Mississippi’s agricultural sector remains a powerhouse, with its 31,290 farms and ranches producing over $9 billion in output last year, as columnist Sid Salter recently noted. Yet behind those numbers lies a complex web of policy, technology, and economic pressures that shape the future of farming—not just in the Magnolia State, but nationwide.
The political and historical ties between Mississippi and federal agricultural policy run deep. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Washington headquarters bears the name of Jamie L. Whitten, a Mississippian born in the rural hamlet of Cascilla in 1910. Whitten’s four-decade reign as chairman of the House Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee earned him the nickname “the permanent secretary of agriculture” for his outsized influence over farm policy, from crop subsidies to rural infrastructure. His legacy looms large in the very building where current USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins now works—a Texan with a legal background and a knack for policy, but one facing a far different agricultural landscape than Whitten did.
Rollins’ recent visit to Mississippi State University, alongside U.S. Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith and Mississippi Farm Bureau President Mike McCormick, underscored the challenges ahead. A new MSU report paints a sobering picture for the state’s row crop farmers—corn, soybeans, wheat, cotton, and rice producers—who entered 2025 with razor-thin profit margins, now squeezed further by falling commodity prices and trade uncertainties. The one-year extension of the 2018 Farm Bill, approved in December, offers temporary relief, but the clock is ticking toward a broader policy debate.
At MSU, Rollins and Hyde-Smith—both key players in shaping farm policy—received briefings on critical issues, from a national shortage of large-animal veterinarians to the university’s advancements in agricultural autonomy, drone technology, and data-driven farming. The visit culminated in Rollins unveiling a $15 million expansion of USDA’s veterinary loan repayment program, part of a broader effort to address rural vet shortages. “Mississippi State is truly leading the way in cutting-edge technology as we fight for food security and farm security, meaning national security,” Rollins said, framing the issue as one of economic and strategic importance.
Hyde-Smith’s dual roles on the Senate Agriculture and Appropriations Committees position her as a pivotal ally for Rollins, much as Whitten once wielded influence from his House perch. Their collaboration could prove crucial as Mississippi farmers—whose top commodities include poultry, timber, and soybeans—navigate tightening budgets and global market volatility.
The stakes extend beyond Mississippi. With food security increasingly viewed as a national security priority, the convergence of policy leadership, academic innovation, and on-the-ground farming expertise at MSU signals a potential roadmap for addressing broader agricultural challenges. Whether Rollins can channel Whitten’s legislative prowess in a modern context remains to be seen, but her focus on technology, workforce gaps, and trade suggests a recognition that today’s farm policy must adapt to an era of precision agriculture and global competition. For Mississippi’s farmers, the outcome of these efforts could mean the difference between survival and struggle in an ever-shifting economic climate.