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Mississippi ag commodities post record values in 2010 By Linda Breazeale MSU Ag Communications MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Mississippi farmers are finding out not onlywhat a difference a year makes, but also what a difference a decademakes. Agricultural economists with Mississippi State University sExtension Service predict a record $6.9 billion production valuefor the state s farm enterprises. The figure represents a 19percent increase, or $1.09 billion, from 2009 s disastrous bottomline. After adjusting for inflation of agricultural prices, it is45 percent, or $1.55 billion, better than in the year 2000. Theprevious record of $6.4 billion was set in 2005. Extension agricultural economist John Michael Riley said thestate s top two crops continue to be poultry at $2.5 billion (up 8percent) and forestry at $1.08 billion (up 25 percent). Soybeansmoved into the No. 3 position in 2007 and remain there at $821million (up 16 percent). In 2000, cotton was Mississippi s No. 3crop at a value of $481 million, and soybeans were in sixth placeat $164 million. The rise of soybeans is due largely to the work of producers anduniversity experts, Riley said. The industry has benefittedfrom the research and Extension efforts that have improved stateyields from a typical 25-30 bushels per acre in the late 1990s andearly 2000s to the current average of about 40 bushels per acre. Mississippi cotton has shifted from an average of 1.15 millionacres from 1998 through 2000 to an average of 363,000 acres from2008 through 2010, resulting in a much lower value of production inrecent years. Jimmy Avery, Extension aquaculture professor at MSU s DeltaResearch and Extension Center, said catfish is expected to post itsfirst increase in value in four years, mostly due to improvedprices in the last quarter of 2010. Economists are estimating acatfish value of $199 million, up 1 percent from the previous year. Catfish have mostly trended down since 2000. The increases incompetition from foreign imports have forced farmers to take about41 percent of their pond acreage out of production, Avery said. In 2000, about 6 percent of the frozen catfish fillets wereimported. In 2009, that number was closer to 54 percent. Riley said all market values for Mississippi crops would have beeneven better if recent harvests had occurred at the market s peak. Commodity prices for nearly all production agriculture have beenon the rise in recent years, but producers have not been able totake advantage of the higher prices, he said. For example,prices for row-crop commodities surged in the summer of 2008, butby the time harvest rolled around, prices had dropped significantlybelow the typical harvest-time declines. Riley said 2010 prices gained strength throughout most of the yearand positioned Mississippi agriculture for a noteworthy year.Unlike 2009, the weather was more cooperative. Crops expected to make the biggest percentage improvements from2009 were cotton, up 141 percent to $363 million, and sweetpotatoes, up 116 percent to $56 million. Both were casualties in2009 due to excessive rains at harvest. Specialists estimated a 75percent loss of the sweet potato crop in 2009. Darrin Dodds, Extension cotton specialist, said the August 2009crop was unbelievably good before rains destroyed it. Growersaveraged 687 pounds per acre, the lowest in nine years. Althoughthe 2010 crop did not look as good in early August, Dodds said heexpects final yield averages to be just below the state record of1,024 pounds, set in 2004. Mississippi cotton had the best start to the season that we haveseen in long time; it warmed early, had plenty of soil moisture andvery few replants, he said. Growers struggled through the hotand dry June, July and August. The crop faced resistant weeds,plant bugs, spidermites and worms. Square shed in the upper portionof the plant was very common during the first week of August due tothe excessive heat. However, yields turned out higher thanexpected. Corn is expected to post a 71 percent value increase to $555million. Erick Larson, Extension grain crops specialist, said the marketdeserves most of the credit, but corn productivity was remarkable,considering the drought in Mississippi during the growing season.Record prices per bushel averaged between $5.50 and $5.75, comparedto $3.72 in 2009. 2010 was one of the hottest, driest growing seasons in more thana decade, but our yields are higher than in 2009 and higher thanthe five-year average, he said. The driest area of the statethis year was the Delta, where most of the corn is irrigated, sooverall yield losses were relatively slight. Larson said the dry conditions in early summer contributed tobetter root development and helped the plants later in the season,if the crop was fortunate enough to receive any rainfall duringJune and July. This season s dry conditions did promote quick,efficient crop harvest. Mississippi s No. 2 crop, forestry, posted a significant reboundin 2010 from the previous year. The $1.1 billion value was morethan $200 million above the depressed 2009 level, which was theonly year since 1993 that forestry did not exceed a billiondollars. Other crop values and their percentage change from 2009 includerice, $224 million, up 7 percent; cattle, $169 million, up 17percent; hay, $116 million, down 7 percent; hogs, $96 million, up36 percent; horticultural crops, $93 million, up 3 percent; milk,$74 million, up 11 percent; wheat, $23 million, down 37 percent;peanuts, $12 million, up 17 percent; and grain sorghum, $2 million,down 11 percent. -30- Released: Dec. 16, 2010 Contact: Dr. John Michael Riley (662) 325-7986, Dr. Darrin Dodds(662) 325-4072, or Dr. Erick Larson (662) 325-4071 Publications may download image at 200 ppi. We are high quality suppliers, our products such as Color Masterbatches Manufacturer , China Filler Masterbatch for oversee buyer. To know more, please visits Plastic Resins.
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