Discover Mississippi’s Delta Region Products

In partnership with: Mississippi Department of Agriculture and Commerce

Find local companies, products and services from Mississippi’s Delta Region including Delta Leather Designs, River Road Pecans, Heartland Catfish Company and Short Line Manufacturing.

From delicious tamales and fried catfish to Delta Blues and rock and roll music, the Mississippi Delta region has endless attractions. Located in northwest Mississippi, the 200-mile stretch of land has held a long presence in agriculture. It used to be one of the richest cotton-growing regions in the 1800s, and farmers also raised tobacco and rice. In addition to cotton and rice, today’s primary crops include corn, soybeans and catfish.

See more: Mississippi Agriculture Comes in All Shapes and Sizes

Discover even more of the Mississippi’s Delta Region from its diverse local businesses.

Delta Leather Designs

A one-woman operation, Delta Leather Designs is the brainchild of Rebecca Hay, who learned leatherworking from her father and immediately fell in love with the craft. She creates custom leather goods, ranging from wallets to belts to bridal wraps and garters, as well as purses and bags.

Located in Rolling Fork, Hay has peddled her wares at several events throughout the years, selling her products and performing leatherworking demonstrations throughout the day.

See more: A Variety of Everyday Products Rely on Agriculture

“I love showing people what I do,” she says. “I’m always open to teaching others and sharing my passion for quality leather items.”

To learn more, visit deltaleatherdesigns.com.

River Road Pecans

Eustace Winn knows that pecans have a special place in the hearts of Mississippians from Mississippi’s Delta Region .

“I think it’s true that all Mississippians love eating pecans,” he says. “The pecan tree has been here for thousands of years, and since humans have inhabited these lands, the pecan has been part of our diet.”

See more: Farm Facts: Mississippi Pecans

Owner of River Road Pecans, Winn is a fourth-generation pecan farmer, working the orchard his great-grandfather planted many decades ago in Winterville. Initially, the farm sold pecans wholesale, but recently ventured into retail, offering top-quality in-shell and shelled pecans.

“My wife and I decided on the name River Road Pecans because of ‘The Great River Road’ Highway 1 in the Delta, which traverses across farmland where my and many other top-quality pecans are grown,” Winn says.

To learn more, visit riverroadpecans.com.

Heartland Catfish Company

Headquartered in Itta Bena, Heartland Catfish Company is one of the largest vertically integrated entities in the U.S. farm-raised catfish industry.

Founded by William Tackett, his son Jim and his son-in-law Joe Walker in 1996, the company now operates out of a 135,000-square-foot facility featuring the latest technology in the industry.

See more: The Life Cycle of Catfish

Heartland can freeze 18,000 pounds of catfish fillets every hour and has the flexibility to freeze 100% of its production. This helps ensure high order fill rates and is an important food safety feature.

Now in its 27th year, the company has provided thousands of jobs in the Mississippi Delta and delivers high-quality, flavorful catfish.

To learn more, visit heartlandcatfish.com.

Short Line Manufacturing

Short Line Manufacturing, located in Shaw, was born out of a need to solve a problem for Mississippi’s Delta Region.

“We had farmed cotton for more than 30 years, and I needed dependable farm equipment that didn’t break the bank,” says owner Dan Short. “So, we built our own potash applicator.” Potash is a water-soluble form of potassium, which is a key nutrient for crops.

Soon, neighbors began asking about the equipment and they were in high demand to build more. He says his father also invented a cotton vacuum to suck up loose cotton in the field. Short decided to pursue Short Line Manufacturing full time in 2002, expanding the line of equipment they provide.

See more: Hardworking Hands Produce Food, Fiber and Fuel in Mississippi

“We don’t do much for cotton anymore, but we build a lot of tillage products and ripper-bedders,” Short says. “Everything is built from scratch.”

Short Line has shipped products across the country, which is an impressive feat for a two-man team.

“It’s just me and my dad here,” Short says. “But we still think like farmers and are determined to provide high-quality, well-built products for a good price.”

To learn more, visit shortlinemanufacturing.com.