The Sweet Potato Growers Association
Mound Bayou, Mississippi
IN THE BEGINNING...
Wardell Sanders (pictured) founded The Sweet Potato Growers Association in 1995 after personal experience with Mississippi grown produce he sold in Chicago, Illinois. Customers at his 'Mississippi Store' increasingly asked for Mississippi-grown sweet potatoes. After a few more years in Chicago, Sanders came to Mississippi, convinced several farmers to try sweet potatoes, and the association had begun. Those first farmers were Wardell, Rogers Morris, Louis Sanders, Claude McKinney, William Crockett, Robert Latham, James Little, Gene Pitts, and several more.
THE STRUGGLING YEARS
Forming the association only gave the first delta sweet potato growers an organizational umbrella, it did not show them how to solve their problems. A good working relationship was soon built with Alcorn State University, Arkansas A&M College, Louisiana State University's Sweet Potato Research Station, and Mississippi State University.
GLORIOUS BOOST
Glory Foods of Columbus, Ohio, was the catalyst to propel the association toward success. Glory Foods committed, in early association days, to assist Wardell and his fellow growers by offering to buy 1,000 acres of sweet potatoes. This relationship still works well.
HERE AND NOW
The association has grown to include grower-members in three states: Arkansas, Louisiana and Mississippi, with a total of more than 1,630 acres in sweet potatoes, and, with a present potential exceeding 400,000 bushels per year. With its main office in Mound Bayou, the association has also completed construction of and utilizes sweet potato processing, curing, storage, packaging and shipping facility. Local citizens previously unemployed now work the facility expertly.
Member growers regularly attend seminars held by the United States Department of Agriculture as well as the universities named above. This keeps growers abreast of the latest field practices, herbicide/pesticide treatments, and harvesting-to-market procedures.
Public interest has grown considerably in the association, both locally and nationally.
PROSPECTS FOR THE FUTURE
Value-added (sliced & French-fry cut potato products) operations are in sight. In cooperation with the Mississippi Departments of Education and of Agriculture and Commerce, value-added production is expected to begin in early 2003. Additionally, the association is also a vendor with the U.S. Department of Defense.
The association hopes not only to stem the tide of out-migration of youth from the delta, but to help build a self-sustaining, open door to economic opportunity at home.
The Sweet Potato Growers Association
Post Office Box 832
106 Green Street
Mound Bayou, Mississippi 38762-0832
Phone 662-741-2992 | Fax 662-741-2990