Mississippi

Salad Days Completes 68K-Square-Foot Hydroponic Greenhouse Expansion in Mississippi

Thu, 19 Mar 2026 19:09:35 GMT

Regional grower Salad Days has reached full operational capacity at its new 68,000-square-foot hydroponic facility in Flora, Miss. The Mississippi-based company says the completion of this controlled-environment site positions it as one of the Southeast’s largest regional suppliers of greenhouse-grown lettuce.

“Our focus has always been on delivering a consistent, high-quality product our customers can depend on,” says Leigh Bailey, president of Salad Days . “This facility is a big step forward for Salad Days, allowing us to scale that commitment while maintaining reliable supply, freshness and responsiveness across the region.”

The facility in the Flora Industrial Park officially opened March 17. Using Prospiant greenhouse systems and FGM moving-table automation, the operation is capable of producing up to 3 million heads of lettuce annually for distribution across the Southeast.

State and local officials attending the opening event included Mississippi Agriculture Commissioner Andy Gipson, USDA Mississippi Director Dane Maxwell, Madison County Economic Development Authority Executive Director Joey Deason and Flora Mayor Les Childress.

The new greenhouse significantly expands Salad Days’ production capacity and enables year-round supply of hydroponic lettuce varieties for foodservice operators and grocery retailers across Mississippi, Louisiana, Arkansas, Tennessee, Alabama and Florida.

Product from the Flora operation is now shipping daily to restaurants, food service distributors and regional and national grocery chains.

(Photo courtesy of Salad Days)

The facility uses controlled environment agriculture to deliver pesticide-free leafy greens while maintaining consistent production regardless of seasonal conditions.

“This expansion moves us from a niche grower to a scaled regional supplier,” Bailey says. “Demand from chefs and retailers across the Southeast has outpaced what we could produce for years. With this facility fully online, we can finally deliver the volume the market has been asking for.”

Product from the Flora operation is now shipping daily to restaurants, foodservice distributors and regional and national grocery chains.

The project received support from the city of Flora; the Madison County Economic Development Authority; the Mississippi Land, Water and Timber Board; the Mississippi Development Authority; and USDA.

Deason says the investment further strengthens Madison County’s growing specialty food manufacturing and agriculture cluster, commenting, “Facilities like this demonstrate that advanced agriculture can thrive in Mississippi.”

Additionally, Gipson notes the project reflects increasing diversification within the state’s agricultural sector.

“A facility of this scale producing fresh food for the Southeast highlights Mississippi’s leadership in agricultural innovation,” he says.

States put the spotlight on sweetpotatoes

Thu, 27 Mar 2025 17:26:04 GMT

Sweetpotato councils and commissions across the country go all out to tout their favorite vegetable. Here’s a look at what some of them are up to:

Moving plates in Mississippi

Fans of Mississippi sweetpotatoes will be able to promote the spuds literally everywhere they go thanks to the Vardaman-based Mississippi Sweetpotato Council and a little help from the Mississippi Department of Motor Vehicles.

Special vehicle license plates should be available by summer and will sport the Mississippi sweetpotato logo and show the council’s website — MSSweetpotato.org — in addition to the vehicle license number, said Caleb Englert, council president and president of the U.S. Sweetpotato Council.

The Vardaman-based Mississippi Sweetpotato Council, with a little help from the Mississippi Department of Motor Vehicles, has come up with a special vehicle license plate that will feature the Mississippi sweetpotato logo and show the council’s website in addition to vehicle license number, says Caleb Englert, council president.

(Photo courtesy of Mississippi Sweetpotato Council)

The council had to arrange for the presale of 300 plates in order to have the specialty tags added to the state’s license plate offerings, he said. A portion of the fees charged for the plates will go to the council to promote sweetpotatoes.

Englert expects the special plates to catch on among the driving public.

“Once people see them, they will be all for them,” he said. “It’s definitely going to help support the industry.”

