by Wally Northway Published: January 2,2012
Tags: agricultural commodities, agriculture, catfish, cattle, corn, cotton, eggs, forestry, hay, Mississippi agriculture, Mississippi State University Extension Service, new value record, new value record year in 2011, poultry, rice, soybeans
Despite a challenging year of bad weather and a faltering economy, Mississippi agriculture set a new value record year in 2011, according to a report form the Mississippi State University Extension Service.
However, spiraling input costs as well as financial woes at home and abroad and an angry Mother Nature put a squeeze on farmers’ bottom [...] [...]
by Associated Press Published: December 27,2011
Tags: agriculture, commodities, cotton, crop, farmers, farms, market prices, planting, planting intentions, row crops
ACROSS MISSISSIPPI — Although Mississippi’s cotton acreage rebounded somewhat in 2011, Staplcotn’s Hank Reichle is expecting Delta farmers to plant less of the fiber in 2012 in response to lower prices.
Reichle, vice president of export sales for the Greenwood-based cotton-marketing cooperative, said farmers are not glued to any one crop.
“Producers have diversified. They have a [...] [...]
ACROSS MISSISSIPPI — Mississippi’s cotton has overcome one hurdle after another all season, and fall weather is all that stands between respectable yields and the finish line.
Darrin Dodds, cotton specialist with Mississippi State University’s Extension Service, said “challenging” is the one word that sums up the 2011 cotton crop.
“It has been a year of challenges. [...] [...]
GREENWOOD — It has been almost 2½ years since cottonseed was last milled at Greenwood’s Delta Oil Mill.
If the cotton crop produces as projected, however, the mill could get back to its origins and extract vegetable oil from cottonseed again this fall, says John Stewart, the mill’s manager.
That could add 40 to 50 jobs at [...] [...]
ACROSS MISSISSIPPI — Mississippi’s young cotton crop has already faced a list of challenges including flooding, late planting, insects and now drought.
“It’s been a challenge from the word go,” said Darrin Dodds, cotton specialist with the Mississippi State University Extension Service. “We went from an almost perfect planting season last year to one that seems [...] [...]
Four Mississippi State University entomologists are among a group of Mid-South colleagues being honored for a continuing project to identify effective cotton pest management strategies.
Group members from MSU are Don Cook, Jeff Gore, Angus Catchot and Fred Musser. Cook and Gore are based at the Delta Research and Extension Center in Stoneville, and Catchot and [...] [...]
Catfish and cotton show new life
While most producers enjoyed a bounce-back year in 2010, two commodities that many had given up for dead enjoyed Lazarus-like resurrections.
Mississippi’s catfish industry has been on a downward spiral for years. High input costs, rising foreign competition and other factors have driven many out of aquaculture.
That attrition led to an [...] [...]
Catfish and cotton show new life
While most producers enjoyed a bounce-back year in 2010, two commodities that many had given up for dead enjoyed Lazarus-like resurrections.
Mississippi’s catfish industry has been on a downward spiral for years. High input costs, rising foreign competition and other factors have driven many out of aquaculture.
That attrition led to an increase [...] [...]
While Mississippi’s farmers enjoy a harvest season with cotton prices hovering near 15-year highs, clothing retailers keep a wary eye on the situation.
Since the first of the year, cotton prices have doubled. In early September, the price of one pound of raw cotton hit 93 cents, and has since hovered around the 90 cent mark. [...] [...]
Johnny Swayze, 58, has been in the cotton business as long as he can remember.
Ask him if remembers the worst crop in his lifetime, and he doesn’t have to go back far — only to last year.
“We don’t have anybody living today that can remember one worse,” said Swayze, who operates the Midway Gin in [...] [...]
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