Small Farmer Success Story for Rankin County

Wilson Murray, NRCS Outreach Coordinator

We are especially pleased to feature as a success story Mr. Lee Foote.  It is most gratifying to see the partnership and the work that goes into helping make farmers like Mr. Foote successful and sustainable.

Lee Foote, Rankin County Agricultural Producer

I have a cattle operation and tree farm.  It is a very diversified operation. 
This farm has been in my family since 1923. My grandfather settled here.

Conservation is very, very important in my operation because of the many things that it provides for the health of the farm.  My farming operation could not survive without the assistance that I have received from NRCS.

We have ponds that NRCS was instrumental in helping me install.  Our cattle need a clean water supply and these ponds provide that. 

On our pasture land we always get technical assistance from NRCS.  They advise us as to what we need to do as far as fertilization and tells me the exact amount of fertilizer to use.  We have soil samples done regularly to monitor our soil health.

Mr. Murray Fulton in the office in Brandon was instrumental in giving me the advice that I needed to meet my conservation goals.

If you are a farmer, then you want to take care of your land.  It has been passed on from generation to generation and I think that those of us who come into possession of it, ought to be good stewards of the land.

Murray Fulton, NRCS District Conservationist, Rankin County

Mr. Foote's farm is certainly an asset to Rankin County.  His farm is important to the county in that he is willing to open his farm for field days and demonstrations.  This allow people to come and see real practices, on a real farm.  And other producers can see how to properly install those conservation practices that really make a difference on their farm.

We are very proud of the technical assistance that we are able to provide producers just like Mr. Foote.  We have worked with Mr. Foote on Farm Bill Programs such as the Conservation Reserve Program, the Environmental Quality Incentives Program and the Grazing Lands Conservation Initiative.

He sets an example from his involvement in his local church.

Mr. Foote is someone that anyone would be proud to call a friend.  He set a shining example on the way he manages his farm and in the conduct of his life and as a leader here in the county.

He is a proponent for agriculture and conservation here in Rankin County.

Jeff Wilson, Field Representative, Mississippi Soil and Water Conservation Commission

We all come together to bring programs to the local level to help landowners such as Mr. Foote.  By doing that, we can combine our resources to help the landowner achieve a better farm.

Mr. Foote with his bull.

Walter Jackson, NRCS Grazing Land Specialist, Mr. Foote and Murray Fulton, NRCS District Conservationist, engaged in a conversation about the Farm Bill Programs.

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