Mississippi Department of Agriculture and Commerce

What Mississippi Department of Agriculture and Commerce does

Mississippi Department of Agriculture and Commerce (MDAC) is a state government agency headquartered in Jackson, Mississippi, constitutionally authorized to regulate and promote agriculture across Mississippi's 82 counties. Founded in 1906 and operating with 101-250 employees, MDAC is organized into three functional divisions: the Bureau of Regulatory Services (consumer protection, weights and measures, petroleum products inspection, meat inspection, retail food sanitation, produce safety), the Bureau of Plant Industry (pesticide regulation, seed testing, plant pest programs, professional services licensing, located on Mississippi State University's campus), and the Market Development Division (Genuine MS® brand certification, Mississippi Farmers Market, international trade liaison via SUSTA, and the Mississippi Market Bulletin — a semi-monthly agricultural publication with over 30,000 subscribers established in 1928). It serves Mississippi's 34,100 farms covering 10.3 million acres, 2,500+ retail food establishments, petroleum fuel retailers dispensing approximately 2.3 billion gallons annually, and the state's general consumer population through marketplace equity and food safety enforcement.

MDAC's core technology consists of web-based permitting and registration portals for pesticide products, seed permitting, feed/fertilizer/limestone (FFLSP) registration, retail food sanitation licensing, and regulatory service report forms for weights and measures and petroleum inspection. Specialized technical assets include the Mississippi Moisture Meter Testing Laboratory (operated on Mississippi State University's campus) and the Mississippi Metrology Laboratory, which provide domain-specific testing and calibration services. The department's financial model is non-commercial: it is primarily funded through Mississippi state government appropriations, supplemented by regulatory licensing fees (pesticide dealer licenses, petroleum equipment repairman licenses, seed permits, professional service licenses) and federal grants for programs such as the Specialty Crop Block Grant Program, GAP/GHP Certification Cost-Share, and the National Organic Cost-Share Program. The Market Bulletin is the only disclosed direct subscription revenue stream at $10/year in-state and $15/year out-of-state. The agency holds cooperative agreements with USDA (inspection, market news, agricultural statistics), EPA (pesticide enforcement), and Mississippi State University (research, lab facilities, faculty appointments).

The current Commissioner of Agriculture and Commerce is Andy Gipson, an elected constitutional officer who serves as department head. MDAC operates under the authority of Mississippi state law, with its regulatory scope expanded in 2018 when the Mississippi Produce Safety Rule granted the department authority to administer FSMA-compliant produce safety standards. The department's value proposition rests on three pillars: regulatory enforcement and consumer protection (weights and measures, food safety, petroleum quality), market development for Mississippi agricultural products (Genuine MS®, farmers markets, export assistance through SUSTA), and supportive programs (specialty crop grants, certification cost-share, youth and workforce development, agricultural resilience).

Name

Mississippi Department of Agriculture and Commerce

Legal name

Mississippi Department of Agriculture and Commerce

Website

https://mdac.ms.gov

Company type

Private

Founded year

1930

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Mississippi Department of Agriculture and Commerce is a state government agency that regulates agriculture, weights and measures, petroleum products, pesticides, and food safety across Mississippi, while promoting state agricultural products through the Genuine MS® program, the Mississippi Market Bulletin, and the Mississippi Farmers Market.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Jackson

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Market Bulletin Subscriptions: Semi-monthly agricultural publication distributed to subscribers for marketing agricultural commodities. In-state subscribers pay $10/year, out-of-state subscribers pay $15/year.
2. Regulatory Fees and Licenses: Fees collected for various licenses, permits, and registrations including pesticide dealer licenses, petroleum equipment repairman licenses, seed permits, and various professional service licenses.
3. State Government Funding: Primary operational funding through Mississippi state government appropriations to serve the state's agricultural regulatory and promotional functions.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

MDAC is a Mississippi state government department that regulates agriculture, weights and measures, food safety, petroleum products, pesticides, seeds, plant pests, and professional agricultural services within the state. The department issues licenses, permits, and registrations; conducts field inspections and laboratory testing; enforces consumer protection laws; and promotes Mississippi-grown agricultural products domestically and internationally through marketing programs such as Genuine MS®, the Mississippi Market Bulletin, and the Mississippi Farmers Market.

