mississippi

In 2019, Mississippi’s agricultural industry faced the prospect of dipping below $7 billion for the first time in eight years, but federal payments pushed its value up enough to post a slight gain over 2018. The estimated value of Mississippi agriculture in 2019 is $7.39 billion, a 0.2% gain from last year’s $7.37 billion. Included in the total is an ... Read More »

This work traces the struggles of five generations of Olivers from the late 1800s to the present in the Mississippi Delta. In the 1870s, James Samuel Oliver arrived in the Mississippi Delta by swimming across the Mississippi River—with a fresh bullet wound in his leg. He later journeyed deep into the swampy wilderness known as the Mississippi Delta.  Oliver cleared ... Read More »

Parts of Mississippi’s landscape are turning white, but unlike some northern areas, this coloration is caused by cotton bolls opening for harvest, not snow accumulation. The U.S. Department of Agriculture estimated that nearly a quarter of Mississippi’s cotton crop had been harvested by Sept. 29. To date, 45% of the crop is rated in good condition and 39% fair. Cotton ... Read More »

U.S. Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith, R-MS, has asked President Donald Trump to approve use of temporary pumps in the Yazoo Backwater Area to begin removing floodwaters that have contaminated the region for months on end. In a letter sent June 13 to the president, Hyde-Smith summarized the statutes, presidential disaster declaration and emergency funding available to support the installation of temporary ... Read More »

Cotton Planting Described As Mixed Bag In 2019. • By Carroll Smith, Editor • This year’s planting season has been a mixed bag with Mother Nature taking the reins in producing unusual weather in some areas of the Cotton Belt. Other parts of the U.S. cotton-growing region were somewhat dry and waiting on a rain to get seed in the ... Read More »

Tennessee Cotton Farmer Wins $20,000 ‘Transform My Community’ Grand Prize For The Bogota Community Center. • By Carroll Smith, Editor • When the doors closed at Bogota Elementary School, the close-knit rural neighborhood couldn’t imagine not having a central meeting place to gather for support and fellowship. The building was more than just brick and mortar. It defined the exuberant spirit ... Read More »

A Mississippi Delta cotton farmer attributes his success to having top-shelf talent on both the personnel and production fronts. • By Carroll Smith, Editor • The Mississippi Delta is a unique realm of the universe that attracts people from all over the world. Beginning their journey on Highway 61 and then deviating onto lesser-known paths, tourists search for a glimpse of ... Read More »