Mississippi Code Title 31. Public Business, Bonds and Obligations § 31-7-53

In making any and all purchases of fertilizer for all state institutions and agencies, the board, officer, or employee given the authority to make such purchases shall take into consideration the chemical analysis and percentage of plant food unit value in such fertilizer in determining the lowest and best bid. No awards of contracts shall be made until the best price is determined on the basis of the chemical analysis as to the plant food unit value of the product, and the contract shall be awarded on the basis of such an analysis of the plant food unit value.

This section does not apply for the purchase of material by research agencies of the state for use in experimental projects.

The state penitentiary board, the board of trustees of the state institutions of higher learning, and any other agency, department, or board of trustees of the State of Mississippi are hereby authorized to purchase all needed quantities of anhydrous ammonia and ammonium nitrate fertilizers available through the facilities of Mississippi State University of Agriculture and Applied Science. Such purchase may be at public or private sale, provided that such fertilizers can be obtained for not more than the price that the same are then available to such board, agency, or department from any other source.