Mississippi Women Take Lead Roles in Agriculture and Food Industries

In partnership with: Mississippi Department of Agriculture and Commerce

Biloxi businesswoman Annie Beck is proof that with the right mindset, you can overcome any obstacle. The mother of four was raised on a farm near Brooksville by her grandmother, who taught Beck to cook at an early age.

After working at Walmart for 20 years, then owning and subsequently selling a Subway franchise, a newly divorced Beck started looking for a more profitable career to support her children as a single mother.

“I had dabbled in making desserts and selling them,” she says. “People placed orders for my homemade cakes and pies for their Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners.”

Using a commercial kitchen at a Coca-Cola facility in Hattiesburg, Beck began to make her cakes and pies in larger quantities.

“I started baking my pies and selling them frozen to local Kroger stores,” Beck says. “District managers always loved my pies, and they’d ask me to bring in so many for each store.”

That’s how Beck’s Confections was born. Along with two of her grown children, Kessler and Corbin Lewis, Beck now operates out of her own facility. All her products are frozen and preservative-free. They include a versatile Strawberry Puree, Sweet Potato Patties made from Mississippi-grown sweet potatoes and four kinds of pie fillings.

Beck’s Confections serves 3,500 locations, including major retailers such as Rouses, Kroger and Walmart.

“It was surreal to get into Walmart,” Beck says. “I cried. I worked there for 20 years, and now I’m selling to that company.”

Beck has overcome many challenges in her life and career.

“I’m an African American and a woman-owned business, but I’ve never let that pull the cart for me,” she says. “My competitors are far bigger than me and they produce for quantity; we produce for quality. The product speaks for itself.”

Ryn Laster

As a young girl growing up on a cattle farm in tiny Raymond, Ryn Laster had big dreams of becoming a lawyer.

“I graduated from Mississippi State in 1991 with a degree in English, and then went to law school for a week,” Laster says. “I knew pretty quickly it wasn’t for me.”

A career in agriculture was a natural alternative for Laster, who grew up helping feed cattle.

“I wanted to do something positive for agriculture because at the time, agriculture got a bad rap,” she says. “I discovered poultry science had a 100% job placement – it still does today. So that’s what I did. I never dreamed my passion would revolve around chickens and eggs, but that’s how it ended up.”

After earning a second bachelor’s degree in poultry science in 1993 and a master’s degree in food science in 1997, Laster began working at Jackson-based Cal-Maine Foods, the largest producer and marketer of shell eggs in the United States. Twenty-two years later, Laster is the director of Food Safety and Animal Welfare. The mother of two earned her doctorate in 2008 while working at Cal-Maine.

See more: Making their Mark in Mississippi

Being a female leader in agriculture has been rewarding, but not without challenges. Laster often gets work-related mail addressed to “Mr. Laster.” She just laughs.

“People automatically assume I’m male, but it doesn’t bother me,” she says.

Back when Laster was a poultry science student, there were 85 students in her class. Only two were female.

“Now in that department, at least half are girls. It’s cool to see so many more females in poultry science now – it’s not just a guy thing,” she says. “It’s rewarding to see we’ve blazed pathways for women’s careers in agriculture.”

Joan Anderson

Natchez native Joan Anderson has always loved to cook, so whenever there’s a celebration, you’ll likely find her in the kitchen.

“Cooking is my happy place,” Anderson says. “I love to prepare a meal and watch the excitement on people’s faces when they enjoy the food.”

After catering birthday parties and other events using their own fish fry recipe, Anderson and her husband, Cedric, opened a commercial trailer in San Antonio in 2003.

“We were mixing our seasonings in our kitchen,” Anderson says. “Our mobile concession business was very successful. We set up at the local military base, fairs and festivals.”

I love to prepare a meal and watch the excitement on people’s faces when they enjoy the food.”

– Joan Anderson, owner of C.J.’s Southern Seasonings

When Joan accepted a job as a restaurant inspector, the Andersons decided to close the trailer. But former customers kept calling to ask for their fish fry seasonings. After moving back to their native Mississippi in 2009, the Andersons created a website and Facebook page to sell their packaged C.J.’s Southern Seasonings. Their products include fish fry seasonings and a barbecue rub.

“The business grew so fast, we had to get a co-packer to keep up,” Anderson says.

C.J.’s Southern Seasonings are sold on Amazon and in grocery stores, including Kroger and Rouses.

As a minority woman, the road to success wasn’t easy.

“I’ve learned not to let ‘no’ turn into ‘never,’” she says, “because when one person says ‘no,’ another person says ‘yes.’ With hard work and dedication, after 11 years, our products are still on the shelves alongside our competitors – often outselling the competition.”