Just because something happens by chance doesn’t mean it’s a bad idea.

After more than a decade of farming with traditional methods, Donald Gant started no-till farming in 1981 on some rented ground.

Photo by Jonathan Parrish

During a short break from August rain, Bubba Simmons, a partner in Simmons Planting Company in Hollandale, begins harvesting corn. Altogether, Simmons farms about 6,000 acres of corn, soybeans, and rice in Washington County.

When Mississippi’s Giant Houseparty kicked off at the end of July, hundreds of exhibitors displayed thousands of items that showcase their handiwork to the Neshoba County Fair’s many visitors.

The Exhibit Hall, organized and operated by the Neshoba County office of the Mississippi State University Extension Service, annually displays the handiwork of adults and children in several categories, including fresh fruits and vegetables, field crops, food preservation, arts and crafts, posters, and food and nutrition.  

Publicity was not on the mind of Mike Sturdivant III in 1974 when he began farming, so his response to being named the 2017 Swisher Sweets/Sunbelt Ag Expo Southeastern Farmer of the Year for Mississippi was one of surprise.

When Mississippi achieved statehood in 1817, its cotton industry was only beginning to take off. By 1917, boll weevils were devastating the state’s cotton crop and its economy.