Mississippi Agriculture: Catfish, Poultry & Farm Communities

4 min read

Published on

February 11, 2026

Mississippi Agriculture: Catfish, Poultry & Farm Communities

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Why Mississippi agriculture matters

From catfish ponds and broiler houses to row crops and family cattle operations, Mississippi’s farm economy is both diverse and deeply local. Production here supports processors, cold-chain logistics, feed mills, and rural small businesses in every county.

Snapshot: the essential facts

Catfish: Mississippi is the #1 producer of catfish in the United States.

Membership: Mississippi Farm Bureau Federation represents 170,000+ member families statewide.

Top commodity: Poultry & eggs are the largest-valued commodity, at $3B+ annually.

Land & farms: Over 31,000 farms covering 10 million+ acres of land.

Mission: Mississippi Farm Bureau Federation works to create an environment where farmers and ranchers can have a better life and make a better living.

From numbers to impact: how Mississippi’s farm economy shows up

Food

Catfish processing, poultry complexes, sweet potatoes, and specialty crops supply grocery stores and restaurants across the South and beyond—supporting cold storage, packaging, and distribution jobs.

Feed

Mississippi’s poultry sector drives steady demand for feed grains and soymeal. That means local business for elevators, feed mills, trucking, and equipment dealers.

Community & workforce

Farm income circulates through hardware stores, fuel suppliers, repair shops, and service businesses—anchoring employment in small towns. Co-ops, county Farm Bureaus, and youth programs build next-generation leadership.

Stewardship

Producers invest in water-quality practices, pond management, animal care, and precision agriculture—raising efficiency while protecting land and wildlife habitat.

Support the producers behind these numbers

Farm Bureau membership is a simple way to back Mississippi’s farm and ranch families. Members help advance commonsense ag policy, strengthen rural communities, and expand classroom resources. Benefits may vary by state program.

What membership supports:

Advocacy — a grassroots voice on water, land, markets, and transportation.

Education — ag-in-the-classroom, scholarships, and leadership programs.

Community — county Farm Bureaus, service projects, and local events.

Join Mississippi Farm Bureau: https://msfb.org
Not in Mississippi? Find your state Farm Bureau: https://www.fb.org/about/get-involved

Supporting Mississippi Producers With Exclusive Member Benefits

Through our partnership with the Mississippi Farm Bureau, we’re proud to support Idaho farmers with tools designed for real-world operations. As part of this partnership, Mississippi Farm Bureau members receive exclusive Gripp pricing, helping operations digitize records, streamline daily work, and stay audit-ready—without adding complexity.