Delta Council holds 91st meeting at DREC

RAYMOND, Miss. -- For the first time in 90 years, the Delta Council held its annual meeting on the grounds of the Mississippi State University Delta Research and Extension Center in Stoneville May 8.

The Delta Council is a regional economic development organization formed by forward-looking citizens in 1935. Members of the group include agricultural, business and professional leaders committed to solving common problems and promoting economic development.

“The Delta Council has been a very important part of this station since the council’s organization,” said Jeff Gore, head of the Delta Research and Extension Center, or DREC. 

“They are an important partner of ours because they recognize the value of agricultural research and Extension and its connection to economic development. They are a beacon for our agriculture industry, and we are honored to host their 91st annual meeting,” he said.

Established in 1904 by the Mississippi Legislature, DREC is the first of MSU’s 16 branch experiment stations. Personnel at the station focus on research and education related to commercial agriculture, including cotton, soybean, corn, rice, catfish and other agricultural activities. 

MSU President Mark Keenum welcomed the crowd gathered for the meeting that celebrates the year’s accomplishments, as well as the future of the Mississippi Delta. 

“How fitting that the 91st Delta Council Day be held here at the station. They have been such a wonderful partner for our Delta farmers and our entire state, and we are thankful for the work they do to support our region and the state,” Keenum said. 

“Our model for research and Extension activities is used by other land-grant institutions in the country. We are deeply proud of all we do to serve our citizens and grow our economy. We take that responsibility very seriously,” he continued.

As a Carnegie R1 – Very High Research Activity Doctoral Institution, MSU focuses on integrating applied research with economic development. This research structure is one of the reasons MSU is ranked 14th in ag research in the U.S. by the National Science Foundation and leads Mississippi’s universities in research expenditures. 

This ranking is one Glenn “GT” Thompson, chairman of the House Committee on Agriculture and staunch advocate for U.S. farmers, recognizes and appreciates. 

“Farming is the industry that benefits everyone,” said Thompson as he gave the keynote address. “I am very lucky to have a job advocating for you, the farmer. Advocating for the American farmer has been the honor of a lifetime.”

As he spoke about the importance of agriculture to the nation and the world, he reflected on the April 30 passage of the Farm, Food and National Security Act of 2026 out of committee. The act is commonly referred to as the Farm Bill. It is now in the Senate for negotiation.

“This builds on the investments of so many key Farm Bill programs and provides a much stronger safety net for the American farmer. We wrote it in a tri-partisan way – with democrats, republicans and the American people,” Thompson said.

“We wrote it in pastures, town halls, equipment sheds … from the outside in. It keeps American farmers on the forefront of agriculture, helps institutions like this compete for new research facilities and provides real and workable solutions to today’s problems. It couldn’t have come at a better time, and I am very excited to see this for farmers. Thank you to the Delta Council for being there from the very beginning,” he said.

Clint Dunn, Delta Council president, handed over the reins to incoming president John Rodgers Brashier.

“As I look back on my tenure as president, the last year has been both a rewarding and challenging time for the economy and quality of life for the Mississippi Delta. From highways and healthcare to an agricultural safety net that works and to continued efforts to combat population loss, the Mississippi Delta has a number of challenges,” Dunn said.

“On the other hand, the Mississippi Delta has been a leader in lifting up the farm economic crisis that resulted in Congress and the administration acting to help our producers.”

Each year the Delta Council presents achievement awards. This year, awards were presented to:

• Lester Khoo, professor and director of the CVM MS Aquatic Diagnostic Laboratory, Outstanding Contributions to Delta Aquaculture;
• Steve Martin, Extension professor, Researcher of the Year;
• Archie Tucker, recently retired U.S. Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service Southeast area director, Steward of the Delta; 
• Bubba Simmons of Arcola, Outstanding Soybean Producer; 
• Sledge Taylor, III of Como, Conservation Farmer of the Year; and 
• Stacie Koger, Jeremy Jack and Elizabeth Jack of Silent Shade Planting Company in Belzoni, Outstanding Rice Producer. 

More than 100 high school honor students from the Council’s 19 Delta and part-Delta counties in Northwest Mississippi were also recognized.

DREC is part of MSU’s Division of Agriculture, Forestry and Veterinary Medicine, encompasses 5,000 acres and employs more than 100 people who work for the Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station, the MSU Extension Service and the MSU College of Veterinary Medicine. Personnel at the station partner with many federal and regional agencies, including the U.S. Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service; U.S. Forest Service; Delta Health Alliance; Delta Wildlife; Delta Farmers Advocating Resource Management, or Delta F.A.R.M. and Yazoo Mississippi Delta Joint Water Management District, or YMD.

For more information about the Delta Council, visit their website. Learn more about the DREC on their website.