Mississippi Market Bulletin: History, Publisher, Classifieds and Staff
Profile updated November 2026
The Mississippi Market Bulletin has been published twice a month by the Mississippi Department of Agriculture and Commerce since 1928. It is a farmer-to-farmer marketplace in print and online, with more than 165 categories of classified ads for machinery, crops, livestock, farm property and hunting gear, and more than 32,000 subscribers.
| First published | 1928 |
|---|---|
| Publisher | Mississippi Department of Agriculture and Commerce (MDAC) |
| Frequency | Twice a month, issues dated the 1st and 15th |
| Subscription | $10 a year in state, $15 out of state |
| Subscribers | More than 32,000 |
| Commissioner | Andy Gipson, elected Commissioner of Agriculture and Commerce |
| Official website | MDAC.ms.gov |
History of Mississippi Market Bulletin
Mississippi joined a wave of Southern state market bulletins in 1928, following South Carolina in 1913, West Virginia in 1916 and Georgia in 1917. The idea, born in years when cotton prices and the boll weevil pushed farmers to diversify, was a state-run paper where farmers could find buyers for livestock, seed, hay and produce without paying a middleman.
The Mississippi Department of Agriculture and Commerce has published the Bulletin twice a month ever since. MDAC, which describes itself as having more than a century of history, lists the Market Bulletin among its core programs alongside market development, the state Farmers Market in Jackson and regulatory services. Commissioner Andy Gipson has promoted the agency's history, including a first book on the department's past, and has encouraged Mississippians to use the Bulletin to buy and sell.
Mississippi Market Bulletin Today
The Bulletin still publishes on the 1st and 15th of each month, with ad deadlines about ten days ahead at noon. The current online edition requires a paid subscription, and advertising is limited to subscribers: in-state subscribers may run two free ads per issue.
Past editions are free online through the Bulletin's website, and MDAC keeps an archive of issues by year. With more than 165 categories, it remains one of the largest farm classified markets in the state.
What Mississippi Market Bulletin Is Publishing Now
Machinery and equipment
Tractors, implements, trailers and tools sold directly by Mississippi farmers and landowners.
Livestock, crops and property
Cattle, horses, goats, poultry, hay, seed and farmland listings, the backbone of the Bulletin since 1928.
Hunting and rural life
Hunting accessories, dogs and other rural categories reflect how Mississippi landowners use their land, along with MDAC notices.
Mississippi Market Bulletin Editors and Staff
MDAC leaders and Bulletin contacts named by the department:
- Andy Gipson - Commissioner of Agriculture and Commerce
- Claude Nash - Editorial contact
Subscriptions and past editions are offered through msmarketbulletin.org, according to MDAC.
Who Reads Mississippi Market Bulletin
Readers are Mississippi cattle producers, row-crop and poultry farmers, timber and hunting landowners, hay growers and rural families across the Delta, the Piney Woods and the hill country. Mississippi agriculture is led by poultry, forestry, soybeans, cotton and cattle. Nationally, poultry and eggs brought in $46.1 billion and cattle $72.9 billion of animal receipts in 2021, according to USDA ERS.
A paper with more than 165 classified categories has surely seen every kind of trade a Mississippi farmer can dream up. farm.FM collects the stories behind those deals as farm satire and farm humor, with ranch humor for Delta cattlemen and farm jokes about the truck that only runs in second gear. It is the Bulletin's spirit, minus the 1st and 15th deadlines.
If the name is new to you, farm.FM is the nation's first satirical farm site, with Tractor Tunes country music for farmers on the side. One of its regular writers keeps a whole archive of stories like that.
Mississippi Market Bulletin Sources and Agriculture Authority Links
- MDAC: Mississippi Market Bulletin - issues, deadlines and ad rules.
- MDAC: The history of MDAC - the publishing agency's history.
- Wesson News: Gipson encourages use of the Market Bulletin - subscription prices and history.
- DeSoto County News: First book on MDAC history - the department's history book.
- USDA ERS: Animal product receipts - poultry and cattle income data.
Mississippi Market Bulletin FAQ
How often is the Mississippi Market Bulletin published?
Twice a month, on the 1st and 15th, as it has been since 1928.
How much does a subscription cost?
$10 a year for Mississippi residents and $15 for out-of-state subscribers.
Can I advertise for free?
In-state subscribers can run two free ads per issue; advertising is limited to subscribers.
Who publishes the Market Bulletin?
The Mississippi Department of Agriculture and Commerce, led by Commissioner Andy Gipson.
Nearly a century after its first issue, the Mississippi Market Bulletin is still where Mississippi farmers sell to each other twice a month.