Mississippi

How Mississippi will keep China from land ownership

Published

1 year ago

December 1, 2023

How Mississippi will keep China from land ownership

Family farms in the Delta and throughout Mississippi have been selling out to corporate entities for more than two decades.

Despite laws against foreign ownership of Mississippi land, more and more foreign entities are buying and owning state farm and timber land.

In 2021, according to a recent 363-page report by the Mississippi Department of Agriculture, 757,816 agricultural acres were held by foreign interests in Mississippi. That is an increase from 600,456 acres in 2011. Nationally, as of December 2021, 40,031,308 acres of all private agricultural land in the U.S. had foreign ownership. That was an increase of 2.4 million acres from Dec. 31, 2020, and an increase of 14.3 million acres since 2011.

“We have provisions in the Mississippi law that are meant to limit, restrict or prevent the holding of land by quote non-resident aliens as stated by section 84 of the Mississippi constitution,” Commissioner of Agriculture and Commerce Andy Gipson told the Clarion Ledger this week. “When you look at foreign ownership, that’s about 2.6% all of the land ownership in the State of Mississippi. Something is not working. Something is not being enforced.”

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Gipson said what the committee that put together the study found is a lack of a workable enforcement mechanism.

Gipson would like to see Mississippi’s Legislature follow the lead of Arkansas, which has been dealing with many of the same issues.

In October, the Arkansas Legislature put together a set of land restrictions and will enforce foreign-ownership. On Oct. 17, Arkansas ordered a China-owned company to drop farmland in northeast Arkansas.

Northrup King Seed Co., a subsidiary of Syngenta owned by Chinese Communist Party (CCP)-controlled ChemChina, was directed to divest of 160 acres of Craighead County farmland within two years. ChemChina is listed by the Department of Defense as a Chinese military company carrying threat potential to the U.S.

Gipson said the same company owns many thousands of acres of land in Mississippi. In the case of forest land, most of the foreign ownership comes from the Netherlands, he said.

“This is a huge deal. That really got the attention of the committee,” Gipson said. “No one has ever really looked at this since the constitution was put in place. I think what we discovered was that a law is no good if it has no enforcement. That’s the bottom line.”

He said most the states, like Arkansas, are focusing their immediate efforts on China and companies like Northrup King Seed.

“The biggest concern is our foreign adversaries, defined by the United States,” Gipson said. “Our Legislature is going to want to tighten that up. They are going to want to especially focus on foreign adversaries. That includes China. That includes Russia and eight or nine other countries that are known to be enemies of the United States. I think the legislature will have to consider further than that to other non-resident alien foreign interests, such as the Netherlands.”

Other than in Arkansas, Florida law bans Chinese citizens from property ownership altogether. Montana banned farmland sales near military areas to six countries. Other southern states like Alabama, Louisiana and Texas are also looking at legislation that would regulate foreign land ownership.

The committee in Mississippi said the continued unrestricted foreign ownership of Mississippi’s agricultural land and water rights especially by foreign adversaries presents a serious concern to Mississippi and to national security, including food security.

“The Legislature should act to address these concerns. At a bare minimum, the Legislature should pass an enforcement mechanism with any appropriate reporting requirements and legal enforcement procedures, along with any exemptions as may be necessary or appropriate tailored to Mississippi needs and based on the experiences of other States,” The report states. “In order to accomplish this, the Study Committee highly recommends thatthe Legislature review and receive guidance from legal experts within the National Agricultural Law Center.”

Gipson said action by the Mississippi Legislature would prevent the loophole that has been in place.

“It is so easy to form an LLC (Limited Liability Corporation). You can have someone from Mississippi with the name to that. But behind the veil, it is actually controlled by a foreign entity. That’s how this has happened,” Gipson said. “That’s the loophole that’s got to be addressed by the Legislature. Our No. 1 recommendation to the Legislature is to create an enforceable mechanism that is workable.”

He said he understands it may not be feasible to address every preexisting transaction for foreign entities that own Mississippi land.

“I will say, though, it is certainly feasible and necessary that the Legislature act now moving forward to make certain that the enemies of America will not control this nation’s of this state’s food, fiber and shelter production.”

Ross Reily can be reached by email at rreily@gannett.com or at 601-573-2952. You can follow him on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter @GreenOkra1.

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Mississippi

1 dead after 2-vehicle collision on Mississippi 42 in Lamar County

Published

4 hours ago

December 22, 2024

Press Room

1 dead after 2-vehicle collision on Mississippi 42 in Lamar County

From Mississippi Highway Patrol Public Affairs Office

LAMAR COUNTY, Miss. (WDAM) – A woman died from injuries suffered in a two-vehicle collision Friday afternoon on a stretch of Mississippi 42 in Lamar County.

The Mississippi Highway Patrol said a 2004 Toyota Sienna driven by 32-year-old Alaina R. McLeod, of Bassfield, was traveling east on Mississippi 42 when it collided with a 2021 Chevrolet Silverado driven by 36-year-old Harold Guilbeau, of Sumrall.

The accident took place about 2:30 p.m. Friday, MHP said.

MHP said McLeod was declared at the scene.

The crash remains under investigation by MHP.