The council also was able to use funds from a USDA specialty crop marketing grant to sponsor Sweetpotato Day, complete with radio and TV support, at a Mississippi State University baseball game in Starkville.

The grant supported Mississippi sweetpotato billboards for four weeks in Atlanta, Houston and Chicago and a wrapped 18-wheeler used to haul sweetpotatoes as well.

The council also is finishing work on a documentary explaining how sweetpotatoes are grown. It will be shown on social media starting this summer.

The Baton Rouge-based Louisiana Sweet Potato Commission encourages consumers to add sweetpotatoes to the state’s popular seafood and crawfish boils, says Rene Simon, director.

(Photo courtesy of Louisiana Sweet Potato Commission)

Crawfish nosh in Louisiana

Spring is a big time for crawfish boils and seafood boils, and the Baton Rouge-based Louisiana Sweet Potato Commission continues to encourage consumers to add the vegetables to the ever-popular boils at this time every year, said Rene Simon, director.

White potatoes are the usual tuber of choice for the mealtime favorites, but Simon hopes that may be changing.

“It’s taking a while to catch on, but we’re seeing more people adding sweetpotatoes to their crawfish boils and their seafood boils,” he said.

Sweetpotato are a good fit for the boils, which are generally fairly spicy.

“The boils have salt, pepper and other flavoring that adds to the savoriness,” he said.

But sweetpotatoes add sweetness and a different flavor.

“They break the saltiness and the seasoning a little bit,” he said.

The Louisiana crawfish has been popular for generations, Simon said. And though the sweetpotato promotion started 10 years ago, it has really taken off over the past two or three years and continues to grow in popularity.

“It gives our farmers another way to market the smaller potatoes that might not be able to make the store shelves,” he said.

The commission supports Louisiana’s 6,000 acres of sweetpotatoes with TV and online advertising, some of which specifically promotes the boils.

While spring is the most popular time of year for crawfish and seafood boils, crab and shrimp boils are just as good and flavorful during the summer, Simon said.

The Benson-based North Carolina Sweetpotato Commission’s 2025 marketing program includes a mix of influencer marketing, social media, cooking classes, recipe development, media coverage, trade/consumer advertising, sponsorships, TV segments and more, says Michelle Grainger, executive director.

(Photo courtesy of North Carolina Sweetpotato Commission)

Influencers loose in North Carolina

“The North Carolina 2025 marketing program includes a mix of influencer marketing, social media, cooking classes, recipe development, media coverage, trade/consumer advertising, sponsorships, TV segments and more,” said Michelle Grainger, executive director of the Benson-based North Carolina Sweetpotato Commission.

The commission has partnered with five creators and four recipe developers who have attracted 2,574,330 followers, Grainger said.

“The goal is to cater towards certain demographics by having mothers, dietitians and nutritionists share their knowledge on the health benefits of North Carolina sweetpotatoes through recipe and educational content,” she said.

Cooking classes are held to help consumers to learn new recipes at home, and renowned nutrition experts have become partners in TV segments on KCTV, Al Borde Del Abismo and ABC, she said.

A farming influencer will visit North Carolina sweetpotato farms, packinghouses and the Horticultural Crops Research Station at Clinton this spring.

“Content will be created in the form of YouTube videos, Instagram and Facebook reels to be featured on NC Sweetpotato social media pages,” she said.

The commission also is working with Family Features mat syndicate to create a video/photo and an article featuring a sweetpotato beverage during the summer.

In addition, trade ads are planned in key publications and advertising is scheduled for subway ads in New York, a target market, in the spring and summer.

“It’s a tactic to get people to learn more about where their food comes from,” Grainger said.

Cutting confusion in California

The Livingston-based California Sweetpotato Council is winding down its $242,000 block grant received from the California Department of Food and Agriculture in 2022 to dispel consumer confusion about yams versus sweetpotatoes, said Jill Damskey, the council’s associate director.

