Reed, 41, works 20 acres of his grandmother’s land and also plants on land shared by co-op members. He explained that the co-op opened the packing and cooler facility almost 10 years ago in an effort to help working farmers in the area—most of whom are Black—market their crops by improving the grading, handling, and packaging of their produce. It is one of 70 co-operatives throughout the South that belong to the Federation of Southern Cooperatives, which was founded by African-American farmers in 1967 to advance the fight to hold onto their land.

“Look at the wind damage. It has demolished the ice maker and storage coolers,” Reed said, looking around also at the torn siding and roofing and the signs of water damage. The two large roll-up loading dock doors lay mangled on the ground. “The wash tank for the greens will have to be sanitized,” he continued. “We will have to get this all back up to regulation standards after we do the repairs.” The last of the summer produce held in cold storage, ready for shipping when the storm hit, went bad when they lost power, he said. Nearly three weeks after the storm the power has not yet been restored.

It is not only the spoiled summer produce that will set back co-op members financially. “Normally we would start getting the ground ready about this time for the winter crops, and then start planting the first of October,” he said. “Now everything is all torn up.”

Reed showed these Militant reporters some of the co-op’s fields up the road from the packinghouse. Most of the large trees around the equipment shed and home of co-op president Ben Burkett were down, with one pecan tree lying across the roof of the house. Co-op members often work together to harvest the crops.

“It’s hard farming, even without hurricanes. Especially with the price of diesel and fertilizer,” Reed added. “You grow your crop and take it to sell to a buyer who said he’d give you $13. Then they offer $10, look through the produce, and say they’ll give you $8. Take it to the grocery stores and they want it for $6.”

Clifton Robertson, a member of the co-op, lost his arugula, basil, and cilantro herb beds, which augment the income he gets from his 60 head of cattle. Some of his best cows were killed when a large tree fell on the barn. There was extensive damage to all his farm structures, including his and his mother’s homes. He, like the other farmers and workers these reporters met in Mississippi, had little or no property insurance.

Robertson said he couldn’t get the money to clear his land and do needed repairs on the buildings, even though the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) said it would reimburse farmers for 70 percent of expenses incurred for cleanup. He had picked up FEMA-provided tarps to protect his stored hay. Blue tarps, referred to by many here as “blue roofs,” can be seen throughout the countryside.

Ivan Rogers, an engineer with a local paper company, and his son, Bernard, who farms with the co-op, told the Militant that they went out in the storm to try to secure the co-op facility’s doors. They spoke with pride of the solidarity and community-wide effort that cleared the roads that connected their homes to the town. Ivan said he had underestimated his neighbors’ capacity for solidarity, which was demonstrated in this collective effort.

Arrin Hawkins and Erek Slater contributed to this article.
 
 
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