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Mississippi

Ole Miss Women’s Basketball Takes Care of Mississippi Valley State in Oxford

Published

12 hours ago

December 21, 2024

Press Room

Ole Miss Women’s Basketball Takes Care of Mississippi Valley State in Oxford

No. 25 Ole Miss Rebels women’s basketball won its third straight game on Saturday as it took down an in-state foe in the Mississippi Valley State Devilettes by a final score of 78-44.

Ole Miss (8-3) was led in scoring by guard Sira Thienou with 18 points, and she was one of five players who hit double digits on Saturday. Madison Scott (13), Star Jacobs (13), Kennedy Todd-Williams (12) and Kharyssa Richardson (12) were the others to hit that pinnacle.

As a team, the Rebels shot 43.9 percent from the field and 25 percent from three compared to percentages of 34 and 28.6 from MVSU. Ole Miss head coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin spoke with the media after the game about the difficulties of preparing a team for some of these non-conference games around the Christmas season.

“These games are very hard because it’s not like one of those games where it’s a conference game or something where the players are very educated on their opponent,” McPhee-McCuin said. “You just ask them to be mature and work things through. I thought in the third and fourth quarter, we were able to establish that and pull away by me shortening the bench a little bit.”

Ole Miss only led by 12 points at halftime, and since expectations have changed around the program, impressive wins matter. The Rebels then proceeded to outscore MVSU 42-20 to secure a convincing result, and McPhee-McCuin was impressed with some of her veteran leadership in the locker room at halftime.

“I thought that Maddie (Scott) and Kennedy (Todd-Williams) leadership today was incredible in the locker room,” McPhee-McCuin said. “I didn’t have to say a word. They did a lot of the talking. Because the NET still matters and how it looks still matters for us.

“We’re no longer trying to get into the tournament. If we’re not in the tournament, I’ll be shocked. For us, it’s not about getting into the tournament. It’s about seeding. We have to fight that because we’re not the ‘sexy’ team. Everything we get, we’re going to have to earn. They knew that, and they were talking to the team about that, and that’s why we were able to create some separation.”

The Rebels are off until they play host to Alcorn State on Dec. 30. Tip-off is set for 6:30 p.m. CT at the SJB Pavilion.

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Mississippi

Mississippi State basketball vs Memphis score today: Live updates, game highlights, how to watch

Published

20 hours ago

December 21, 2024

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Mississippi State basketball vs Memphis score today: Live updates, game highlights, how to watch

MEMPHIS — Mississippi State basketball has a big opportunity to strengthen its NCAA Tournament resume today.

The Bulldogs (10-1) are playing Memphis (9-2) and coach Penny Hardaway at FedExForum on Saturday (11:30 a.m., CBS). Both teams are ranked in the USA Today Coaches Poll. The Bulldogs are at No. 25 and the Tigers are ranked No. 22.

Memphis has played four teams that are currently ranked. Guard PJ Haggerty averages 22.4 points per game, the seventh best in the country.

Follow along here for live score updates.

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Mississippi State vs Memphis score updates

This section will be updated when the game begins.

What time does Mississippi State vs Memphis play today?

What channel is Mississippi State vs Memphis on today?

TV channel: CBS
Streaming: Paramount+ (subscribe here)
Radio: Mississippi State radio network 96.1 FM

Mississippi State vs Memphis will be broadcast on CBS with streaming available on Paramount+.

Mississippi State vs Memphis live stream options

Mississippi State basketball vs. Memphis will be broadcast on CBS. Steaming is available via Paramount+.

Mississippi State vs Memphis predictions

Memphis 80, Mississippi State 77: This is arguably the toughest opponent Mississippi State has faced this season. Memphis has played a tough schedule consisting of Missouri, UConn, Michigan State, Auburn, Clemson and Virginia, plus North Carolina and Alabama in exhibitions. The Tigers have three great guards in Haggerty, Tyrese Hunter and Colby Rogers, who all shoot over 38% from 3. MSU has struggled to guard 3-pointers and falls in a close game.

Mississippi State vs Memphis betting odds

Game lines and odds from BetMGM as of Saturday:

Spread: Memphis -1.5
Over/under: 151.5
Moneyline: Memphis (-110), Mississippi State (-110)

Mississippi State vs Memphis injury updates

Mississippi State guard Kanye Clary remains out indefinitely with a lower leg injury. Starting forward Cameron Matthews has also been playing through a foot injury.

Mississippi State basketball schedule 2024-25

Record: 10-1

Next five games on the Mississippi State schedule:

Dec. 21: at Memphis
Dec. 30: vs. Bethune-Cookman
Jan. 4: vs. South Carolina
Jan. 7: at Vanderbilt
Jan. 14: at Auburn

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Memphis basketball schedule 2024-25

Record: 9-2

Next five games on the Tigers’ schedule:

Dec. 21: vs. Mississippi State
Dec. 28: vs. Ole Miss
Jan. 2: at Florida Atlantic
Jan. 5: vs. North Texas
Jan. 11: vs. East Carolina

Mississippi State basketball news

Michael Nwoko tied his career high with 18 points against Central Michigan.
Jans did not have an updated on injured guard Kanye Clary on Thursday. Clary hasn’t played since Nov. 29.

Sam Sklar is the Mississippi State beat reporter for the Clarion Ledger. Email him at ssklar@gannett.com and follow him on X @sklarsam_.

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