Cotton, row crops, and melons on Mississippi County farms

Mississippi County sits on flat, drained Bootheel bottomland, and its farms make the most of it. By the 2022 Census of Agriculture, the top crops here by acres are soybeans, corn, wheat, and vegetables. Cotton is grown here too, along with vegetables, melons, and sweet potatoes. So the straight field roads, ditches, and levees you see aren’t random. They are the tools that keep this low, wet land farmable.

That farm pattern shapes the year. In harvest season you’ll notice more truck traffic, busy fields, and a lot of attention paid to moving water off the land.

Missouri does grow melons in the Bootheel, but most of the state’s crop comes from Pemiscot and Dunklin counties. For local crop details or melon stands near East Prairie, check with University of Missouri Extension or ask growers directly.