Extension in Action
Lee Caldwell, DeSoto County Board of Supervisors President
We really believe in Extension for delivering this kind of teaching and for leading 4-H. What better way to bring people together than having a facility, a place where people can gather, learn, exercise, and just enjoy each other? The Ag-Ed Center is going to be the nucleus to bring our community together.”
— Lee Caldwell,
DeSoto County Board of Supervisors President
Partners in Service
DeSoto County develops 200-acre Agri-Education Center and Arena complex
Story by Leah Barbour • Photos by Kevin Hudson
WHO:
The DeSoto County Board of Supervisors, led by Board President Lee Caldwell and Vice President Jessie Medlin, is developing a site to house the DeSoto County Agri-Education Center and Arena.
The Ag-Ed Center will house Mississippi State University Extension Service county offices, which deliver and oversee 4-H youth development programs. The Natural Resources Conservation Service and the DeSoto County Soil and Water Conservation District will also be located in the facility.
WHAT:
Facilities will feature a 38,000-square-foot community building, a certified kitchen, an outdoor kitchen, a convention space, indoor and outdoor show rings, stables to accommodate large or small animals, and two concession stands.
Green spaces will feature miles of paved walking paths and natural trails through the countryside for horseback riding and hiking, as well as an RV park. The DeSoto County Master Gardeners plan to plant vegetables and flowers over a range of gardens they will develop on the property. Future development will include an activity area near the complex with pickleball and tennis courts, as well as baseball fields.
WHEN:
Construction began in August 2023 and is expected to be complete in the spring of 2025.
The project has been decades in the making. More than half a century ago, supervisors chose to build a temporary landfill and promised to develop a local park for residents when the landfill was finished. Once the area was safe and stable, Supervisor Lee Caldwell and the Board of Supervisors partnered with stakeholders to bring the original vision to life and create a park for residents, visitors, families, and children.
WHERE:
The Ag-Ed Center and Arena covers 200 acres at 1170 Star Landing Road in Nesbit, nestled between Hernando and Southaven. Seventy of those acres will make up the complex itself, while the other 130 acres will feature the nature preserve, gardens, trails, ponds, and National Guard Armory.
HOW:
DeSoto County, just south of Memphis, Tennessee, is home to approximately 200,000 Mississippians, and the area boasts thousands of acres of farmland. A citizen-led group helped plan the facilities and amenities, and the DeSoto County Board of Supervisors is overseeing the development of the complex.
