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On November 12, 2009,
Mississippi has a new landowners assistance program to help
suppress the spread of cogongrass. It is the Mississippi
Invasive Plant Control Program (MIPCP)!
MIPCP is a
publicly-funded project made possible through an American
Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) stimulus grant.
This ARRA grant is administered, with oversight, by the USDA
Forest Service. The grant program is implemented by the
Mississippi Forestry Commission. The mandate of this grant is to suppress
invasive plant species through specific strategies in targeted
areas of Mississippi, while allowing for the creation and
retention of employment opportunities.
The Landowners
Assistance Program will help suppress the spread of
Cogongrass in Mississippi by applying chemical applications to
affected areas. If you are a landowner in Mississippi and
have cogongrass on your property, you may be eligible to
participate in this program. Your property will be prioritized
depending on the county in which your property is located and
other program factors.
How do I figure
out if I have cogongrass on my property? There are
several ways to know if cogongrass is either on your property or
a potential threat to your property. First, learn how to
identify cogongrass by downloading the
Cogongrass ID Field Guide and comparing the suspected grass
on your property to the pictures in this booklet. Second,
you can contact the MIPCP to arrange for us to make the
determination for you. We can be reached at (877)
708-7651. This is a toll-free call for your convenience.
How will the
program stop the spread of cogongrass on my property?
Currently the most effective approach to controlling and
eradicating cogongrass infestation is with repeated chemical
application, sometimes over several years.
Am I eligible for
the program? If you are a Mississippi landowner and
currently have cogongrass on your property, you may be eligible
to apply. During Phase 1 of MIPCP operations, cogongrass
infestation eligible for treatment are in Attala, Choctaw, Clay,
Kemper, Lauderdale, Leake, Lowndes, Neshoba, Noxubee, Oktibbeha, Webster
and
Winston Counties.
I do not have
funds to spray cogongrass. Can I participate in this
program? Thanks to the ARRA Stimulus Grant, applicants
of this MIPCP program will not have to pay for this service.
This is not a cost-share program like other services, the MIPCP
will arrange for spraying and monitoring with no out of pocket
expense to the landowner for the area sprayed by the MIPCP.
Due to limited funds, there will be restrictions on how much
total acreage that can be sprayed over the life of this grant.
I am currently
spraying for cogongrass infestation. Can I still
participate in the program? The MFC is working with other
cogongrass assistance programs to increase the efficacy of the
program. However, there may be some restrictions on
applicants if they are participating in other government
cost-share programs.
How do I apply?
Complete the
Cogongrass Landowner Request Form and return it to the
Mississippi Forestry Commission by email, United
States Postal Service or by faxing the form to (601) 835-0188.
Upon acceptance into the program, the landowner must sign and
return the
Agreement For Herbicide Application before any work can be
done on their property.
For
more information on MFC's MIPCP Program, Contact:
Jim Hancock
Invasive Plant Control Program Coordinator
P.O. Box 749
515 County Farm Lane NE
Brookhaven, Mississippi 39602-0749
(601) 833-6621 office
(601) 835-0188 fax
(877) 708-7651 toll free
(601) 720-0238 cell
jhancock@mfc.state.ms.us
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