The council has “done a ton of messaging,” working with several supermarket chains and independent stores and used social media to spread its message, she said.

One of the goals of the project was to tell consumers that all colors of sweetpotatoes — purple, orange, red and white — have the same nutritional benefits and can be used interchangeably in recipes, she said.

Some retailers used the council’s own pictures showing the outside flesh and inside flesh of the various potatoes.

“We feel like it’s been a good two years and a successful campaign,” Damskey said.

The promotional efforts final push of the campaign will run through April.

Smooth transition expected for Mississippi sweet potatoes

Fri, 23 Sep 2022 21:13:47 GMT

Mississippi’s biggest sweet potato grower expects a smooth transition between old crop and new crop supplies this year.

Marshall Bailey, partner with Bruce Sweet Potato Inc ., Bruce, Miss., said that the firm grows about 4,000 acres of sweet potatoes in the state, and is the largest sweet potato grower by area in Mississippi.

New crop supplies should be available by September, and Bailey said he expects a smooth transition. The company last year put in place a new packing line that doubled the firm’s capacity.

“Everything seems to be right on schedule as long as no major weather events take place to slow anything down,” he said in early July. Average yields are expected, too.

The company will be offering four-pack trays beginning in early 2023, Bailey said.

Higher gas prices and tighter consumer budgets may have contributed to a slowdown in demand in the summer, Bailey said.

“Gas prices seemed to really affect things more than people realized,” he said.

However, it appeared that gas prices were moderating in July and August compared with June. The average gasoline price in July, as reported by the U.S. Department of Energy, was $4.67 per gallon, down 7% from June’s average of $5.03 per gallon.

All year long

In 2021, the USDA reported shipments of Mississippi sweet potatoes in every month of the year, with peak volume reported in November and March. Total 2021 shipments of Mississippi sweet potatoes were 117.1 million pounds, down from 128.1 million pounds in 2020, but up from 115.9 million pounds in 2019.

The USDA reported sweet potato acres harvested in 2021 totaled 29,500 acres, unchanged from 2020 but up 2,000 acres from 27,500 in 2019. The state’s utilized fresh market production totaled 2.655 million cwt in 2021, down from 3.54 million cwt in 2020, but up from 2.344 million cwt in 2019, reported the USDA.

The U.S. average terminal market price for Mississippi sweet potatoes for the week of Aug. 6 was $20.77 per carton, up from $20.17 per carton a year ago and off slightly from $21.36 two years ago.

Robertson Produce wins $45M federal contract

Thu, 04 Aug 2022 18:03:58 GMT

Robertson Produce of Mississippi LLC , Clinton, Miss., has been awarded a maximum $44.8 million contract to supply fresh fruit and vegetables.

With an ordering period end date of Feb. 6, 2027, the four-year, six-month contract has no option periods, according to a news release .

Customers for the contract are Army, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard and USDA schools and reservations, the release said.

The contracting agency for the contract is the Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support in Philadelphia.

Top retailers in the Southeast by market share

Tue, 15 Nov 2022 07:42:31 GMT

Each year, The Shelby Report showcases valuable retail market share data. In the interactive map below, find each major market in the Southeast. Also, highlighted are the major cities in each market.

All markets are “labeled” or identified by their primary state (with metros or key cities). Percentages are estimates based on annualized sales, industry data, institutional research and store footprints. Shares are updated as market metrics dictate and retailers supply their store lists.*

Market shares are for chains, independents and/or the wholesalers (voluntary or cooperative) which supply them within each region’s distribution area, extending well beyond typical metros or CBSAs. Each market is defined by the sphere of distribution, not by a rigid geographic boundary.

