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Chamber’s Farm-City Tour
(Continued from 1-A)
harvest due to icing of ponds in North Mississippi.
J. Norton Haas gave a rundown on McLeod Park, a Pearl River Basin Development District project. He said the park was given 100 per cent support by the Hancock County Board of Supervisors.
Haas reminded the touring group the park is in the buffer zone and that negotiations with the federal government were necessary to secure the “Fine facility which is enjoyed by Hancock presidents and neighboring visitors as well.
At Catahoula Community, Frank Lee gave the group a tour of one of his soybean fields. Lee discussed how farmers deal with futures and how market changes effect all farmers and farm products.
In Flatop, a swine finishing operation by Paul Bounds showedhowit is done in the 20th century. Some 500 hogs are fed
and watered with just the push of a button.
The group got to see Chester Lee’s commercial beef production farm via the bus. W. Halstead, MTCA bus driver on duty the third year in a row for the Hancock Farm-City tour, was able to drive over the pasture and landing strip combination field among the prize cattlc raised by Chester Lee.
Lee is also known as the founder of the Prisoners Bible Crusade, Inc. One of the purposes of that organization is to purchase and distribute Bibles to inmates in prisons.
Lee says his organization has placed Bibles in prisons in 31 states.
Sandwiches, ice tea, red velvet cake, and home grown watermelon was on the lunch menu at the home of the Louis Lee’s.
L.J. Breaux announced a new Farm Bureau Service in conjunction with the National Sheriff’s Association - the
identification of farm equipment and products.
‘“Crime on the farm is on the increase,” stated Frank Lee, “and we are trying to help prevent crime.”
Farms lose millions of dollars each year in equipment and chemicals, according to Breaux and l^e.
All Farm equipment and materials are marked for owner identification to help protect the farmers.
Even products like corn and soybeans are marked with a confetti showing ownership.
After lunch a visit was made to the Lynn G. McGehee Dairy farm. The farm is just about to go into production.
Two large silos are being filled with corn grown on the 100-acre farm. The silos hold a total of 1,600 tons of silage according to McGehee.
At Rocky Hill Fire Tower, Steve Corbitt, area forester, Harrison County, gave a talk on efforts of the Forestry Department in Hancock
County. John Smith, County Agent, said there is an opening for a Hancock County Forester now.
Corbitt noted Hancock County is second in the number of Forest fires in the State.
Harrison County has more fires than any other in Mississippi.
“A lot of wood is hauled out of Hancock County and it is a big business,” stated Corbitt.
Bob Whitfield of Kiln Pulpwood Yard explained how the yard operated. He told how some wood is delivered to the yard in short lengths and other is brought in tree length and sawed before being loaded on barges for shipment to International Paper’s plant in Moss Point.
On the return home, Norton Haas, Kiln native, told about the history of Kiln and the role it played in the timber industry.
The tour ended in Bay St. Louis at 4:15 p.m.
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SEA COAST ECHO-SUNDAY, JULY 30, 1978-1B
CATFISH POND - Ray Lockhart raises catfish in this pond and then uses the water in rice fields. Dix Ashman, Waveland, was one of many to make Farm-City Tour Thursday.
WATERMELON SERVER - Frank Lee, ri:;ht, did the honors of carving the watermelons for the Farm-City Tour. Fred Logan, right, tries some for taste.
LOOKS OVER RICK - Jerry Benigno, executive secretary of the Hancock County Chamber of Commerce checks over a cluster of rice on Farm-City Tour. Back tow, from left, are Thad Cook, Mrs. Marion Cook, Linda Gavagnie and .1. Norton Haas learning how rice is grown in Hancock County.