BY NANCY COTTEN HIRST DBJ Contributing Editor

Ben Lamensdorf, Cary farmer and businessman, has assumed the reins as President of the Delta Council with an eye toward the future. Not so much for himself as for his children, grandchildren, and the host of other Deltans who would like to see their families continue to thrive in this rural and small town tradition.
Joining the ranks of outstanding leaders who have preceded him, Lamensdorf says that he feels honored in this company. “If I just carry on the work of Kenneth Hood and the other previous presidents, it’ll keep me busy,” he says. “People don’t realize that the Delta Council is behind so many of the good things that happen in the Delta. They tend to work behind the scene. I think our Council helps the area, not just in agricultural concerns, but in education, economic development, and so many other things, more than any other Council in the country.
“That’s why I’m so pleased to be nominated to the Presidency of this outstanding organization. It’s reputation is nationwide. I would like to do even more in education though. There are so many people in the Delta who can’t even read or write. They don’t have a chance for a decent job, and it’s hard to attract business under those conditions. It’s our obligation to make sure that everyone can read and write.
“We have social problems in the Delta,” Lamensdorf continues, “but good education would solve 85% of those problems. That’s one of the things the Delta Council is focusing on and will continue to do. We gave 26 scholarships to attract good teachers to the Delta. They have to sign a five-year contract to teach in the Delta and they get about $24,000 toward their education. We also have a masters degree scholarship that works the same way. We can measure our progress and we’re getting our money’s worth.
“Senators Thad Cochran and Trent Lott have worked hard to help this program become a reality. As a matter of fact, they have done a lot more than that. They have been very nice to our eighteen counties.
“The Delta Council also has worked with school superintendents, Mississippi Valley State, and other groups, and we’ll probably do some other things as we see needs that we can meet. We also work closely with economic development, which includes a lot of other development. Just the I-69 project will keep you busy,” Lamensdorf chuckles.
“My main concern right now, other than education, is agriculture. This year we’re not talking about how to improve the bottom line. The issue is, ‘How are we going to save the family farm?’ Prices are terrible everywhere, from peach growers to fiber. Our trading partners are out-trading us. Viet Nam sends us catfish so our banks can go over there. We need to look at our trade policies. We’re not trading apples for apples, and a lot of our policies really hurt agriculture.
“We do not have a food and fiber policy,” Lamensdorf explains. “Are China and Russia going to feed us? We need a real commitment to feed and clothe ourselves. I’d like to see ag get strong again, not just survive. These farm dollars turn over eight times in a community and they result in better schools, highways, jobs, everything. The kids need to see a future out there if they are going to stay.
“It was a different kind of life when I was growing up. Practically everybody was a farmer. I grew up in Rolling Fork. It was small, but it had one of everything that the city kids had – a drug store, a picture show, a swimming pool. The towns have deteriorated. Even the train left. The Sharkey and Issaquena County area really don’t even have a factory.
“The prison is the largest employer, and there are jobs at the court house, schools, and a small hospital. Everybody else farms. We really have to improve all of this if our children and grandchildren are to stay in the Delta,” Lamensdorf emphasizes.
The new Delta Council President has a very strong motivation for wanting the Delta to thrive. Farming in the Delta is a family tradition. “My wife and I both grew up here,” he says, “she in Cary and I in Rolling Fork. Both sets of our grandparents came here and started farming around 1890. I guess I’ve known her–well, forever,” he chuckles. “I’m the third generation, and my son (Mike) is in business with me. He has twin daughters and a son. My daughter (Deborah) lives in Atlanta, and she has two children. My wife (Betty Grundsfest Lamensdorf) helps in the business too, besides being a very busy housewife. She’s also spends alot of time in the car–Vicksburg to shop, Jackson if she wants to go to the Symphony.”
Lamensdorf farms cotton, soybeans, wheat, milo and pecans. When asked about pecans, he says, “We wanted another crop, so we looked at high-density pecans. The Extension Service says we should be able to harvest 2000 pounds per acre when they are mature. We started planting in 1986 and finished in 1990 and now we have 8,000 trees. We use drip irrigation and everything is done mechanically. We’re not nearly in full production yet, but we have harvested five crops so far. This is a real long-term commitment. Someone told me that pecan trees that George Washington planted are still in production, and I’ve seen some in Louisiana that are over 100 years old.”
In addition to his farming, Lamensdorf also owns and operates a cotton gin and is Chairman of the Board of the Bank of Anguilla. He is a founder and member of the Board of Directors of Delta Wildlife, another of his long-term commitments. “We work to help keep wildlife viable,” he says, “doing things like keeping creeks and streams clean and conserving feeding areas. We are stewards of the land and wildlife. We’ve worked with Wood Duck populations, dove populations, even hummingbirds. Kids come in and they love it. We give out bluebird and Wood Duck boxes, because clear cutting of timber destroyed a lot of their habitat.”
Lamensdorf is also a member of the Sharkey-Issaquena Soil and Water Commission and served for seven years on the Mississippi Forestry Commission, part of that time as Chairman. He is on the Board of the Anshe Chesed Temple in Vicksburg. He is also on the Board of the Institute of Southern Jewish Life of which the Museum of the Southern Jewish Experience is a part. “The Museum (on the grounds of the Jacobs Camp) was first built to preserve artifacts from congregations that become too small to have a temple. The Institute grew from the Museum in order to provide services to small and isolated Jewish communities. As we lose population, it’s hard to get a Rabbi for high holidays or an educator to supervise religious school. We are trying to help a lot of communities with those problems.”
In what little spare time he has, Lamensdorf loves to hunt and fish. “I grew up hunting and fishing,” he says. “I love the outdoors. It’s really more of a social event than a serious attempt at getting game. I relax a lot more outdoors with friends. I had one friend from about the age of fifteen. We hunted together for 40 years and never killed anything. We probably worried the wildlife a lot,” he chuckles, “but I just enjoyed being with him. He passed away recently.”
His other love is history, particularly Mississippi history. “Being so close to Vicksburg probably got me interested, but then I found out that a battle was actually fought on my farmland. It was when they were trying to find another way to get into Vicksburg. Sherman was here. It was called the Steele Bayou Expedition. I’m also interested in the history of World War II in this area. To give you an idea of how isolated this area was then, the REA hadn’t even gotten electricity to a lot of the homes. Transportation was difficult, so many people didn’t get to town, read newspapers, or listen to radios. Really rural people only knew what people told them. When the war was over, I rode my little pony to go tell an elderly woman the war was over and she says, ‘What war?”
Outgoing Delta Council President Kenneth Hood describes Lamensdorf as a “unique gentleman whose soft manner and unassuming ways will help guide the Delta Council through the very tough decisions which are sure to face us in the Delta economy during this coming year.” He also says that he is “one of the most widely respected farmers in the entire Cotton Belt and he is known throughout circles across this country as one of the most intense managers and efficient farm leaders in the nation.” With his dedication to agriculture, education and economic progress for the entire Delta, the Council is, once again, in good hands. DBJ