The Land of Milk and Money explains that the southern dairy industry’s rapid rise in the 1920s had as much to do with corporate decision-making rooms and small-town boosters as with pasture grasses. Marcus argues that the Borden Milk Company’s selection of Starkville, Mississippi, as the site of a milk-condensing plant was the act that jumpstarted southern dairying, first in northeastern Mississippi and then region-wide.
That Starkville is central to Marcus’ book is not surprising. Marcus composed the book from his position at Mississippi State University (located in Starkville) during the COVID-19 pandemic when travel restrictions compelled historians to focus on local sources. But this Starkville-centered story is not simply rooted in research expediency. As Starkville flourished, stories about the town’s economic transformation circulated throughout the South, inspiring civic leaders throughout the region. The book’s first few chapters examine Starkville’s and Borden’s histories prior to their partnership, whereas the final...