Biz Buzz

Oooeee, I love it when we report on timely news and don’t even know it. We had a story in Sunday’s Business & Money section about Jerry Webb, an aerial applicator AKA crop duster based in Tupelo.

And we got the following press release from the USDA this week:

Governor Haley Barbour and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) have authorized the Mississippi Department of Agriculture and Commerce (MDAC) and Commissioner Lester Spell to assume the responsibility of regulating aerial applicators effective July 1, 2008.

MDAC will administer the regulation and licensing of aerial applicators through the Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI), a regulatory and service agency of MDAC that protects the agricultural and horticultural interest of the State of Mississippi. BPI will register, license and administer compliance programs for the agricultural aviation industry to ensure public safety and help maintain the important role agricultural aviation plays in Mississippi.

Continue reading ‘Ag dept to regulate aerial applicators’

We received the following letter last month from two members of the Mississippi Loggers Association. It cited “the long term continuation of inflated fuel prices” as a major crisis for the industry and listed a few things the Legislature could do to “provide relief” for the “failing industry.”

This month’s Business Journal (on racks today!) has a story about the letter, in addition to the response letter from MLA’s executive director wrote. We’ve posted both letters below.

Letter from MLA members Tamme Bufkin and John Mabry:

TO THE EDITOR:

Loggers face major crisis with rising fuel costs

This letter is written on behalf of the loggers in the State of Mississippi who are currently experience a major crisis in the logging industry. This crisis is the result of a long term continuation of inflated fuel prices that is forcing logging companies out of business at a fast pace. Many logging companies have already closed. Unless immediate relief is provided by the State of Mississippi in this industry, the life of the remaining logging companies in our state is short term.

Continue reading ‘Loggers look for fuel price relief’

It’s that time of the year again, and let’s hope things go much differently than last year (previous coverage).

According to today’s U.S. Drought Monitor, two counties in NeMiss are abnormally dry (D0 drought), and the rest are 100 percent drought-free. The map has the eastern edges of Itawamba and Monroe counties as being in a DO drought, a classification given to areas that show dryness but are not yet in drought OR for areas recovering from drought. Click here for the map.

This time last year, the entire state was in some stage of a drought, with 38 percent of the state in a D3 extreme drought. The highest classification is a D4 exceptional drought.

Alabama, Georgia and the Carolinas are still hurting, though. See the map.

Here I thought I was escaping the real world when I went to the movies. And then I read this piece from AdAge.com (full story):

LOS ANGELES (AdAge.com) – Suddenly, in Hollywood and sticky-floored movie theaters across the nation, “corn” really is a four-letter word.

Thanks to the inflating cost of popcorn, the price of movie tickets is expected to skyrocket by as much as 30% this year, according to Ricard Gil, a University of Santa Cruz economist who studies the business. “You’re going to see a one- to two-dollar increase in the price of a movie ticket,” he said. “And that’s being conservative.”

According to an Agriculture Department report, next year’s corn stocks are expected to plunge to a 13-year low and, as a result, corn-futures contracts have soared to an all-time high. This can be attributed to the demand for ethanol, which will claim 40% of next year’s corn crop, munching away at the margins of theaters that rely on concession sales for as much as 45% of their revenue.

Click on the link above to read the full story. You’ll notice that several readers commented on the story, questioning its accuracy. I called the reporter to make sure everything was hunky dory, and he said he stands by his facts. Either way, I thought the piece was really interesting. I never thought about how agriculture could influence movie ticket prices.

Corn and cooking oil are among the “biofuels” being used and promoted, and researchers are now looking into sweet sorghum.

The sugary sap inside the plant’s stalk can be turned into a “potent” biofuel, some experts say.

From the Associated Press:

Ethanol made from the stalk’s juice has four times the energy yield of the corn-based ethanol, which is already in the marketplace unlike sweet sorghum. Sweet sorghum produces about eight units of energy for every unit of energy used in its production. That’s about the same as sugarcane but four times as much as corn.

I think it can be a piece of the puzzle” as a biofuel crop, said Danielle Bellmer, executive secretary of the Sweet Sorghum Ethanol Association and an Oklahoma State University researcher studying ways to improve stalk pressing and fermentation methods. “The real issue is it’s just not a well-known crop.”

Currently about 10 million tons of grain from the tops of the plant’s stalks are harvested in the U.S., the world’s leading grower, but most of the sugar from the stalks goes to make syrup that people use to pour on biscuits, cook, and feed animals.

Sweet sorghum also spares the environment. Less fertilizer is needed than with corn and as a result there is less water contamination.

Sounds like a plan to me. Maybe if we back off corn for ethanol, we can see some relief on price pressures that are rippling through the economy.

But then, maybe the price of sugar will skyrocket…

Sales tax revenues fell 9.99 percent in February when compared to the previous year, the Tupelo CVB reported at its monthly meeting today. The CVB posted sales tax revenues of $209,902 in February, compared with $233,192 in February 2007.

