Harris Barnes Papers

Harris Barnes grew up on his father's small farm in Coahoma County, Mississippi, and graduated first from Clarksdale High School and then from Mississippi State University in 1941. Barnes worked as farm manager for several plantations in Coahoma County from 1946-1969, including Baugh Plantation, Lea Plantation and King and Anderson/Oakhurst Plantation.

As a journalist, he did freelance work for Progressive Farmer and also worked for Farm Quarterly, Delta Farm Press, Southeast Farm Press. As a freelance journalist, he was owner of Harris Barnes Rural Services from 1988-2006. Barnes served in key roles for the American Soybean Association, the Soybean Council of America and the Mississippi Soybean Association.

His publications include The Pick of the Crop: A Collection of Recipes (Drew, Miss.: North Sunflower PTA, 1978 - Cover by Barnes); Between the Levees: A Collection of Mississippi Delta Recipes (Cleveland, Miss.: Delta Rice Promotions, 1994 - Photographs by Barnes); Cotton: A 50-Year Pictorial History (Brandon, Miss: True Exposures Pub., 2002); The Beauty of Southern Agriculture (Brandon, Miss.: True Exposures Pub., 2004); and The Good Ol' Days on the Cotton Farm (2006).