What a moment in American farming history. Cotton picking was horribly hard work. Lots of folks in Mississippi and other southern states made a living at it. Then machines came in to take away their jobs. I was a cameraman on some of these scenes but did not produce the resulting documentary which is quite amazing, capturing a moment in time when industrialization was taking over cotton picking.
Clarksdale, Mississippi where this documentary was filmed was a small, rural town with a population of around 11,000 located in the heart of the Mississippi Delta, a region known for its rich musical heritage and its history of racial inequality and poverty.
Like many towns in the Delta, Black Americans made up a significant portion of Clarksdale's population but were largely excluded from political and economic power. Many black residents worked in agriculture and they faced systemic discrimination and segregation in housing, education and other areas of life. Despite these challenges Clarksdale was also a vibrant and culturally-rich community in 1968. The town was home to a number of blues musicians including legendary guitarist Muddy Water, and it had a thriving music scene that attracted visitors from around the country. The town also had businesses and institutions that served the Black community including churches, schools and social clubs.
Picking cotton in Mississippi was a physically demanding job performed by sharecroppers or tenant farmers. The cotton industry was a major economic force in Mississippi and many families relied on the seasonal work to make ends meet. Cotton picking was done by hand and workers had to spend long hours in the fields under the hot sun. They would move down the rows picking cotton from the plants and placing it into large sacks that were then weighed and paid for by the pound. The work was often backbreaking and monotonous and workers had to be careful not to damage the cotton or risk losing their pay. Many families were trapped in a cycle of debt and poverty owing money to landowners or merchants who charged high prices for basic goods and services.
According to the Census Bureau the poverty rate in Mississippi in 1968 was 31.6%, and poverty rates in the Delta were even higher. In some counties, more than half of the population lived below the poverty line.
Machines began to take over cotton picking in the mid-20th century. The transition from hand-picking to mechanization was gradual but the invention of the mechanical cotton picker played a significant role in this process.
Mechanization of cotton picking in Mississippi and other Southern states had several consequences:
The demand for manual labor in cotton fields dramatically decreased as articulated in this documentary, leading to the displacement of many sharecroppers and tenant farmers. Black Americans who made up a significant portion of the agricultural workforce in the South, were particularly affected. Many migrated to urban areas in the North and West in search of better economic opportunities, a movement known as the "Great Migration."
As some of the farmers articulated, mechanization increased the efficiency of cotton harvesting which led to higher production rates and lower costs. This enabled farmers to expand their cotton acreage and made the United States a more competitive player in the global cotton market.
With fewer people employed in agriculture, rural areas experienced economic decline. Some small towns in Mississippi and other Southern states struggled to adapt to the new economic landscape and saw their populations shrink.
The mechanization of cotton picking and the resulting displacement of Black agricultural workers contributed to the growing momentum of the civil rights movement in the 1960s. As Blacks moved to urban centers they became more politically active and organized, helping to bring about significant changes in civil rights legislation.
According to data from the United States Census Bureau, Mississippi's Black population declined from 1,251,000 in 1960 to 1,065,000 in 1970. The reasons for the Great Migration were complex and varied, but many African Americans left the South in search of better economic opportunities and to escape the systemic racism and discrimination that was prevalent in the region. Many migrated to urban areas in the North and West, where jobs were more plentiful and civil rights protections were stronger. Overall, the Great Migration had a profound impact on African American culture and identity in the United States, and its effects can still be felt today.
The increased use of machines in cotton production like the John Deere harvester or the F S22 Harvester led to more intensive farming practices that resulted in soil erosion, loss of biodiversity and increased use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides. These factors have contributed to various environmental issues in Mississippi and the broader Cotton Belt region.
