 "Hinds County, Mississippi. Cattle Egrets demonstrate the "free lunch" aspect of association. Photos by Ed Blake." Two photographs on one board. The Mississippi Farm Bureau Federation Collection comprises approximately thirty cubic feet of material from the Public Affairs Office of Mississippi Farm Bureau Federation (MFBF) divided into series. The collection documents changes in Mississippi farm practices and land use from the late nineteenth through the early twenty-first centuries, as well as the institutional history of MFBF from its inception during the Great Depression. The collection also shows the effects of natural disasters on agriculture; health and safety issues (the polio vaccine, lifesaving and fire prevention techniques); visiting politicians, including several U.S. Presidents; and the evolving roles of women in society. Images can be accessed through keyword search or by browsing within each series, as they become available online.
Series I: Photographic ArchivesSeries I consists of photographs documenting Mississippi farms and the Mississippi Farm Bureau Federation from the 1850s through 2003 mounted on 1,456 boards with captions. The photographs are grouped into subject categories assigned by MFBF staff and include: beauty pageants, boards of directors, county agents, crops, conventions, farmers, meetings (county, state, local), natural disasters, politicians, staff, social functions, talent shows, women’s activities within the organization, and Southern Farm Bureau in its formative years. Reproductions of famous artworks depicting farms and farming were not scanned by MDAH but are available for access in the Winter Building archival reading room. Images of the 1,432 cards that were scanned are available for browsing below. |