Agriculture forms an important part of the economy, society, and history of the American state of Mississippi. From colonization until the American Civil War agriculture in Mississippi was dominated by a plantation based cotton production system which relied on enslaved labor.
History.
Mississippi's rank as one of the poorest states is related to its dependence on cotton agriculture before and after the American Civil War, late development of its frontier bottomlands in the Mississippi Delta, repeated natural disasters of flooding in the late 19th and early 20th century that required massive capital investment in levees, and ditching and draining the bottomlands, and slow development of railroads to link bottomland towns and river cities. In addition, when Democrats regained control of the state legislature, they passed the 1890 constitution that discouraged corporate industrial development in favor of rural agriculture, a legacy that would slow the state's progress for years.
Before the Civil War, Mississippi was the fifth-wealthiest state in the nation, its wealth generated by the labor of slaves in cotton plantations along the rivers.
Largely due to the domination of the plantation economy, focused on the production of agricultural cotton, the state's elite was reluctant to invest in infrastructure such as roads and railroads. They educated their children privately. Industrialization did not reach many areas until the late 20th century. The planter aristocracy, the elite of antebellum Mississippi, kept the tax structure low for their own benefit, making only private improvements. Before the war the most successful planters, such as Confederate President Jefferson Davis, owned riverside properties along the Mississippi and Yazoo rivers in the Mississippi Delta. Away from the riverfronts, most of the Delta was undeveloped frontier.
Blacks cleared land, selling timber and developing bottomland to achieve ownership. In 1900, two-thirds of farm owners in Mississippi were blacks, a major achievement for them and their families. Due to the poor economy, low cotton prices and difficulty of getting credit, many of these farmers could not make it through the extended financial difficulties. Two decades later, the majority of African Americans were sharecroppers. The low prices of cotton into the 1890s meant that more than a generation of African Americans lost the result of their labor when they had to sell their farms to pay off accumulated debts.
After the Civil War, the state refused for years to build human capital by fully educating all its citizens. In addition, the reliance on agriculture grew increasingly costly as the state suffered loss of cotton crops due to the devastation of the boll weevil in the early 20th century, devastating floods in 1912–1913 and 1927, collapse of cotton prices after 1920, and drought in 1930.
Commercial blueberry cultivation began in 1980.
In the modern era more of an emphasis has been placed on sustainable agriculture.
The negative effects of overdevelopment and climate change on agriculture in California have made large scale commercial farming in the Mississippi Delta more attractive.
Significant products.
Blueberries.
Many blueberry growers are organized as part of the Miss-Lou Blueberry Growers Cooperative (which also includes growers in Louisiana). 2,100 acres of blueberries were under cultivation in 2014.
The blueberry was made Mississippi's state fruit in 2023.
Poultry.
Poultry makes up the lions share of Mississippi's agricultural production by value at $3.8 billion in 2023.
Soybeans.
Soybean production was worth $1.3 billion in 2023.
Events.
The Mississippi State Fair is Mississippi's primary agricultural fair.
Museums.
The Mississippi Agriculture and Forestry Museum is in Jackson, Mississippi. Mississippi Pickle Fest, a festival dedicated to pickled cucumbers, is held at the Mississippi Agriculture and Forestry Museum.
References.
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