Mississippi Commissioner of Agriculture and Commerce Andy Gipson spoke on a wide array of topics during his visit to the Vicksburg Rotary Club’s weekly meeting Thursday, but saved the majority of his remarks for stressing the importance of the Magnolia State’s farmland and those who work it.

“Agriculture is the backbone of Mississippi’s economy,” Gipson said. “Agriculture has always been the largest business in Mississippi. It’s my job to promote Mississippi agriculture.”

Gipson said a number of factors in both the United States and world economies have made farming in the southeastern U.S. even more important in 2024.

“Mississippians produce food, products and shelter for people not only here in our state, but literally all over the world.”

Gipson said Mississippi’s abundant water resources, including rivers, aquifers and even annual rainfall, makes its farmland increasingly important as water resources in the western U.S. literally dry up. 

While he also addressed his reservations about the use of farmland for alternative power sources, such as solar farms, and the surge in international interest in buying state farmland, Gipson stressed the importance of local projects like the decades-long fight to complete the pumps in the Yazoo Backwater Area.

In a letter provided by Gipson and sent to the U.S. Corps of Engineers (USACE), Vicksburg District, his office advocated for what has recently become known as Alternative 2 in the latest USACE Backwater plans.

“During the July public meetings, South Delta farmers and residents overwhelmingly expressed support for Alternative 2 which includes pump operation tied to agricultural crop seasons,” Gipson said in the letter. “The early cut on date of March 16 would provide the most relief to farmers and farming communities when needed. I fully support Alternative 2 and stand behind the choice of residents that have been impacted the most by routine flooding of the Yazoo Backwater Area.”

Gibson said Thursday the closing remarks of his letter to USACE fully encapsulate his feelings about local agriculture.

“We must do everything in our power to protect the livelihoods of our farmers and the communities they support,” he said.