Overseeing services provided by the pest management industry such as termite pre-treatments is one of the many responsibilities of the Bureau of Plant Industry. They are the Masters of Multitasking. The Juggernauts of Juggling. The Protectors of the Plant. However, most people know them as the Bureau of Plant Industry with the Mississippi Department of Agriculture and Commerce. While the official name does not reveal the idiosyncrasies of the Bureau of Plant Industry, the organization is actually one of Mississippi’s unsung heroes for agriculturalists and consumers alike. While the Bureau of Plant Industry is a regulatory division, this department oversees the work of many facets of agriculture from pest management services and plants to honeybees and animal feeds. But a grocery list of industry areas does not fully explain the balancing act of this organization. “The role of the bureau is not only a regulatory arm, but also a service division,” says John Campbell, the director of the Bureau of Plant Industry. “We are a resource for all of the industries that we are responsible for regulating. We serve to protect and promote agriculture as much as we are to regulate it. After policy is developed, we work with the necessary partners to educate the industry on new requirements. “In fact, consumer protection is the goal of the entire department. We want consumers to get what they are paying for, whether it is a bag of seed or termite treatment,” Campbell continues. “Once the policy is in place and the industry understands the parameters, we inspect their work to ensure that it is done in accordance with state and federal laws.” The consumer focus is what sets the Bureau of Plant Industry apart from other traditional government organizations. With the push toward developing safer products, adopting innovative methods and techniques, and moving toward greater efficiency, the work of the bureau is irreplaceable to businesses and consumers of Mississippi. Fred McMurry of Havard Pest Control echoes this thought. “We have been very blessed in the industry to have an organization like the Bureau of Plant Industry on our side,” McMurry says. “They make decisions quickly, they are innovative and resourceful, and their first concern is always how to benefit the people of Mississippi, whether they work in the industry or are a homeowner.” So, if they are developing educational programs, training people to receive licenses and certifications, or performing inspections, the Bureau of Plant Industry works to protect the agricultural and horticultural interests of Mississippi every day as well as that of the consumer.
