Video: Chicken Farmer Story Reflects Entire County’s Impact

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NOXAPATER, Miss. (WCBI) — Poultry farming is one of the state’s largest agriculture industries, especially in places like Winston County. The April 28th tornadoes changed that in many areas, at least for this year. And one Noxapater farmer who lost everything represents the ripple effect that losses are having across the county.

Piles of construction dirt sit on land where two new chicken breeder houses will be built. On April 28, poultry farmer Brenda Goodin lost 22,000 of her valuable birds.

“We are starting dirt work. That’s why you see all the mounds of dirt and everything. Once we get thee pads ready for the houses to be built, then we will have a company come in, rebuild our houses start all over, Goodin explained of where her operation is more than three months later.

And if Goodin and others aren’t making money, neither are the businesses she bought from and the county where she pays taxes. County officials don’t exactly know yet how much property tax revenue will be lost this year or the impact on budgets, but they know it’s there because damaged properties can’t be taxed at their previous value until they are rebuilt.

“We took a hit in our assessed evaluation of the county. So as these poultry people come back on and its so important to making our county run and cash flow,” Gerald Mills, Winston County’s Economic Development Director, explained of the lost revenue.

Poultry producers and the county rely on Goodin, when it comes to cash revenue.

“We’ve lost income because we don’t have the birds. Then Tyson has lost income because we don’t have the eggs,” Goodin said of the ripple effect.
Gerald Mills “Especially when you’ve lost the value that we’ve lost in businesses and homes,” Mills added.

Poultry farmers like Goodin are vowing to come back even stronger than before. And the sound of that possibility is like sweet music to everyone’s ear from the grain seller to the tax collector.

“We are so ready to hear roosters crowing and hens cackling, and picking up eggs, and that’s the day we’re ready for,” Goodin said.

Eighteen poultry farms and 78 chicken houses were destroyed or damaged during the tornado.

Categories: Local News

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