The Mississippi Indian Springs Farmers Cooperative Association was incorporated in 1981 to market vegetables across the South and beyond. Of the co-op’s 42 members, 31 are active. Members own shares of the co-op, for which they pay $200. Members also pay annual membership dues of $12. 

The Indian Springs Farmers Cooperative Association has a seven-member board elected by the members that also serves as the executive committee. The board holds monthly meetings and the co-op holds an annual meeting for all members. Educational and technical assistance sessions are planned by the executive committee, with recommendations from the members, and all co-op members are invited to attend. Technical assistance comes from a variety of sources, such as Alcorn State University, Mississippi State University, various USDA agencies, the Mississippi Association of Cooperatives, and the Federation of Southern Cooperatives/Land Assistance Fund.

Produce that the co-op currently grows and sells includes watermelon, squash, okra, bell peppers, peas, butter beans, cucumbers, sweet corn, arugula, spinach, lettuce mix, parsley, basil, lemon grass, collards, turnips, mustard, kale, and spinach. (Article continues following insets below.)

Ben Burkett, Secretary/Manager of the Indian Springs Farmers Co-op, and Ralph Paige, Executive Director of the Federation of Southern Cooperatives/Land Assistance Fund, celebrate the reopening of the renowned New Orleans Crescent City Farmers' Market. The market was destroyed by Hurricane Katrina in August, 2005. It reopened on November 22, 2005, thanks in part to the Federation/LAF, Farm Aid, Ben Burkett, Crescent City Market Executive Director Richard McCarty, and the participating farmers. Ben Burkett, a co-founder of the Crescent City Market, serves on the board of Southern SAWG, and is the State Director of the Federation’s Mississippi Association of Cooperatives.

What are Farmer Marketing Cooperatives? Marketing Cooperatives are businesses owned by producers. By joining together to market their products, they gain access to markets that are closed to individual producers and they gain greater bargaining power. By being a part of a group, farmers can share and learn from each other, sometimes learning new crops to grow and how to extend seasons for a year round income. Some marketing cooperatives purchase supplies in bulk for savings to the individual farmers. Not all members are involved in the contact with buyers, as this is usually done by a representative of the group. All members, however, have a say in prices and participate in planning the overall annual production for the cooperative. Indian Springs members process vegetables in the co-op's packing facility.

Deciding What to Grow
The members discuss the crops to be grown at the beginning of the crop year. They collectively decide on the products and quantities the co-op can sell based on their experience and market research. The individual farmers then decide which crops they will grow based on the demand, their acreage availability, and production costs.

“If some company calls for a shipment of peas, we already know who’s got the largest volume of peas and we’ll call the individual co-op members and tell them we need so many more bushels of peas to make the load to meet that demand,” explained Mississippi farmer and co-op manager Ben Burkett. “Supply and demand is what it’s about.”