Tupelo’s chief financial officer Daphne Holcombe, who does the CVB’s financial reports, attributed the fall to the economy, adding that sales tax revenues are down all over the state. Typically, Tupelo ranks fourth in the state for revenues, and Holcombe said the CVB continues to hold its ground.

“Hopefully, it is going to pick up once we get this gas situation settled,” she said, referring to gas prices that have reached record highs. “I’m not alarmed yet.”

The sales tax revenues were down in January as well. Holcombe attributed the 1.89 percent fall to the rescheduling of the Tupelo Furniture Market. In 2007, the market was held in January, but it was held in February this year. The CVB is still up 5.12 percent for its fiscal year, which runs from August through July.

Other highlights:

• The city is launching a new ad campaign, marketing Tupelo as a family-friendly, fuel-efficient destination. It will be unveiled May 14, which happens to be National Tourism Day.

• In April, the Tupelo Buffalo Park & Zoo had 4,352 visitors, the Elvis Presley Birthplace reported 2,855 visitors and the Tupelo Automobile Museum reported 1,061 visitors.

• BBQ by Jim said Saturday was the biggest BBQ he’s ever had, attributing it to the Blue Suede Cruise.

• The Sportsplex at Ballard Park baseball fields will have an open house Monday from 4 to 6 p.m. It’s open to the public and there will be free food. Also, the CVB board was very pleased with the energy-efficient lights at the Sportsplex.

• The Mississippi Justice Court Clerks Association booked a conference (150 attendees) in Tupelo for Sept. 10-12.

• The Appalachian Regional Commission booked its ARC 13 States Governor’s Quorum (300 attendees) in Tupelo for Oct. 22-23. Gov. Barbour is this year’s chairman.

•The Tenn Tom Waterway booked a meeting (50 attendees) in Tupelo for June 24-27.

• The Tupelo Film Fest is around the corner (May 15-17). Click here for the entire schedule. I’m personally excited about the screening of Genghis Blues, which will be on the courthouse lawn Thursday night. Not sure if the movie will be good, but you have to love the outdoor screening.

Highlights from today’s e-newsletter sent out by the Downtown Tupelo Main Street Association:

• Stanford Financial Group is hosting a business after-hours Tuesday from 4 to 6:30 p.m. The Fairpark business is at 110 East Main Street, Suite A. It’s the first building in Fairpark as you cross the tracks going toward east Tupelo.

• Tupelo Community Theatre presents Gypsy on Thursday, Friday and Saturday.

• The farmers market opens Saturday. Items for sale include: Fresh baked cakes, pies and breads,
eggs, honey, plants, flowers, smoked meats and early season vegetables such as broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, onions, peas, potatoes, lettuce and radishes.

• The Gum Tree Festival is Friday through Sunday.

• S.A.F.E. Emergency Family Shelter will have a fundraiser Saturday by way of a silent auction for designer handbags.

• The next Networking@Noon event is May 20 at the BancorpSouth Conference Center. Sylvester Croom, head football coach at Mississippi State University, is the speaker.

• 2007 Elvis Festival t-shirts just hit the clearance racks. DTMSA is selling one for $8 or 2 for $10.

• The Elvis Presley Fest is next month (June 6-8).

From Chris Wilson’s blog, a reporter out our sister paper, The Monroe County Journal:

Southern Ethanol Co.’s officials came to Amory to meet with Amory’s mayor and board of aldermen Tuesday night, April 15. This company had secured property in the city’s waterway industrial park a couple years ago but nothing has happened in the time frame they had earlier promised. The company was going to produce biodiesel fuel, ethanol, by distilling corn.

Read more on Chris’ blog.

The Agricultural Research Service is assessing basil’s potential for large-scale production in Mississippi, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

The ARS Natural Products Utilization Research Unit in Oxford has partnered with Mississippi State University to evaluate the chemical composition and field performance of 38 basil plant materials (plant, seed or vegetative part).

From the USDA:

In 2000, basil imports to the United States—either fresh, dried, or as essential oils—were valued at approximately $5.6 million. This research indicates that with the right startup support, Mississippi farmers could be positioned to produce a high-value crop for the national—and world—marketplace.

Read the complete story, which has more about the research and the findings.

From MSU:

STONEVILLE — The distressed Mississippi catfish industry received a small boost in January as state producers were granted $8.1 million in disaster assistance for losses sustained in the hot summer of 2006.
…
The catfish specialist used the data to show that the state’s catfish production decreased in 2006 when pond water temperature exceeded 90 degrees for 35 to 40 consecutive days.

…
Steeby said smaller catfish farming operations received about $10,000 in assistance, and many others received between $20,000 and $40,000. Mississippi has about 350 catfish farms.