Title 69, Agriculture, Horticulture, and Animals

(1) All statutory provisions pertaining to the qualifications, appointment, election, and tenure of commissioners, and the powers of districts and commissioners shall apply to districts whose boundaries are revised or which are reconstituted under Sections 69-27-55 through 69-27-…

The State Soil and Water Conservation Committee shall determine from each existing soil and water conservation district from which territory may be withdrawn in the adjustment of boundaries, or revision of a district, the value of cash or bonds on hand, and shall also make an app…

At any time after the organization of a district under the provisions of this article, any twenty-five (25) owners of land lying within the boundaries of such district may file a petition with the State Soil and Water Conservation Committee praying that the operations of the dist…

(1) In order to assist in carrying out the objectives set forth in this article, the board of supervisors of Adams, Attala, Benton, Carroll, Chickasaw, Claiborne, Clarke, Clay, Copiah, Covington, Forrest, Franklin, George, Greene, Grenada, Hancock, Harrison, Hinds, Holmes, Jasper…

(1) The board of supervisors of any county is authorized and empowered, in its discretion, to make contributions to the various soil conservation districts either now or hereafter located entirely or partially within such county, under the provisions of this article, or elsewhere…

In so far as any of the provisions of this article are inconsistent with the provisions of any other law, the provisions of this article shall be controlling.

(a) Wherever used or referred to in this article, unless a different meaning clearly appears from the context:(a) “District” or “soil and water conservation district” means a governmental subdivision of this state, and a public body, corporate and politic, organized in accordance…

(1) The State Soil and Water Conservation Commission shall be constituted as follows:(a) Eleven (11) voting members:(i) The Commissioner of Agriculture and Commerce;(ii) The State Forester;(iii) The President of the Mississippi Association of Soil and Water Conservation District …

In order to carry out the purposes of the Soil Conservation and Domestic Allotment Act enacted by the Congress of the United States, the Mississippi State University of Agriculture and Applied Science (hereinafter referred to as the “university”) is hereby designated as the agenc…

The university is hereby authorized, empowered and directed to formulate and submit to the Secretary of Agriculture, in conformity with the provisions of said Soil Conservation and Domestic Allotment Act, a state plan for each calendar year. It shall be the purpose of each such p…

Upon the acceptance by the Secretary of Agriculture of each such plan submitted pursuant to Section 69-27-103, the university is authorized and empowered to accept and receive all grants of money made pursuant to said Soil Conservation and Domestic Allotment Act for the purpose o…

In carrying out the provisions of each plan submitted pursuant to Section 69-27-103, and accepted by the Secretary of Agriculture, the university shall have power: to employ such agents or agencies, and to establish such agencies, as it may find to be necessary; to cooperate with…

For the purpose of carrying out each such plan submitted pursuant to Section 69-27-103, and accepted by the Secretary of Agriculture, according to its terms, the university, through its board of trustees, is hereby authorized to delegate any of the powers herein conferred to such…

The university shall render for each year an annual report to the Governor, who shall transmit a copy thereof to each house of the Legislature, covering its administration of such plan, as referred to in this article, and all operations thereunder, including also the expenditure …

Nothing herein shall be construed or operate to impose any obligation or liability upon the university or other than as herein specified.

For the purpose of preventing soil erosion and its accompanying evils in Attala, Carroll, Claiborne, Clay, Copiah, Forrest, Franklin, George, Greene, Grenada, Hancock, Harrison, Holmes, Humphreys, Itawamba, Jackson, Kemper, Lamar, Leake, Lee, Madison, Monroe, Neshoba, Oktibbeha, …

The director of the state extension service, the director of the state agricultural and forestry experiment station, and the state forester of the State of Mississippi shall, on written application of any five or more landowners of said county, owning an aggregate of not less tha…

It shall be the duty of said soil erosion committee to cooperate with the county agent in all matters pertaining to soil erosion work within the county, and with all agencies of the state or federal government engaged in the prevention of soil erosion; to assist the county agent,…

All contracts entered into hereunder between a county designated in Section 69-27-201 and an owner of land therein for the terracing and/or ditching thereof shall be in such legal form as may be approved by the attorney for the board of supervisors, and each such contract, before…

[With regard to any county which is exempt from the provisions of Section 19-2-3, this section shall read as follows:] The board of supervisors of a county as designated in Section 69-27-201 may, on the recommendation of the soil erosion committee, or shall, if so required by the…

The soil erosion committee shall not, except as herein otherwise provided, make recommendation to the board for the purchase of the first machinery for said county, or part of the county, unless it has contracts in the form herein required, signed by the landowners, duly witnesse…

The board of supervisors shall have the right to issue certificates of indebtedness of the county for the purchase price of the necessary machinery for soil erosion work hereunder, or any part of such price, to be paid from the soil erosion fund of the county or part of the count…

