BUSINESS BRIEFS

USDA sponsoring workshop for agricultural producers

USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service is sponsoring a community outreach demonstration and workshop for agricultural producers to explain programs that can benefit farming operations for 2013 on Feb. 22.

This demonstration and workshop will be conducted by the Wiregrass RC&D and Coffee County SWCD.

The demonstration will begin at 9:30 a.m. at 146 County Rd. 517, Elba. The workshop will be at 10:30 a.m. in the Community Room, 1055 McKinnon St., New Brockton.

Representatives from the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), Farm Service Agency (FSA), Resource Conservation & Development (RC&D), Soil & Water Conservation Districts (SWCD), Alabama Cooperative Extension System (ACES), Tuskegee University, Rural Development (RD), Alabama Forestry Commission (AFC), and Alabama Clean Water Partnership (ACWP) will be on hand to let attendees know what is available for 2013.

This is an opportunity for new farmers, people with limited income, and community members to learn about programs that can help manage pastureland, vegetable crops, woodlands and other natural resources. Questions will be answered concerning land and community and how to get help in applying for programs that are available.

Those currently participating in the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), are encourage to take advantage of this opportunity.

For more information, contact the Wiregrass RC&D Council at (334) 774-2334, James Currington at (334) 237-3310 or Mike Harris at (334) 894-5581, ext. 3.

National Security Group declares cash dividend

On Jan. 18, the board of directors of The National Security Group, Inc., declared a quarterly dividend of $0.025 per share. This cash dividend is payable on Feb. 28 to shareholders of record Feb. 4.

Along with the quarterly dividend announcement, the board of directors and management of the company released the following cautionary statement regarding future dividend policy: “As we have disclosed previously, due to the impact of several events that have adversely impacted our earnings, we expect that our dividend policy will remain necessarily flexible and will be subject to quarterly review which could include a range of actions up to and including the suspension of dividends. Our subsidiaries remain capitalized at levels that have not adversely impacted our ability to operate. However, in order to rebuild capital levels in our property and casualty subsidiary, it is necessary that our dividend policy remain flexible.”

With its home office in Elba, The National Security Group, Inc., is an insurance holding company. Company shares are traded on the NASDAQ Global Market under the symbol NSEC.