The North Bolivar County Farm Cooperative was organized and incorporated by ten farm workers in April 1968 “to promote the general welfare of agriculture in North Bolivar County, Mississippi, and its environs,” and “to cooperate in the productions [sic], processing, packing, distribution, financing and marketing of agricultural products.” The Farm Cooperative's principal place of business was at Mound Bayou, in the Mississippi Delta. Early efforts included farming 80 acres of land donated by the owners for Cooperative use. Among the organization's major goals were helping black farm workers who had lost their jobs following the mechanization of cotton farming, and combatting malnutrition and health problems of area residents. In May 1968 the Cooperative received a federal food demonstration grant, which allowed the hiring of full-time staff to run the Cooperative farm. The organization also worked with the staff at Tufts-Delta Health Center to improve the quality of health care available, and tried to persuade a major food processor to establish a cannery in the Delta.