Product overview

The Mississippi Department of Agriculture and Commerce (MDAC) operates as a state government agency providing regulatory oversight and market development services for Mississippi's agriculture industry. The department is organized into three primary divisions: the Bureau of Regulatory Services (handling consumer protection, food safety, petroleum inspection, and weights and measures), the Bureau of Plant Industry (overseeing pesticides, seeds, plant pests, and professional services licensing), and the Market Development Division (promoting Mississippi agriculture through marketing programs). MDAC's key programs include the Mississippi Market Bulletin (a long-established agricultural classified publication), the Genuine MS® certification program for state agricultural products, and the Mississippi Farmers Market for direct producer-consumer sales. Additional offerings include specialty crop grants, GAP/GHP organic certification cost-share programs, produce safety compliance under FSMA, and various pest control initiatives including the Wild Hog Control Program. The department also operates inspection services for petroleum products, scales and measurement equipment, and seed quality testing.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Genuine MS: A program created by MDAC to promote and bring attention to agricultural products grown, raised, crafted or made in Mississippi.
• MS Freshly Picked
• Mississippi Market Bulletin

Products and services

• Mississippi Market Bulletin
• Genuine MS® Certification Program
• Mississippi Certified Farmers Markets Program
• Retail Food Sanitation License
• Pesticide Products Registration
• Seed Permitting and Inspection
• Feed, Fertilizer, Lime, and Soil/Plant Amendment Registration (FFLSP)
• Weights and Measures Service Report
• Petroleum Service Report
• MS Freshly Picked Online Platform
• MS Farm Marketplace
• MS Agritourism Registration Program
• Specialty Crop Block Grant Program
• GAP/GHP Certification Cost-Share Program
• National Organic Cost-Share Program

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 30,000 subscribers to the Mississippi Market Bulletin
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Southern United States Trade Association (SUSTA)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerMississippi is a member of SUSTA along with 15 other southern states and Puerto Rico. MDAC personnel work as liaisons between Mississippi producers and foreign buyers to place Mississippi agricultural products around the world through this regional trade association.
• U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCooperative agreements for Federal-State Inspection Service, Market News Service, and Agricultural Statistics. The agency operates under cooperative agreements with USDA's Consumer and Marketing Service for fresh fruits, vegetables, poultry, and nut inspection.
• U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCooperative agreement for pesticide regulation and enforcement. The Bureau of Plant Industry maintains cooperative agreements with EPA for federal pesticide law enforcement.
• Mississippi State UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCooperative relationship including Bureau of Plant Industry located on MSU campus, Mississippi Moisture Meter Laboratory operated on campus, and heads of Animal Husbandry, Dairy and Poultry Departments serving as ex-officio members of the Mississippi Board of Animal Health.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services: Florida's combined agriculture and consumer services agency. Direct peer in scope (weights & measures, food safety, agricultural licensing, consumer protection) with the additional consumer-protection mandate that makes its structure closely analogous to MDAC's.
• Alabama Department of Agriculture and Industries: Alabama's neighboring state agriculture agency. Highly comparable to MDAC in scale, scope, and the mix of regulatory, licensing, weights & measures, and promotional programs serving a similar Southern agricultural economy.
• Tennessee Department of Agriculture: Tennessee's state agriculture agency performing parallel regulatory and promotional functions. Direct peer with similar program portfolio (weights & measures, food safety, ag development) and overlapping Southern agricultural economy.
• Texas Department of Agriculture: Texas's state agriculture regulatory and promotional agency. Direct structural peer: same regulatory scope (weights & measures, food safety, pesticide, market development) and similar mix of licensing, inspection, and promotion functions, scaled to a much larger agricultural economy.
• Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry: Louisiana's neighboring state agriculture and forestry agency. Direct peer with overlapping regulatory scope and shared Southern U.S. agricultural context; particularly comparable for forestry, weights & measures, and pesticide regulation functions.
• California Department of Food and Agriculture: California's state agriculture agency performing equivalent regulatory, inspection, and market-development roles. Direct peer in mandate and structure; comparison useful for understanding how larger agricultural states organize these functions.
• Georgia Department of Agriculture: Georgia's state agriculture agency with similar licensing, inspection, weights & measures, and market development responsibilities. Comparable peer in regulatory structure and Southeast U.S. agricultural context.
• Arkansas Department of Agriculture: Arkansas's state agriculture department covering equivalent regulatory, inspection, and market promotion activities. Direct peer with comparable scale and Southern regional context; shares SUSTA membership with MDAC.

Others

• Southern United States Trade Association (SUSTA): Regional trade association of 15 southern states plus Puerto Rico in which MDAC is a member. Thematically related ecosystem partner that channels Mississippi producers into international markets; not a regulatory competitor but a key downstream partner.

Broad incumbents

• USDA - United States Department of Agriculture: Federal-level agriculture agency that sets national standards and operates cooperative agreements with MDAC and every state department of agriculture. Broad incumbent governing the federal layer of the regulatory framework MDAC implements at the state level.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/msdeptofag
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/mississippi-department-of-human-services

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles16 records

Subsidiaries8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Mississippi Department of Agriculture and Commerce