Bobby Fisher Inc. | Mississippi Farmland Investments

Delta Farmland Terminology

Alluvial acquifer- an aquifer is a ground formation of coarse gravel and small rocks filled with water in the cracks and empty spaces. Aquifers are recharged slowly by underground water supplies. In the Mississippi Delta, the alluvial acquifer is only 30 to 40 feet below the ground surface. Farmers drill wells about 125 feet into the earth to tap into this abundant water supply and make up any shortage between what comes down as rain and what their crops demand.

Alluvial soils- consists of sands and clays (silts) deposited by moving water. The entire Mississippi Delta was formed by deposits of silt from the network of rivers flowing through the region. Various rivers deposited different types of soils depending upon the source of the river itself. For instance, the Tallahatchie River deposited sandy loam soils and farms located along its banks are top cotton and corn producing farms while the Quiver River deposited clay based soils which support rice and grain production.

Bayou- an inlet of a river which once consisted of the active river channel itself. At some point in time the river changed course and left the bayou. In most areas the pronunciation is "bi (long i) u (long u); however, in the Mississippi Delta it is pronounced bi (long i) o (long o). As with the rivers, the land lying along the bayou tends to be extremely fertile and characterized by the soils of the river into which it empties.

Boll buggy- as cotton pickers harvest the fall cotton crop, the area storing the "picked" cotton often reaches capacity while the cotton picker is in mid-field. A tractor pulls a boll buggy up beside the picker and the harvested cotton is dumped into the boll buggy which then transports the cotton to a module maker located on a turn row at the edge of the cotton field.

Break- flooded timber in a low lying area. A break is not an inlet to a river but consists of an isolated area of flooded timber. Breaks and bayous are excellent spots for hunting migrating waterfowl in the winter months. They also serve as permanent homes for wood ducks and other species of waterfowl which do not migrate but rather nest in the Delta during the summer months.

Center pivot irrigation- a large sprinkler irrigation system which rotates in a circular motion around an irrigation well. It travels on wheels and is powered by a diesel or electric power unit located at the well. The pivot ideally completes a full circle irrigating all the crops lying under it, but in some instances only completes a portion of a circle much like a windshield wiper.

Classified wetland area- in an effort to protect wildlife habitat, the federal government classified low lying or wet areas as classified wetland. If these areas are undeveloped, they cannot be developed, cleared or drained without a permit from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

Closing- when a farmland property is sold, the final meeting between the buyer and seller where the sales process is completed. This process normally occurs in an attorney?s office. The buyer?s attorney prepares a closing statement which shows the sources of the funds (i.e., cash from buyer and loan proceeds from lender) and the disbursements (i.e., net cash to seller and disbursements to secured creditors). Items such as property taxes and rent are pro rated as of the date of closing. The buyer receives a deed to the property signed by the seller and the seller receives a check in the amount of his net proceeds from the closing attorney.

Combine- grains are harvested by a machine known as a combine. Delta crops harvested by this farm machine include corn, milo, rice, soybeans, and wheat. The combine cuts the stalks at the ground, runs the entire plant through the machine separating the grain from the chaff or stalk. The grain is deposited in a storage area and the chaff is discharged at the rear of the combine.

Commodities- farm products which are ready to be marketed are known as commodities. Commodity futures are traded daily.

Cotton picker the farm machine responsible for "picking" or harvesting cotton. The picker moves along the cotton rows and sets of spinning spindles twist the cotton from the stalks. The cotton stalks remain standing and are later cut down by a separate process. When the storage area of the picker reaches capacity, the cotton is dumped into a boll buggy and carried to the edge of the field where it is loaded into a module maker and compressed into a cotton module which is later transported to the cotton gin. The new breed of cotton picker will have a module maker included as part of the picker and the modules will be made as the crop is harvested in much the same manner that hay is baled.

Deed- the document which transfers legal title to real estate from one party to another. The seller is known as the grantor and the buyer is referred to as the grantee. The deed is signed, witnessed by a notary, and delivered to the grantee. This process is referred to as the execution of the deed. The three types of deed in Mississippi are: Warranty deed (full warranty of title), Special Warranty deed (warranty of title as to grantor?s actions only) and Quitclaim deed (contains no warranty of title). After execution the deed is recorded in the Chancery Clerk's office in the county where the property is located.

Deed of Trust- security instrument which is signed by the borrower in favor of the lender. When a lender advances money in favor of farmland, he requires the borrower to sign a deed of trust which in turn is recorded in the land records of the Chancery Clerk's office. If the borrower/landowner fails to repay the loan, the deed of trust allows the lender to foreclose the property and sell it in order to recover the loan principal amount together with accrued interest and expenses. Any excess over the amount owed is in turn used to satisfy subordinate debts and then finally, the balance if any, paid to the foreclosed borrower/landowner.

