
Mississippi lawmakers are considering naming a new state vegetable. What do you think it should be?
House Bill 287 aims to name sweet potatoes the state veggie, and the House voted with only two members absent or not voting to pass the measure. The bill was introduced by state Reps. Lester Carpenter and Jonathan Lancaster.
If the Mississippi Senate approves it, the tubers will be the state vegetable starting July 1. It would join other Magnolia State icons, like milk, the state drink. The state does not yet have a state vegetable.
Sweet potatoes contribute $92 million to the economy. But compared to the $1.56 billion the state gets from soybeans or the $675.5 million from corn, that amount can seem like, well, small potatoes.
People love them as chips, fries and as a Thanksgiving side, but that’s not enough for them to crack Top 10 crops for the state. See how these spuds stack up.
What are the biggest crops in Mississippi?
According to an agriculture snapshot from the Mississippi Department of Agriculture and Commerce, here are the top crops in the state:
- Poultry/eggs: $3.52 billion.
- Soybeans: $1.56 billion.
- Forestry: $1.48 billion.
- Corn: $675.5 million.
- Cattle/calves: $406 million.
- Cotton: $397 million.
- Catfish: $252 million.
- Hay: $180 million.
- Rice: $135 million.
- Horticultural crops: $113 million. (This includes Christmas trees, vegetables, melons, potatoes, tree nuts, berries and other fruit or plants grown in nursery greenhouses.)
- Sweet potatoes: $92 million.
- Hogs: $86 million.
- Wheat: $36.2 million.
- Peanuts: $20.2 million.
- Milk: $17 million.
What is Mississippi’s official state fruit?
The blueberry has been the official state fruit of Mississippi since July 1, 2023. Gov. Tate Reeves signed House Bill 1027 into law on March 13, 2023.
Read details:Paid parental leave passes Mississippi House.
What is the Mississippi state flower?
The Southern magnolia, featured on the Mississippi flag, has been the state flower since 1990. It also lends its name to one of the state nicknames – The Magnolia State.
The tree has also served as the state tree since 1952, according to information from the Mississippi Secretary of State.
The state wildflower, however, is Coreopsis.
What is the Mississippi state fish?
The largemouth or black bass.
What is the Mississippi state bird?
The Women’s Federated Clubs and the State Legislature picked the mockingbird in 1944, according to the SOS.
What is the Mississippi state insect?
The honeybee.
What is the Mississippi state butterfly?
The spicebush swallowtail was picked in 1991.
What is the state water mammal?
The bottlenosed dolphin.
What is the Mississippi state waterfowl?
The wood duck.
Did you know Mississippi has two state land mammals?
The white-tailed deer and the red fox share the title of Mississippi state land mammal.
What is the Mississippi state reptile?
The American Alligator.
Does Mississippi have an official shell, fossil, stone or soil?
It has all of them!
- Shell: Oyster Shell.
- Fossil: Prehistoric Whale.
- Stone: Petrified Wood.
- Soil: Natchez Silt Loam.
Contributing: Pam Dankins
Bonnie Bolden is the Deep South Connect reporter for Mississippi with Gannett/USA Today. Email her at [email protected].