Revitalizing Local Agriculture

Project helps producers get started

Story by Nathan Gregory • Photos by Kevin Hudson

Fenton Pope looked around his native Covington County a quarter-century ago and saw what he believed was an alarming amount of farmland out of production.

“All our fields were overgrown,” Pope says. “We’re based in agriculture, and everybody had quit farming.”

In response, he assembled a group of leaders in 2000, formed what is now the Covington County Self-Help Organization, and came up with a plan. He partnered with global international non-profit Heifer International and was eventually awarded funding and seed stock animals, including cows, goats, and pigs, that locals could use to start their own small farms. The group is still active today and meets monthly.

“I felt like through training and education, we could help the small and underserved farmers of Covington and surrounding counties get back into agriculture and producing cattle and also growing crops and vegetables,” says Pope, who is himself a cattle farmer, forester, and county supervisor.

“We did this by working with our local Extension services and Mississippi State University and Alcorn State University,” he says. “They provided us with research and educational information. They also brought speakers to our meetings and gave several training sessions over the years on taking soil samples and getting the most out of our fruits and vegetables.”

Pope says both in-person assistance and Extension publications helped those who enrolled in the self-help program increase their skills in farming and livestock production, which gave our farmers the self-esteem and self-reliance to improve their quality of life.

“The Extension Service is always there when we need it,” he says. “It’s just like a big brother. I would recommend Extension to others because the Extension Service in your county, they’ll reach out and give you a helping hand with anything you might need help with.”

One way Pope says Extension resources helped him personally was taking soil samples in his pasture and using the results to recommend changing the kind of fertilizer he uses.

“A lot of the fields we have were passed down from our parents, and even after we cleaned them up, we were having problems growing enough grass,” he says. “We have a lot of pine trees around, and they leave acid in the soil, so the samples showed us that we were putting the wrong thing down. We didn’t even think about that. None of us had thought to put lime down.”

Pope also learned about cross fencing, or sectioning off parts of the pasture for grazing and growing forage on the other parts, through Extension resources.

“The Extension Service got us into doing that, and it paid off,” he says. “They helped us start producing great pastures.”

Pope says his love for agriculture dates to when he was 10 years old growing up in Collins.

“My father owned a small farm where he grew cotton and vegetables and raised cattle and hogs,” he says. “I think what really hooked me was when my dad gave me some popcorn seeds. I couldn’t wait to plant them to grow some popcorn.”

Ellen Russell, MSU Extension agent in Covington County, says Pope works tirelessly to promote agriculture by helping new farmers get started or by helping current producers improve their operations.

“Mr. Fenton’s mission has not changed in the two decades I have known him,” Russell says. “He wants to see more people farming, even if it’s just a small garden in their backyard, and he will help everyone be successful at it. He has been known to just drop by and plant a small garden for a family and help them learn how to cultivate and grow it.”

Russell adds that Pope has always championed both MSU’s and ASU’s Extension services, and he uses the knowledge he has gained through them while making sure to share it with others. He is a fixture at local MSU Extension field days, cattle producer meetings, workshops, soil samples, health fairs, and 4-H events.  

“He stands as a central figure in Covington County with a mission to revitalize rural America, particularly in the areas of agriculture, natural resources, and community development,” she says. “He is passionate about managing his natural resources and dedicated to making sure the next generation has the opportunity and information to be successful in all areas, especially farming.”