated Press — Fri, 17 May 2013 12:03:55 +0000

WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. Thad Cochran (R-Miss.) has received word that the U.S. Department of Agriculture could complete a final rule for implementing a catfish inspection program by this October, Cochran reports in a release. Dr. Elisabeth Hagen, USDA undersecretary for food safety, today told Cochran the USDA Food Safety Inspection Service (FSIS) is committed [...]

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Federation president praises lawmakers for Farm Bill effort

MBJ Staff — Wed, 15 May 2013 16:44:54 +0000

JACKSON — The Mississippi Farm Bureau Federation (MFBF) leadership is commending U.S. Sen. Thad Cochran (R-Miss) and his staff for their diligent work to reach a solid compromise on a Senate Farm Bill package. Yesterday, the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry passed a piece of farm legislation that garnered a 15-5 vote. [...]

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Port lets dredging contract, clearing way for wood pellets

Associated Press — Wed, 15 May 2013 11:22:24 +0000

PASCAGOULA — Port of Pascagoula commissioners have approved a $1.5-million dredging project to prepare a Bayou Casotte berth for a specialized wood pellet exporting facility. The board awarded the $1.47 million contract to C. F. Bean, LLC for the dredging, testing, transporting and disposing of about 45,000 cubic yards of silts around Terminals E and [...]

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Plywood mill coming, bringing 200-plus jobs

Associated Press — Mon, 13 May 2013 20:02:18 +0000

LOUISVILLE — Natron Wood Products will locate a plywood mill in Louisville, creating more than 200 new jobs. Natron Wood Products owner Richard McDougal says the operations will be located in a 265,000-square-foot existing facility and represent a company investment of $10 million. The plant’s plywood overlay panels are used primarily in large vertical and [...]

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Catfish farmers challenged by markets lost to imports

Associated Press — Mon, 13 May 2013 11:40:41 +0000

ACROSS MISSISSIPPI — Catfish farmers continue to address production challenges as the industry works to reclaim markets lost to imported fish. Jeremy Robbins, vice president of The Catfish Institute based in Jackson, said farmers have struggled in recent years with high feed prices, their No. 1 expense, while dealing with increased competition from imports. “There [...]

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Senator: Is federal bioenergy program undercutting foresters?

MBJ Staff — Mon, 13 May 2013 11:30:33 +0000

WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. Thad Cochran (R-Miss.) is questioning whether a U.S. Department of Agriculture bio-based marketing program amounts to a bias against traditional forest products and whether such policies are fair. Cochran broached the topic at a Senate Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee hearing to review the FY2014 budget request for the USDA. The USDA BioPreferred [...]

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Senator presses ag secretary again on fish inspections

MBJ Staff — Fri, 10 May 2013 12:23:20 +0000

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Sen. Thad Cochran (R-Miss.) has once again pressed the U.S. secretary of agriculture to explain why a catfish inspection program authorized five years ago has not been implemented. Cochran, who has been fighting to ensure a fair and level playing field for U.S. catfish producers, raised the issue again with Agriculture [...]

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Biotech group sends letter to Cochran urging mandatory funding

MBJ Staff — Fri, 10 May 2013 11:52:13 +0000

AROUND MISSISSIPPI — A group of Mississippi biotechnology companies and state associations have written Sen. Thad Cochran (R-Miss.), urging him to support mandatory funding for renewable energy programs in a new Farm Bill. Elevance Renewable Sciences of Natchez and DuPont Corporation, which has operations in Pass Christian and Pascagoula, sent the letter along with supporters [...]

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Hay and forage producers hoping for blue skies

MBJ Staff — Mon, 06 May 2013 22:23:17 +0000

ACROSS MISSISSIPPI — As pastures transition from cool-season to warm-season grasses, the state’s hay and forage producers hope for sunny days that are better suited to growing and harvesting quality crops. “We’re finishing up with our cool season forages, which are annual ryegrass, wheat and oats with some clovers mixed in,” said Mark Mowdy, an [...]

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