Mississippi Business Journal » commodity

Ag officials say late planting reaching historical proportions

Associated Press — Mon, 20 May 2013 12:43:22 +0000

ACROSS MISSISSIPPI — Planting of Mississippi row crops has fallen behind schedule following a spate of wet weather, according to industry experts and government officials. Ernie Flint, an agronomist at the Mississippi State University Extension Service, says many of the state’s farmers are running about month behind but still have time to catch up before [...]

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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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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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Farmers waiting for blue sky; rain stymies planting

MBJ Staff — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 12:28:00 +0000

ACROSS MISSISSIPPI — Farmers should be nearly finished planting corn and going strong with soybeans, rice and cotton, but instead Mississippi fields are quiet as rain keeps tractors in the barn. As of late April, the state had gone more than five weeks with only an occasional day or two suitable for planting. Mississippi corn [...]

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Spring rains helpful, but crops need summer moisture

MBJ Staff — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 13:00:15 +0000

ACROSS MISSISSIPPI — Springtime’s soggy fields are no guarantee that summer’s row crops will have the moisture they need to thrive until harvest in the fall. Jason Krutz, irrigation specialist with the Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station, said winter and spring rain helps recharge the soil profile, but moisture must be replenished during the [...]

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Board endows chair, supports soybean research

MBJ Staff — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 12:04:27 +0000

STARKVILLE — The Mississippi Soybean Promotion Board (MSPB) has invested in the Edgar E. Hartwig Endowed Chair in Soybean Agronomy at Mississippi State University (MSU). Named after the late Edgar E. Hartwig, a renowned soybean breeder, MSPB’s investment will help fund an endowed chair in MSU’s Department of Plant and Soil Sciences. MSPB’s funding leveraged [...]

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Heavy rains put quality of strawberry crop in doubt

MBJ Staff — Tue, 16 Apr 2013 12:33:30 +0000

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 [...]

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In-state rice planting intentions drop to 36-year low

Associated Press — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 16:42:50 +0000

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, [...]

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Bad market conditions have peanut growers exploring options

MBJ Staff — Mon, 08 Apr 2013 12:32:51 +0000

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 [...]

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Report gives impact of extension service, experiment stations

MBJ Staff — Mon, 01 Apr 2013 12:14:51 +0000

STARKVILLE — The South’s extension service and experiment station systems are still relevant nearly a century after they were founded. This according to a new report released by an Ohio-based charitable trust. Battelle Technology Partnership Practice and BioDimensions, an independent research and development organization, released results of a study of the economic impact Extension Service [...]

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