Cut to grade or precision leveled- soil in individual fields can be moved by dirt moving equipment, guided by lasers, so that one edge of the field is the high point and the opposite edge of the field is the low point. This allows irrigation water to flow from the high side of the field through the rows to the low side of the field. This type of irrigation is known as furrow irrigation.

Drainage- ditches and canals on the edge of the fields carry excess water away from the cropland and into natural drainage channels such as rivers and bayous. Water furrows cut in the fields each season also assist in draining standing water away from the crops. An improved farm must be well drained. It is as important to remove excess water from the crops as it is to provide the crops with ample irrigation water and rainfall for growth.

Farm number- the U.S. Farm Services Agency assigns each farm a number. Crop bases are assigned to the numbered farm based on past production history.

Farm Services Agency- the federal agency which monitors agricultural production. Federal farm programs are administered by this agency and farmers deal directly with the FSA in , filing farm plans, collecting subsidy payments, reporting crop production, and dealing with numerous other details required in operating a modern farm in a global economy.

Flume ditches- large canals which carry irrigation water from wells or other surface sources of irrigation to the fields for furrow irrigation.

Grain bins- storage facilities for storing and drying grain after it is harvested. Many farms have on site grain storage facilities where the harvested crops are stored until they are transported to a local market. In addition there are commercial storage facilities where the crops can be stored until they are sold.

Grain cart- when the harvested grain in a combine reaches capacity, the combine is often in the middle of the field. A tractor pulls a grain cart alongside the combine and the harvested grain is dumped into the grain cart which then transports the harvested grain to a waiting truck at the edge of the field.

Gumbo- very heavy clay soils are referred to as gumbo. This type of soil is dark in color, often appearing black. When it is wet, the soil is very sticky and will build up on tractor tires or shoes. This type soil is used in rice and catfish production because of its water retaining characteristic.

Headquarters- large farms have an area designated as the headquarters. The farm office, equipment sheds, repair shop and grain storage facilities are located here.

Module maker- a large rectangular machine which is attached to a tractor and parked along the edge of a cotton field as the crop is harvested. The cotton is dumped into the machine and then compressed by a hydraulic driven plate (much the same as scrap medal is compressed). After the compressed cotton module reaches the desired size, the machinery is moved over and the compressed cotton module is covered with a tarp and left on the edge of the field to be transported to a cotton gin by truck at a later time. For insurance purposes, no more than three modules are placed side by side. After the third module is made, the farmer puts some distance between it and the next group of modules.

Poly pipe or poly tube- flexible tube, much like a large hose, is attached to the well or riser and stretched along the beginning of the crop rows on the high side of the field. After the tube is pumped full of water, holes are punched in the tube at the top of the furrow separating each row. Water flows from these holes into the furrow and then down the furrow to the end of the crop row thus irrigating the growing crop. At the end of the crop year, the tube is rolled up and transported to a recycling center. New poly tube is used for the next farm year.

Power unit- each well must have a power source to pump the water from the aquifer or from the surface source of water. These power sources can be diesel or electric and are referred to as power units. In simple terms they are electric or diesel motors located at the source of the irrigation supply.

Pump and gearhead- for an underground well, this is the equipment which draws the water to the surface under the power of the power unit.

Riser- water from the well is often transported from the well to individual fields through underground pipe. It is brought to the surface through an attachment known as a riser. Water can flow directly from the riser into the field (in the case of rice) or from the riser into attached poly tube for transportation to the furrows.

Straight levee or zero grade- when a rice field is cut to grade, it is often graded to be completely and perfectly flat as opposed to dropping from a high point to a low point. Straight levees are placed across the field at designated intervals. Water flows from the well and completely floods the area up to the first levee. At this point, a levee gate is opened and the water flows into the next area completely flooding this adjacent leveed area until the entire field is flooded. The rice field is kept flooded until the rice is mature and ready for harvest.

Surface water supplies- rivers, lakes and reservoirs are examples of surface water supplies available for irrigating crops. Surface water supplies are much more quickly recharged than groundwater supplies (i.e. alluvial aquifer). An example of developing surface water supplies is the effort to transfer water from the plentiful Tallahatchie River to the Quiver River which flows right over the area in the Delta drawing the largest amounts from the groundwater supplies for rice irrigation.

Tenant house- crop production was very labor intensive prior to the development of the large farm equipment which is now used in modern operations. Families historically lived and worked on the large farms. Houses for farm labor were known as tenant houses. Some of these houses are modern, brick homes built with low interest federal loans. Most of the older wood framed homes have been demolished as many of the farm families have moved from the farms into surrounding towns. Some farms develop tenant houses into cabins to be used by hunters and then lease out the hunting rights on the farm along with the cabin. This is a good source of extra income and has actually become quite lucrative in some cases.

Turn row- along the edge of the individual fields are dirt farm roads. These are used to travel to irrigation well locations as well as to travel around the farm in managing the crops. They are called turn rows because the tractors and other farm equipment use this area to turn around each time they reach the end of the crop row.