Trends and changes in Mississippi farms, farmers, and farm populations were investigated for the period between 1950 and 1970 and comparisons were made between the farm population and that of the urban and rural nonfarm segments in terms of growth trends and 1970 characteristics. Data were drawn from both the Censuses of Agriculture (taken at five year intervals, the last of which was taken in fall of 1969) and the decennial Censuses of Population and Housing (the last of which was taken in April,1970). Results indicated the following dramatic changes during the 1950-1970 period: outstanding improvements in farm mechanization, ownership tenure, automotive transportation, and possession of convenience appliances; deficiencies in about 25% of the rural farm and nonfarm housing; comparable rural and urban lifestyles (as measured by income and education levels) among whites with the lowest income and education levels of all groups investigated obtaining among the rural blacks, though this level was not far from that of urban blacks; small and seemingly residual urban-rural differences for family size, fertility ratios, and female labor force participation; a trend toward mixing farm and off-farm occupations; industrial interdependence, establishing farm-to-factory commuting and urban types of conveniences for rural Mississippians; a tremendous reduction in the size of the state's farming population, changing production from an essentially self-sufficient family farm type to that of a more efficient industrial-commercial nature. (JC)