I think it speaks volumes about the current status of the Delta that this publication even exists. It says that, contrary to some opinions, there is a fairly healthy and growing economy in the region. It says that we are serious about fulfilling the adage of balancing agriculture with industry. And it affirms that the Delta is, as one our legislative leaders said to me, "a special place with special opportunities and special needs".

Like many, when I came to the Delta in the late 1980s, I was coming here for a year. Maybe two. And then off to greener pastures with a better resumé. It was a time when plant closures were rampant, the local news was gloom and doom and I heard a great deal of talk about "the last one out turning off the lights". But something kept me here for that first year and then another and another. At first, it was probably the numerous friends and contacts I made through my work at the South Delta Planning & Development District. But later, after coming to work for Delta Council, I began to realize that behind the plant closures and negative statistics and in spite of the nation’s perception, there were fundamental strengths in the Delta economy. And I wanted to be a small part of what I knew could ultimately be a shining success story in economic development.

Of course, the most obvious strength of the Delta has been and will continue to be agriculture. The unprocessed value of catfish, corn, cotton, rice and soybeans in 1996 was almost $1.4 billion representing 79% of the value of these products for the entire state. What is almost impossible to measure would be the new cars and trucks bought, young people educated or stores kept in business. If you follow the value added chain from turn row to store shelf, it is pretty easy to see why some people have called the Delta the silicon valley of agriculture.

Precisely because of our increased efficiencies in agriculture, Delta Council leaders realized as far back as 1956 that the economic well being of the region depends on a balanced economy. They responded by creating a full time economic development effort focused on attracting, retaining and growing our manufacturing base. Since that time:

· Manufacturing wages have reached the $1 billion level

· Manufacturing employment has grown to over 40,000

· Total employment has risen to well over 200,000

· The Mississippi Manufacturers Directory lists approximately 400 firms in the Northwest Mississippi area

· In 1997 alone, there were approximately 18 new locations and 74 announced expansions of industry leading to 3,000 new jobs and over $200 million in new investment.

And please, don’t make the mistake of buying into the rhetoric that these are all low wage, low skill jobs with no future. The reality is that our manufacturing base has not been terrifically impacted by NAFTA and the predicted "great sucking sound" of Ross Perot. Instead, we have numerous companies whose very existence depends on high quality products such as Viking Range, Baxter Healthcare, Uncle Ben’s, MTD and many more.

So are we, as a region, where we want to be? No, we have a long way to go. In fact we have a strange combination right now of companies who have trouble finding suitably skilled employees and people who seek and can not find good paying jobs. Each day brings new challenges in transportation, training, education and, perhaps most importantly, cooperation.

No, make that DEFINITELY cooperation. Cooperation is both more important and more possible here because the Delta has a natural sense of community. It has allowed farmers to band together for decades in their common interest. And now we are witnessing this model being adopted in industrial and economic development as well.

An example of this cooperative spirit being turned into action is the existence of the Mississippi Delta Developers Association. This group, begun by Delta Council, consists of essentially every industrial and economic development group in the region. Through regional cooperation, we have focused our scarce recruiting resources and this year alone will spotlight our region to infinitely more companies than ever before. And manufacturers are working together as well. Sharing production improvements through intercompany plant tours, companies are learning from each other how to best survive in an increasingly competitive world.

Maybe we have not solved every problem. Maybe we should wait until someone else comes along to "save" the Delta. Or maybe the only thing standing in the way of our ultimate success is what Winston Churchill once referred to as "the craven fear of greatness". I don’t know about all of that. But while the gloom and doom crowd is thinking about it, we’ll just leave the light on. DBJ

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Site last updated January 10, 1999.