Series 67: Catfish Farming Photos, Videos and Scrapbook. 1976-1997; undated. Agriculture and Commerce (RG 97).

A collection of items documenting the efforts of the Mississippi Department of Agriculture and Commerce to promote catfish farming as an industry in the state. Included are photographs, a scrapbook, and two VHS video cassettes. The photographs are 5" x 8" color prints and were originally part of a photograph album, now dismantled and with the photographs individually sleeved to better preserve them. The twenty-five images, which are undated but were probably taken in the 1970s or 1980s, show the catfish farming process step by step from hatchery to market. The scrapbook was prepared by the Department of Agriculture and Commerce's Marketing Development Division in 1976. It contains a written introduction about the commercial production of catfish in the state and the general state of the catfish industry in Mississippi at that time, correspondence, photographs, clippings, brochures, recipes, and ephemera such as prize ribbons and certificates. The scrapbook has been disbound for preservation reasons, but a photocopy of its original layout is included. The two VHS video cassettes are as follows: (1) "Catfish Industry - Exhibit." This title is on the label of the cassette itself, but the actual program seems to have no formal title. Dated 1989, it's an overview of Mississippi farm-raised catfish with an emphasis on their healthy dietary aspects. Run time is 7 1/2 minutes. (2) "Catfish Farming in the South" was produced by the Office of Agricultural Communications, Mississippi State University in 1997. A general overview of catfish farming, the film discusses requirements for running a farm, costs, harvesting and processing. Run time is 23 minutes.