Mississippi Marketplace: What’s ahead for Mississippi farmers?

By Katherine Lin | Originally published by Mississippi Today

Demand for soybeans has improved since last year but Mississippi farmers still face high input costs. 

Agriculture remains a top industry for the state with soybeans being the most valuable row crop, valued at over $1 billion a year. Last year, China, the world’s largest soybean purchaser, did not buy any soybeans until late fall due to the Trump administration’s trade war tariffs. This led to economic uncertainty for farmers who were already coping with years of rising costs. 

Will Maples, an agricultural economics professor at Mississippi State, said producers are “way ahead of where we were this time last year” with China promising to buy around 25 million tons of soybeans this year. But Maples cautions that input costs are still a huge drag on profit. He said that input costs are the biggest concern he hears about from farmers. 

During the 2026 legislative session, state lawmakers tried to ease pressure on farmers by passing a bill exempting lime used for farming from sales taxes and reducing the sales tax on fencing materials used for containing livestock. However, prices are often driven by global forces. The ongoing war with Iran has led to increased prices for fuel and fertilizer. 

Duane Dunlap of DNS Commodities, an agriculture and renewables consulting firm, said that things are not yet where they need to be for growers to turn a profit. 

Dunlap and Maples both said that the industry is grappling with how to become less susceptible to trade disruptions. 

“What’s the next step in terms of demand?” Maples asked. 

Dunlap said that much of the strength in the commodities market is driven by high biofuel targets set by the federal government. For Mississippi, Dunlap believes the biggest opportunity is encouraging soybean processing within the state. He points out that soybean meal is a major food ingredient for livestock and that helping feed the state’s robust poultry industry could also provide an opportunity to strengthen the domestic market.

In addition to dealing with market forces, farmers are waiting on a new farm bill from Congress. The House passed its version in April but the bill is stalled in the Senate Agriculture Committee over the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program for poor people. 

Other news

• Time named the University of Southern Mississippi’s Gulf Blue Navigator as one of the best accelerators in the U.S. The program focuses on blue-tech startups with the “substantial potential to impact ocean health, economic development and innovation.”
• Nissan is using AI to monitor workers at its Canton plant over video. The company said that it is using video monitoring to save millions of dollars in worker safety, to train new workers and keep workers safe. Nissan told Business Insider that the system has only been deployed in its Canton plant.
• Southwire, a wire and cable manufacturer, is investing over $250 million in Starkville to expand its operations. The investment is expected to create 128 new jobs. The Golden Triangle continues to be an attractive region for development with the head of its development agency recently saying that there has been interest from data center and defense companies in the region.
• In Mississippi, almost all alcohol flows through the state-owned warehouse in Gluckstadt. A new article in the Mississippi Law Journal compares Mississippi’s alcohol laws to other states and makes recommendations about opportunities for reform. The Department of Revenue reported that it collected $108 million last year through its Alcoholic Beverage Control operation. 

This article was originally published by Mississippi Today and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.

Source: Original Article