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  • USDA Accepting Applications to Help Cover Producers’ Costs for Organic Certification

    WASHINGTON — USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) announced that organic producers and handlers can apply for federal funds to assist with the cost of receiving and maintaining organic certification through the Organic Certification Cost Share Program (OCCSP). Applications for fiscal 2019 funding are due Oct. 31, 2019.

    “Producers can visit their local FSA county offices to apply for up to 75 percent of the cost of organic certification,” said FSA Administrator Richard Fordyce. “This also gives organic producers an opportunity to learn about other valuable USDA resources, like farm loans and conservation assistance, that can help them succeed. Organic producers can take advantage of a variety of USDA programs from help with field buffers to routine operating expenses to storage and handling equipment.”

    OCCSP received continued support through the 2018 Farm Bill. It provides cost-share assistance to producers and handlers of agricultural products for the costs of obtaining or maintaining organic certification under the USDA’s National Organic Program. Eligible producers include any certified producers or handlers who have paid organic certification fees to a USDA-accredited certifying agent. Eligible expenses for cost-share reimbursement include application fees, inspection costs, fees related to equivalency agreement and arrangement requirements, travel expenses for inspectors, user fees, sales assessments and postage.

    Certified producers and handlers are eligible to receive reimbursement for up to 75 percent of certification costs each year, up to a maximum of $750 per certification scope, including crops, livestock, wild crops, handling and state organic program fees.

    Opportunities for State Agencies

    Today’s announcement also includes the opportunity for state agencies to apply for grant agreements to administer the OCCSP program in fiscal 2019. State agencies that establish agreements for fiscal year 2019 may be able to extend their agreements and receive additional funds to administer the program in future years.

    FSA will accept applications from state agencies for fiscal year 2019 funding for cost-share assistance through May 29, 2019.

    More Information

    To learn more about organic certification cost share, please visit the OCCSP webpage, view the notice of funds availability on the Federal Register, or contact your FSA county office. To learn more about USDA support for organic agriculture, visit usda.gov/organic.

  • Green Beans and Butternut Squash sold at Walmart recalled over listeria fears

    MIAMI (AP) – A Florida company has issued a voluntary recall of Marketside brand green beans and butternut squash because of a possible Listeria contamination.

    Southern Specialties Inc. of Pompano Beach, Florida, announced the recall Monday, warning that the Listeria monocytogenes bacteria can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems. Even healthy adults can suffer symptoms like high fever, severe headache, stiffness, nausea, abdominal pain and diarrhea.

    The company says it shipped the recalled product to one retail distribution center. Most of the product was retrieved, but some product shipped earlier this month might have reached stores in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia and Tennessee.

  • Epilepsy Foundation of Mississippi Challenges State to Help

    The Epilepsy Foundation of Mississippi press release

    There are over 36,000 Mississippians living with epilepsy, The Epilepsy Foundation of Mississippi is the only non-profit in the state dedicated to those living with the condition. They are challenging others to show their support by attending a benefit gala on Saturday, February 9.

    The Purple Chic Hollywood Gala enables the Epilepsy Foundation of Mississippi to raise awareness, continue outreach and education, maintain support groups, and enables local and national advocacy. The Alvin P. Flannes Summer Camp, Kids Crew, and Mississippi’s Information and Referral System also directly benefit from the gala.

    The event, happening at Jackson Country Club, 7-11 p.m., will be a night of dining, entertainment and inspirational speakers, and will honor those who have made a positive impact on Mississippians living with epilepsy. This year’s honorees are Dr. Marcus Lee, Dr Angela Chandler, Dr. Mecheri Sundaram and the Dominican Sisters of Springfield, Illinois.

    The foundation selected guest speakers and Mississippians Dr. John B. Ingram, Elizabeth and Trudie Thompson, and Paul Robinson of the Jenna Robinson Charities. The keynote speakers will share stories of how epilepsy has affected their lives and how they responded by helping others and raising awareness. WAPT’s Sports Director Josh Jackson and Meteorologist Brooke Laizer will be the gala’s masters of ceremony.