It shall be the duty of the soil erosion committee to notify the board of supervisors, the county assessor and the landowner within fifteen days after the performance of each contract by the county or separate soil erosion district, giving the assessor the name of the landowner, …

It shall be the duty of the tax collector to preserve all assessments so certified to him, to note upon the real property assessment roll of the county or county district upon which ad valorem taxes are to be collected for the year in which said work was done, the fact that said …

No contract shall be approved by the soil erosion committee of any of said counties designated in Section 69-27-201, concerning any lands whereon there is any lien of any character whatever, except lien for current taxes, unless the holder of such lien shall have first approved s…

No bids for furnishing equipment under the provisions of this article may be considered or accepted by any county, unless said bid is the factory list price plus a reasonable delivery charge.

In the event of a tax levy being made to pay the purchase price of any equipment purchased under this article, the county shall not be authorized to purchase any additional equipment until enough money has been collected from the use of equipment already purchased, sufficient to …

(a) The following words shall have the meanings ascribed herein unless the context clearly requires otherwise:(a) “Commission” shall mean the Mississippi Soil and Water Conservation Commission.(b) “District” or “soil and water conservation district” means a governmental subdivisi…

The commission shall serve as the administrator of the provisions of this article and shall serve as the disbursing agency for funds to be expended from and deposited to the credit of the Soil and Water Cost-Share Program.

The commission and districts are authorized to employ such professional and clerical assistance and obtain such supplies and equipment as needed to implement this program.

The commission shall adopt and promulgate such rules and regulations as necessary for the implementation of the Mississippi Soil and Water Cost-Share Program. The commission is authorized to conduct public hearings or otherwise seek the advice, counsel and recommendations of inte…

For a district commissioner to participate in any water quality cost-share project funded directly or indirectly by the United States Environmental Protection Agency, the district board of which the commissioner is a member shall not participate in the proposal, development, plan…

The commission is authorized to use money appropriated therefor to assist in implementing approved practices on a cost-sharing basis on eligible lands in the State of Mississippi.

(a) The commission shall have the following powers and duties to implement the provisions of the Mississippi Soil and Water Cost-Share Program:(a) To determine which approved practices shall be eligible for cost-share assistance;(b) To establish maximum sums and cost-share rates …

(a) Any eligible landowner or land operator who wishes to receive cost-share assistance shall file an application with the soil and water conservation district stating the practice to be implemented. Upon the receipt of an application, the district shall:(a) Make a need and feasi…

Any agency, department, board, commission or other subdivision of government of the State of Mississippi, or any political subdivision thereof, is authorized to implement an approved practice on any lands owned by such political entity or owned by the State of Mississippi and sup…

(1) (a) The State Soil and Water Conservation Commission, subject to the restrictions provided in Sections 69-27-331 through 69-27-341, is authorized to acquire and to make available, or to assist in acquiring or making available to soil and water conservation districts, heavy or…

The Soil and Water Conservation Commission shall retain title to each piece of heavy or specialized machinery or equipment so purchased and made available to any soil and water conservation district until such time as the district fully amortizes the commission’s investment in su…

Each soil and water conservation district which receives or uses the machinery or equipment referred to in Section 69-27-331 shall maintain its public records to show for each piece of machinery or equipment: (a) the amounts collected from each job in each district; (b) the expen…

The amount paid by any such district to the commission for amortization purposes shall be made semiannually. When payments are not received by the commission within sixty (60) days of the due date the commission shall take all necessary actions to collect such delinquent payments…

Any two (2) or more soil and water conservation districts may combine with each other for the purpose of obtaining and using the machinery or equipment referred to in Section 69-27-331, on the terms and conditions set forth in Sections 69-27-331 through 69-27-341.

The commission is authorized to promulgate such rules and regulations or methods of accounting as may be necessary or expedient to give effect to the purposes expressed in Sections 69-27-331 through 69-27-341.

There is created in the State Treasury a revolving fund which shall be comprised of any monies appropriated thereto by the Legislature, the proceeds from any bonds issued under Sections 69-27-345 through 69-27-365, and payments made by districts to the commission for amortization…

The State Soil and Water Conservation Commission is authorized, at one time or from time to time, to declare by resolution the necessity for issuance of negotiable general obligation bonds of the State of Mississippi to provide funds for the revolving fund established in Section …

For the payment of such bonds and the interest thereon, the full faith, credit, and taxing power of the State of Mississippi are hereby irrevocably pledged. If the Legislature finds that there are sufficient funds available in the General Fund of the State Treasury to pay maturin…

Such bonds may be executed and delivered by the state at any time and from time to time, may be in such form and denominations and of such terms and maturities, may be in fully registered form or in bearer form registrable either as to principal or interest or both, may bear such…