Most Mississippians wouldn’t know the Delta Council from the Council on Aging, the Mississippi Economic Council or the Pushmataha Area Council of the Boy Scouts of America.
However, the organization based at Stoneville in Washington County has played a huge role in Mississippi’s economic position, that of keeping agriculture alive and well. That’s been no small task. Delta Council also has played a vital role in the industrial development of the Mississippi Delta – to the extent it could compete with agriculture.
The late B.F. Smith was Delta Council’s chief executive officer for almost 40 years and was considered “Mississippi’s sixth congressman.” This was back when the state had five elected Members of Congress – plus Smith, who spent more time lobbying Washington on behalf of agriculture and agricultural research than almost anyone else in America, earning him the “sixth” sobriquet.