
Stephen Meyers is a new sweet potato specialist with the Mississippi State University Extension Service who has joined forces with Mississippi growers. Meyers, a native of northern Indiana, is working with growers whose fields are largely centered in or around Calhoun and Chickasaw counties. He earned his bachelor’s degree in horticultural production and marketing, with [...] [...]
by Lynn Lofton Published: March 1,2013
Tags: agriculture, Andy Prosser, catfish, cotton, MDAC, peanuts, poultry, soybeans, sweet potatoes, timber
Agriculture remains the number one industry in Mississippi with one out of every four residents employed directly or indirectly in that industry. In terms of the state’s best cash crop economically, the production of chickens and eggs is our number one commodity, with soybeans at number two and forestry at number three. “Our economy is [...] [...]
by MBJ Staff Published: June 12,2012
Tags: agriculture, colleges, commodities, crops, education, higher education, research, row crops, sweet potatoes, universities, yams
LORMAN — A study by Alcorn State University researchers, which examines what happens to the sweet potato plant when it is sprayed with a chemical that reduces the amount of vegetative growth, was recently published in the African Journal of Agricultural Research, Vol. 7(15), pp. 2372-2379. This study was conducted by Drs. Victor N. Njiti, [...] [...]
by MBJ Staff Published: March 7,2012
Tags: agriculture, aquaculture, bees, cattle, chickens, colleges, commodities, cotton, crops, dairy, education, eggs, farmers, farms, forestry, fruits, goats, grain, grain sorghum, growers, herds, higher education, honey, horticulture, livestock, milk, nuts, pecans, poultry, research, rice, soybeans, specialty crops, sweet potatoes, trees, universities, wheat
ABERDEEN — Advocates for agriculture met recently at the North Mississippi Research and Extension Center in Verona to identify priorities for research and Extension Service education programs at Mississippi State University. Scientists from the Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station, specialists with the MSU Extension Service and almost 250 members of the North Mississippi Producer [...] [...]
Calhoun County row crop and beef cattle farmers Brad and Carla Spencer of Vardaman were recently named state winners of the 2011 Mississippi Farm Bureau Federation (MFBF) Young Farmers and Ranchers (YF&R) Achievement Award. The Spencers will receive a new Ford pickup truck, the use of John Deere and Kubota tractors, $500 from Ford and [...] [...]
JACKSON — A new law says Mississippi can provide up to $17 million in loan guarantees to sweet potato farmers. Gov. Haley Barbour signed the loan bill March 24, and it became law immediately. The Mississippi Development Authority can extend the loan guarantees to sweet potato farmers who had disaster-related losses in 2009. Those seeking [...] [...]
Federal and state aid possible for producers Just a handful of weeks ago, it looked as if Mississippi’s farming community would see no assistance to offset the severe crop losses suffered last year. They were looking at swallowing losses estimated at nearly $500 million — the worst loss in a half-century — on their own. [...] [...]
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. [...] [...]