by MBJ Staff Published: March 29,2013
Tags: agriculture, commodity, farm, farmer, farming, plant, planting, probation, row crop, seed, state agency, suspend, suspension
JACKSON — The Mississippi Department of Agriculture and Commerce (MDAC) has suspended the seed dealer license of Johnston Seed Company Inc., of Ashburn, Ga., for 15 violations of the Mississippi Pure Seed Law. The settlement resolves allegations that Johnston Seed Company failed to comply with state-issued stop sale orders for seed not in compliance with [...] [...]
by MBJ Staff Published: March 29,2013
Tags: acreage, agriculture, corn, cotton, demand, farm, farmer, farming, market, planting, row crop
ACROSS MISSISSIPPI — Corn is the anticipated biggest winner and cotton the biggest loser as Mississippi producers shuffle commodity acres to take advantage of market conditions. The U.S. Department of Agriculture released its prospective plantings report March 28. In it, the state’s corn acreage is predicted to reach 1.05 million acres, a 28 percent increase [...] [...]
by MBJ Staff Published: March 26,2013
Tags: agriculture, commodity, cool, crop, development, farm, farmer, farming, harvest, higher education, plant, public university, row crop, Weather, wheat, winter wheat, yield
ACROSS MISSISSIPPI — Cool temperatures through March kept some Mississippians comfortable, but they slowed the development of wheat, the state’s only row crop grown through winter. Erick Larson, corn and wheat state specialist with the Mississippi State University Extension Service, said wheat acreage is high this year, with 420,000 acres planted in the fall. State [...] [...]
by MBJ Staff Published: March 19,2013
Tags: agriculture, bee, beekeeper, farm, farmer, farming, garden, gardener, honey, honeybee, pollinate
PEARL RIVER COUNTY — The Pearl River County Master Gardeners hope to boost the population of the Blue Orchard bee in south Mississippi with a project intended to attract this native pollinator to area backyards. The group, a volunteer organization facilitated by Mississippi State University’s Extension Service and committed to consumer horticulture education and community [...] [...]
by MBJ Staff Published: March 18,2013
Tags: agriculture, aquaculture, catfish, farm, farmer, farming, federal government, fedferal agency, fish, import, importer, importing, international trade, investigation, Politics, subsidized, subsidy
WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. Thad Cochran (R-Miss.) is welcoming a U.S. Department of Commerce antidumping decision that he says will give farm-raised catfish producers in Mississippi and the nation “some relief from unfair, low-priced foreign imports.” Undersecretary of Commerce for International Trade Francisco Sánchez late last week informed Cochran that the U.S. Department of Commerce [...] [...]
JACKSON — The Mississippi Department of Agriculture and Commerce is now accepting proposals for Mississippi’s FY 2013 Specialty Crop Block Grant Program. The purpose of the program is to solely enhance the competitiveness of Mississippi’s specialty crop industry. Projects funded through the program must address at least one of the following priority areas — research, [...] [...]
by MBJ Staff Published: March 13,2013
Tags: agriculture, bill, environment, farm, farmer, farming, federal agency, federal government, legislation, legislative, pollution, producer, ranch, rancher
WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Sen. Thad Cochran (R-Miss.) has endorsed legislation that would provide relief to small farms from Environmental Protection Agency fuel storage requirements that are set to take effect in May. Cochran is an original cosponsor to the Farmers Undertake Environmental Land Stewardship Act (S.496) that would amend the EPA Spill Prevention, Control [...] [...]
by MBJ Staff Published: March 11,2013
Tags: agriculture, bank, borrow, co-operative, farm, farmer, farming, finance, financial institution, loan, patronage
RIDGELAND — In April, member-borrowers of First South Farm Credit will receive patronage refund checks for 2012 totaling more than $12 million as part of the patronage refund program. Daniel Viator, chairman of the First South board of directors, said, “This is the 18th consecutive year we’ve paid a patronage refund. Over that period of [...] [...]
JACKSON — A.M. Best Co. has upgraded the financial strength rating to A- (Excellent) from B++ (Good) and issuer credit rating to “a-” from “bbb+” of Mississippi Farm Bureau Casualty Insurance Company. The outlook for both ratings has been revised to stable from positive. A.M. Best wrote: “Mississippi Farm Bureau’s ratings reflect its solid risk-adjusted [...] [...]
by MBJ Staff Published: March 7,2013
Tags: agriculture, aquaculture, education, Extension Service, farm, farmer, farming, forest, forestry, higher education, livestock, public university, ranch, rancher, row crop, tree
BILOXI — Agricultural producers in the coastal region shared their needs and concerns during a recent Mississippi State University meeting. The sixth-annual Producer Advisory Council meeting was held at MSU’s Coastal Research and Extension Center. Eleven commodity groups made recommendations and requests for research, educational programming and support by MSU’s Extension Service and the Mississippi [...] [...]