By Jon W Sparks sparks@yourappealcom "The motion carries. Hallelujah." Rick Masson, chairman of the Shelby Farms Master Plan Steering Committee, was gratified by Friday's authorization of a conservation easement that will, when enacted, protect the park in perpetuity.

By Jane Roberts, The Commercial Appeal, Memphis, Tenn. Jun. 16--Kids in the first summer Plant Camp at Agricenter International learned a profound lesson this week as they gamely munched chocolate-covered larvae and crickets. Things in nature -- even the creepy stuff -- likely won't hurt you.

Jul. 29--Walking by row after row of test plots at Agricenter International Thursday was like thumbing the pages of a giant Sears Wishbook for hundreds of farmers in town for the first Mid-South Ag-Technology Field Day.