A team of Mississippi State University agricultural economists recently received funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to study policies impacting biofuel supply chains. Keith Coble, a W.L. Giles Distinguished Professor at MSU, is the principal investigator for a project to develop a policy evaluation model to assess how state or federal policies might impact [...] [...]

by Associated Press Published: August 2,2012
Tags: Arkansas, drought, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Mississippi, Mississippi Business Journal, Nebraska, Oklahoma, south Dakota, Tennessee, Tom Vilsack, USDA, Wyoming
ST. LOUIS — Nearly 220 counties in a dozen drought-stricken states were added Wednesday to the U.S. government’s list of natural disaster areas as the nation’s agriculture chief unveiled new help for frustrated, cash-strapped farmers and ranchers grappling with extreme dryness and heat. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s addition of the 218 counties means that [...] [...]
by MBJ Staff Published: December 4,2011
Tags: USDA
Oby Easley of Clarksdale is retiring after 27 years of service as county director of USDA-FSA in Coahoma County. Stovall is retiring after serving as location coordinator of the Delta Research and Extension Center in Stoneville. [...]

The latest round in the three-year heavyweight political battle that involves U.S. farm-raised catfish, food safety, government spending and international diplomacy is in the books. Who won, who lost and where the domestic catfish industry goes from here is yet to be determined. The last week of May, two public comment hearings were held — [...] [...]
by MBJ Staff Published: June 1,2011
Tags: biofuels, Braemar Energy Ventures, Canada, Cycle Capital, Enerkem Inc., Ethanol, Memorandum of Understanding, methanol, Mississippi, Mississippi Development Authority, old telephone poles, pilot facility, Pontotoc, Quebec, Rho Ventures, syngas, Three Rivers Landfill, treated wood, U.S. Department of Energy, USDA, Vincent Chornet, waste management, work force training
From staff reports CHICAGO — Enerkem Inc., a leading waste-to-biofuels and chemicals company based in Canada, announced today an additional $60 million in financing for its Pontotoc, Mississippi plant, on which the company expects to break ground later this year. The plant will be located within the Three Rivers Landfill and convert trash to methanol [...] [...]
Sen. Thad Cochran (R-Miss.) has indicated that he wants the Obama Administration’s nominee to lead the U.S. Department of Agriculture Food Safety and Inspection Service to support implementation of a federal law to begin inspections of catfish. Cochran serves on the Senate Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee that conducted a confirmation hearing on the nomination [...] [...]
On Feb. 18, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the U.S. Department of Justice announced a settlement agreement to resolve longstanding civil rights claims against the USDA. While the settlement agreement includes a March 31 “opt-out” provision for the plaintiffs, the two departments say they remain committed to resolving this issue in the weeks [...] [...]
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 [...] [...]
WASHINGTON — Sen. Thad Cochran (R-Miss.) is questioning how the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) expects to use its budget to address farming and agriculture issues in Mississippi, including pending catfish inspection regulations and settling longstanding discrimination claims by African American farmers. Cochran serves on the Senate Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee that March 2 received testimony [...] [...]
ABERDEEN — William T. “Tommy” Tacker has been convicted of defrauding the U.S. Department of Agriculture out of $2.8 million in bioenergy subsidy money for a plant in Mississippi. Tacker was convicted Wednesday in federal court in Aberdeen and faces up to 50 years in prison. Testimony began Monday in the case of the 56-year-old [...] [...]