  • Winter Weather Safety Tips from the Mississippi State Department of Health

    JACKSON, Miss. – The Mississippi State Department of Health (MSDH) reminds all Mississippi residents to take proper precautions as winter weather moves across the state tonight and tomorrow.
    If the power goes out unexpectedly, there are several food and water safety tips to follow to ensure what you eat and drink is safe for consumption:
    • If power is out for less than two hours, food in your refrigerator and freezer will be safe to eat. Keep refrigerator and freezer doors closed as much as possible to keep food cold longer.
    • After two hours, a freezer that is half full will hold food safely for up to 24 hours. A full freezer will hold food safely for 48 hours.
    • After two hours, pack milk, other dairy products, meat, fish, eggs, gravy, and spoilable leftovers into a cooler surrounded by ice. Inexpensive Styrofoam coolers are fine for this purpose.
    • Safe water for drinking, cooking, and personal hygiene includes bottled, boiled, or treated water. Watch for specific boil water alerts in your area.
    • Boiling water, when practical, is the preferred way to kill harmful bacteria and parasites. Bringing water to a rolling boil for 1 minute will kill most organisms.
    Also, cold weather brings people indoors seeking warmth. Any heater that burns fuel, such as your furnace, generator, gas water heater or a portable butane or gas heater, produces carbon monoxide that can leak into the air. Mild exposure to carbon monoxide can cause nausea, dizziness or headaches. Severe poisoning can result in brain or heart damage, or even death.
    To avoid carbon monoxide poisoning, take the following precautions:
    • Never burn anything in a stove or fireplace that is not vented properly.
    • Never heat your house with a gas oven.
    • Never run a generator indoors, in an enclosed space such as a basement, or near a window.
    • Do not warm your car up in a closed garage.
    • If your garage is attached to your house, close the door to the house while you warm up the car.
    For more information on winter weather safety, visit the MSDH website at HealthyMS.com/winter.

  • Hunting season closures due to flooding

    JACKSON – Heavy rainfall and rising river levels have caused extensive flooding along the Mississippi River. As a result, all hunting except for waterfowl will close at the end of legal shooting hours Thursday, January 10, 2019 based on these parameters:
    • Zone 1: When the Greenville, MS gauge reaches 48 feet and shall remain so until the Mississippi River level falls to or below 46 feet on the Greenville gauge. (Lands in Washington and Issaquena Counties which lie south of Highway 82, west of Highway 1 and North of Highway 14)
    • Zone 2A: When the Vicksburg, MS gauge reaches 43 feet and shall remain so until the Mississippi River level falls to or below 41 feet on the Vicksburg gauge. (Lands in Issaquena, Sharkey and Warren Counties which lie south of Highway 14, west of Highway 61 and north of the Big Black River)
    Effective immediately the below areas are closed to all hunting except waterfowl.
    • Zone 2B: When the Steel Bayou gauge reaches 90 feet and shall remain so until the Mississippi River level falls to or below 88 feet on the Steel Bayou gauge. (Lands in Sharkey, Humphreys, Yazoo, Issaquena, Warren counties which lie south of Highway 14, west of Highway 149, south of Highway 16 / 149, west of Highway 3, and east of Highway 61)
    • The following Wildlife Management Areas (WMA): Lake George, Twin Oaks, and Sunflower.
    • In addition, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has closed Panther Swamp National Wildlife Refuge located in Zone 2B consistent with state regulations. Brown Tract in Zone 2B on the northeast side of Delta National Forest is closed to all hunting until flood waters recede. Waterfowl hunting is not permitted in the Brown Tract.
    Shipland and Mahannah are currently closed to all activities except waterfowl hunting until further notice. U.S. Forest Service has closed all roads on Sunflower WMA to motor vehicle access.

    MDWFP will continue its increased law enforcement presence in the affected areas to patrol the levees, promote public safety for residents affected by the rising waters, and enforce the wildlife laws that protect animals affected by flooding. MDWFP reminds hunters that high water has also affected areas along the Pascagoula and Pearl rivers and it is unlawful to hunt, trap, take, frighten, or kill game or fur-bearing animals forced out of their natural habitat by high water. For more information regarding this closure and other WMAs in Mississippi, visit our website at www.mdwfp.com or call us at (601) 432-2199.