Agriculture commissioner warns of shrinking federal funds, requests 7% pay plan and funding for fairgrounds repairs

The commissioner of the Department of Agriculture and Commerce told the appropriations committee federal funding for state agriculture programs has fallen in recent years and asked the legislature for a package of pay, equipment and maintenance funding to preserve regulatory services and facility operations.

The commissioner said USDA federal funding “has been drying up” for the past two years and described the department as a mostly special‑fund agency that uses state appropriations principally to support salaries and regulatory work. He said roughly 65% of the department’s workforce is eligible for retirement and that the most urgent need is to raise inspector-level pay to retain mid-career regulatory staff.

As a primary personnel request, the department asked for a 7% across-the-board adjustment tied to the SCC 2 compensation authority (the agency referred to it in testimony as “SCC 2”), with particular emphasis on inspector ranks and other field staff. The commissioner said the current starting pay for an inspector is $28,542 a year and outlined pay tables for law-enforcement‑type positions at the agency: current starting pay for one cited law enforcement series is $43,509.31, and the department requested a new starting figure of $46,005.54 for that series.

Committee members questioned the department’s vacancy and recruiting plans; the agency said it currently lists 13 vacancies, nine actively recruiting, and noted it is already filling many positions quickly when authority is provided. The department also requested 2 new meat inspectors to cover expanding meat-processing facilities (work it said is mandated under federal rules), plus other new positions spread across regulatory and program areas.

The commissioner asked the committee to restore COVID-era reduced travel budgets to pre‑COVID levels to allow staff to attend required federal accreditation and regulatory conferences. The updated travel request presented to the committee was substantially smaller than the agency’s original submission, and staff agreed to provide details on which conferences are mandatory versus discretionary.

The department’s operating and capital requests included IT and lab equipment for a metrology lab (on Alcorn State University campus), radios, laptops, hog traps for the successful feral‑hog program, and $250,000 earmarked as a contingency line for unforeseen fairgrounds repairs. The commissioner described repeated, unpredictable infrastructure failures at the state fairgrounds — a nearly 100-year-old complex — and urged funding for roof repairs and other capital fixes, saying routine maintenance needs currently exceed the fairgrounds’ rental revenue.

Fairgrounds director Michael Laster said rental and event revenue now covers operational costs and that two large events (the state fair and the Dixie National) pay a large share of annual receipts, but he and the commissioner said the site cannot absorb major capital repair bills without state support. The department reported completion of a beta-phase high-speed Wi‑Fi installation at the fairgrounds and that vehicles requested in a prior session were located and acquired.

Committee members asked for a clearer prioritization by fund type and for a profit-and-loss breakdown for the fairgrounds and the ag museum so the committee can distinguish recurring operating needs from one‑time capital costs.

The hearing included additional technical questions from senators and committee members about regulatory staffing levels for peanut inspections, relationships with private firms (Birdsong was discussed as reimbursing overtime), and use of the Attorney General’s Office for legal support. The department said it is using a mix of in-house counsel and contracted attorneys for regulatory work and asked for one additional regulatory attorney position for the Bureau of Plant Industry.