Business Blog

Mississippi’s Christmas tree growers are optimistic about this year’s sales season despite national reports of a new “tree tax” to fund promotional efforts. Growers now hope consumers visit their operations and see prices are generally the same as last year. “Here we are trying to self-promote our industry, and we get this,” said Michael May, [...]

Back in the summer, the peanut industry was facing a crisis. The extended drought had affected nearly half of the state’s peanut growers, and they were looking at a bad, perhaps disastrous, year. But, the same September rains from Tropical Storm Lee that saved pecan growers turned the season around for peanut farmers. Instead of [...]

It has been good times of late for Mississippi’s pecan producers. And, the optimism just keeps growing. Boosted by increased demand, tight supply and corresponding high market prices while dodging some of the weather-related losses many of the state’s other agriculture commodities have suffered over the last few years, 2011 is shaping up to be [...]

For the state’s sod growers, 2010 was a year to forget. Rocked by low demand due to the lack of new construction as well as adverse weather patterns, the industry saw many producers forced out of business, and those that survived struggled to remain a going concern. Unfortunately, producers will hold no fond memories of [...]

The drought in Texas has left pastures brown and cattlemen and horse owners in a hay-buying frenzy to feed their hungry animals. Now, local horse owners are worried that there will not be enough hay to get through the upcoming winter. Stephanie Billingsley of Mississippihorses.org said, “We are afraid that by mid-winter our regular hay [...]

The hot, dry weather has the state’s reeling timber industry in a catch-22 situation. The drought has left Mississippi’s pine trees stressed and vulnerable to attack from pine bark beetles, including the highly destructive Southern pine beetle. The best defense against the pests is to thin tree stands. However, landowners are hesitant to thin their [...]