The
Mississippi Seedsmen Association, by assumption of title,
might sound like a men-only group, but like all aspects
of the state’s agriculture industry; times on the
farm are changing.
The association’s recently-elected president is
indeed a seeds “woman.”
Dekoka Davidson, general manager of Milburn Growers Inc.,
headquartered just west of Minter City, Miss., is the
organization’s 2003-2004 president and its first
female leader. But just take a look at her resume, and
it’s obvious; she wasn’t elected for the novelty
of it.
Davidson joined the organization in 1991 and served eight
years on MSA’s board of directors as she worked
her way up in leadership positions. Likewise, the Arkansas
native, businesswoman, farm wife and mother, worked her
way up in the seed business.
In 1987, the same year he started the fledgling Milburn’s
Growers Inc., Dick Milburn hired Davidson as a secretary/bookkeeper.
In the years since, Davidson has at various times taken
care of just about every aspect of the business.
“I started just to keep the books and be the receptionist,
then Mr. Milburn got sick and I started doing some of
the sales,” she says. “The business was steadily
growing by then. Then when Mr. Milburn died, Hugh Arant
Sr. took over the business, and in 1996 he asked me about
becoming general manager. That’s been my title since
then, but I still do about 95 percent of the sales.
“We have an office manager, which allows me to be
out in the field making sales and working with our customers,”
she says.
Milburn Growers sells registered and certified soybean
and rice seed grown under contract by three prominent
Leflore County farm families: the Carvers, Arants and
Tillmans. David Arant is the company’s president.
“In addition to our certified seed, we are distributors
for several seed brands including Delta King, Asgrow,
Pioneer, Moresoy and Hornbeck.”
“We are also one of only 24 producer/processors
in the Clearfield Rice system,” she says.
Her more than 15 years in the seed business makes the
MSA a natural affiliation for Davidson. From her perspective,
being a female leading an organization with a predominantly
male membership does offer some challenges, but they are
challenges of the productive kind.
“I think having (and being) a female president is
good for all of us, because we only try to excel and do
better if we are challenged. If we aren’t challenged,
we become stale,” she says.
“One of the issues of concern to us now is the need
for consistent unit pricing in the industry,” she
says. “Some dealers sell 50-pound bags, and some
sell seed in 60-pound bags. We need consistency, especially
with the national accounts. A lot of money has been lost
because of confusion in pricing.
“We also, as an industry, work to stay up to date
on the chemicals available to make sure our seed products
offer farmers what they need for their production practices.
We share among ourselves what does and doesn’t work.
“As an industry, we just can’t sit still.
What worked 15 years ago, doesn’t work today. We
have to be willing to change and grow with the industry,
but sometimes change is hard,” she says. “Our
group works well together, and we work to support each
other on important issues.”
The MSA’s membership is made up mostly of Mississippi
seed dealers but also has representation from firms in
other Mid-South states.
“This organization is a good way for all of us to
communicate and work together,” says Davidson. “We
also work closely with other Mississippi groups such as
the Mississippi Agricultural Industry Council (MAIC),
Farm Bureau and the Mississippi Crop Improvement Association.
“I believe the future will be in more coordination
of efforts among agricultural organizations,” she
says. “The MSA and the Crop Improvement Association
have already combined winter meetings, and we are actively
pursuing the combination of summer meetings with MAIC
to save our members and clients valuable time and money
and to get the benefit of additional network and support.”
Davidson says the most common reaction to her election
as MSA president has been the obvious question, “Are
they going to change the name now?”
“I don’t want them to change the name,”
she says. “I am a member of the Mississippi Seedsmen
Association. That’s the organization I belong to.”
DBJ
