MAKING OUR OWN WAY
The Farm, 1982
Harry Simmons is always thinking about the future. Growing up in Yazoo City, Mississippi, he looked forward to becoming a farmer. In 1974, Simmons began farming cotton and soybeans but by 1977 began to think about a relatively new crop: Catfish, a clean, sustainable food that could provide delicious year-round nutrition for American families even as it protected and nurtured the
environment. Harry began to replace his fields with ponds supplied by aquifers 100 feet below the rich alluvial soil of the Mississippi Delta. The ponds were stocked and acreage grew steadily then in 1982, Simmons Farmed Raised Catfish Processing Plant opened giving Simmons the ability to market his catfish and develop a brand that would come to be known for its quality. Just as with his farming operation, Harry staffed the processing side with people of the highest caliber.
Red & Harry Simmons, 1982
Today, we know Harry was right—about delicious, nutritious catfish, about the importance of sustainability, and about the people he chose for his team who have become mainstays. In recent years Harry has also welcomed a third generation of Simmons into the family business: daughter Katy, a trained chef, along with nephew Dan Bradshaw, farm manager, and son-in-law Andy Prosser, operations manager. Simmons is Classic American Quality, goodness that’s great for the future and great for today.
Starting Production, 1982
Every time a shipment of Simmons Farm Raised Catfish goes to a customer, Harry Simmons knows the Simmons name is on it. “I guess the whole thing boils down to this: I’m proud of my family's good name. I won't put it on a product that doesn't deserve to be called “Simmons!”