Photos: Lively Farms hits Mississippi fields for rice planting
Young Mississippi farmer Chris Lively, Lively Farms, Coahoma County, took advantage of clear skies May 14 and began planting Cocodrie rice. Chris, along with his father Gerald Lively, run a tight operation — 4,700 acres of corn, soybeans, rice, wheat, and pecans. The Livelys will plant 800-1,000 rice acres; 800 acres of corn; and the rest in soybeans (plus 500 acres of winter wheat and 110 acres of permanent pecans).
Photos: First day peanut planting at Omega Farms
Peanut planting began May 9 for Omega Farms, Clarksdale, Miss., and farm manager Brandon Walton. Beating out approaching rain, Walton planted 180 acres with an 09B Georgia variety. Omega Farms, an approximately 15,000 acre operation, will have 900 acres of peanuts in 2013.
Photos: Winter wheat moving toward harvest
With poor weather stunting all other crop progress, winter wheat is heading toward harvest. Poor drainage could result in a significant yield losses in some parts of the Mississippi Delta.
The other side of cotton production
Cotton is more than a wonder fiber. After cotton is plucked from fields and packed in gins — cottonseed is only just beginning to be processed. Cottonseed value continues to climb, and at Delta Oil Mill, Jonestown, Miss., managed by Scott Middleton, Jr., cottonseed processing has been rolling since 1942.
Wheat burning comes early to Mississippi Delta
At Massey Planting Co., Rudyard, Miss., a tillered cover crop resulted in March wheat burning for Ellington and Turner Massey. The father-and-son team planted a wheat cover crop in late September 2012 in preparation for corn, but following an unusual warm spell and possibly too much nitrogen in the ground, the wheat tillered early with an explosion of shoot growth.
Farmers on edge of fields as spring nears - Photo gallery
With planting dates closing fast, farmers are preparing equipment for fieldwork. The winter of 2012-2013 has been mild, with temperatures rarely below freezing. Here are a series of Delta agriculture images from late fall through the mild winter.
Peanut future strong in Mississippi Delta — photo gallery
As peanut acreage continues to spread across the Delta, the Clint Williams Co.’s Clarksdale, Miss., facility processed 11,000 acres of peanuts in its first year of operation. Glen Moore, buying point manager, oversees a 26,000-ton storage warehouse at the Clarksdale site, in addition to 100 drying trailers. After drying, Moore ships the peanuts to Madill, Okla., where they are further processed for candy and peanut butter.
Photos: Faces of American agriculture 2012
America is blessed with the most productive farmers and agricultural workers in the world. As Thanksgiving approaches, the United States has been graced with another year of plenty: food, fuel and fiber — all produced through the effort of American farm workers. Agriculture is the backbone of America: From bread on our tables to the shirts on our backs, U.S. farmers are responsible for feeding and clothing a nation of 310 million people. Here are a few of the faces whose toil made it happen in 2012.
Photos: Cotton harvest wrapping up
As fall weather continues to turn cooler, gins are still running at full-bore, but most Delta farmers have already picked their cotton fields clean.