Major cities in each market:

Alabama/Florida/Georgia/Mississippi - Birmingham, Montgomery, Huntsville, Pensacola, Panama City, Columbus, Meridian
Central Florida - Tampa, Orlando, Ft. Myers, Port St. Lucie
Georgia - Atlanta, Athens, Macon, Rome
Kentucky/Indiana/Tennessee - Louisville, Lexington
Mid & East Tennessee/Kentucky/Virginia/Georgia - Nashville, Knoxville, Chattanooga
Louisiana/Mississippi/Alabama - New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Lafayette, Alexandria, Gulfport, Mobile
North Carolina/South Carolina/Virginia/West Virginia - Charlotte, Raleigh, Roanoke, VA Beach, Charleston
North Florida/South Georgia - Jacksonville, Daytona Beach, Tallahassee, Albany, Brunswick
South Carolina/East Georgia - Columbia, Greenville, Charleston, Conway, Augusta, Savannah
South Florida - Miami, Ft. Lauderdale, West Palm Beach
West Tennessee/Arkansas/Mississippi/Louisana - Memphis, Little Rock, Jackson, Monroe

State sweetpotato organizations share plans and initiatives

Tue, 05 Sep 2023 12:42:18 GMT

Louisiana Sweet Potato Commission

The Louisiana Sweet Potato Commission , Baton Rouge, will host the 62nd National Convention of the U.S. Sweet Potato Council in New Orleans from Jan. 21-24, 2024, said Rene Simon, commission director.

“It’s an opportunity for the industry to gather and share information,” he said.

A highlight will be a riverboat cruise and lunch with Louisiana seafood and Cajun and Creole cooking, he said.

Researchers will present some of the latest findings in the sweetpotato world, and Mike Strain, commissioner of forestry and agriculture for Louisiana, will be a speaker.

The USDA Agriculture Marketing Service will give a presentation on how USDA purchases sweetpotatoes and how suppliers can sell to USDA. Louisiana State University sweetpotato specialists also will present the latest on variety development and cultural practices.

To register, visit sweetpotatousa.org/convention.

Mississippi Sweet Potato Council

The Mississippi Sweet Potato Council , Vardaman, is trying to persuade the state’s residents to feature sweetpotatoes on their plates — their vehicle license plates, that is.

A design for special sweetpotato plates has been created, and the council is in the process of gathering the 375 signatures necessary to persuade the state to add it to its list of special tags, which already call attention to wildlife preservation, various universities and NASCAR, said Lorin Harvey, professor at Mississippi State University and scientific adviser to the council.

“It’s one of those very subtle marketing and awareness campaigns,” he said.

Harvey expected the goal to be reached by the end of the year.

“It absolutely will happen,” he said.

An application for the plates is available on the council’s website: mssweetpotato.org.

North Carolina SweetPotato Commission

The North Carolina SweetPotato Commission , Benson, has a full slate of activities in the works for the coming season, said CoCo Daughtry, communications specialist.

The commission is preparing for its annual Research Field Day hosted by North Carolina State University. Date is to be announced.

The North Carolina FarmHER lunch to fight breast cancer is set for Nov. 3. “Over the last three years, we have raised over $22,000 for the Pretty in Pink Foundation,” which provides uninsured and under-insured breast cancer patients in the state with financial assistance for medical treatment, Daughtry said.

The commission also plans to celebrate National Sweet Potato Month in February.

“If any of our retailers would like to step up and partner, we are certainly open to working with them,” she said.

Learn: More about sweetpotatoes from PMG

Statewide quarantine for citrus greening created in Mississippi

Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:57:03 GMT

The USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service says it has, in cooperation with the Mississippi Department of Agriculture and Commerce, established a quarantine in the state for citrus greening, also known as huanglongbing or HLB, caused by Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus bacteria and spread by the Asian citrus psyllid.

APHIS said it found citrus greening in plant tissue samples collected from residential properties in Harrison County, Miss., according to a news release.

The agency said the statewide quarantine restricts the interstate movement of regulated articles to prevent the spread of citrus greening to non-infested areas of the U.S.