AGRIBUSINESS
Timber, farming and cattle headline a robust agribusiness in our county. With land that covers 587 square miles, our farmland makes up 31% of that, or 115,000 acres. Our agribusinesses are a significant contributor to our economy, and our county appreciates their contribution.
Timber
Weyerhaeuser's Bruce plant produces about 220 million board feet of Southern Yellow Pine each year (2x4 through 2x12 dimension lumber in various lengths, ranging up to 20 feet). Weyerhaeuser is one of our two largest industries in the northern part of our county.
Our Crops
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Our main crops come from farms, small and large, and include cotton, corn, soybeans, and sweet potatoes (see 2007 acreage below). While cotton acreage is on the decline, other crop acreage has increased. Calhoun County is very proud of our hard working farmers, and appreciates the contribution they make to our communities and economy.
- Cotton - 17,000 acres (down 39% from last year)
- Soybeans - 9500 acres (up 76% from last year)
- Sweet Potatoes - 9500 (up 20% from last year), most of our sweet potato acreage is around the city of Vardaman, considered the Sweet Potato Capital of the World!
- Corn - 7900 acres (up 280% from last year)
Our farmers are a big part of our rich heritage. They continue to search for improved agricultural techniques and will keep Calhoun County on the "cutting edge" for generations to come.
Ethanol
The huge increase in corn acreage is due to the role it plays in the production of ethanol fuel products. Our county would be a great location for an ethanol plant, with its abundant farm acreage that could be further used for corn production.
Cattle
Calhoun County is home to over 15,000 cattle and calves.
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