Mezza Luna Farms in Arkansas: History, What It Grows, How It Makes Money and Contact Notes
Profile updated November 2026
Mezza Luna Farms is the row crop operation of fourth-generation Arkansas Delta farmer Dalton Dilldine, who farms about 6,000 acres of cotton, soybeans, wheat, corn and rice, according to a 2025 AgWeb profile. Arkansas Farm Bureau named Dalton and Skiver Dilldine finalists for its Young Farmers and Ranchers Achievement Award in 2024 and 2025, and they are listed as the 2025 Northeast District Farm Family of the Year from Blytheville.
| Location | Blytheville, Mississippi County, northeast Arkansas Delta |
|---|---|
| Founded | Mezza Luna Farms started in 2010; the family farming history spans four generations, per AgWeb |
| Sectors | Cotton; soybeans; rice; corn; wheat; on-farm grain storage |
| Scale | About 6,000 acres with 2,700 owned (AgWeb); Farm Bureau lists 5,900 acres in 2025 |
| Why it is notable | Arkansas Farm Bureau Young Farmers and Ranchers Achievement Award finalist in 2024 and 2025; district farm family of the year |
| Ownership | Family owned and operated by Dalton and Skiver Dilldine |
| Official website | AgWeb profile of Dalton Dilldine and Mezza Luna Farms (no official website found) |
History of Mezza Luna Farms
AgWeb reports that Dilldine's father died unexpectedly during his senior year of high school, and the family operation had a limited succession plan. He chose to take over the farm, start his own operation and attend college. He co-managed Half Moon Farm with his mother until 2010, when he started Mezza Luna Farms.
Dilldine bought a commercial grain facility during the 2022 harvest, a year in which drought and low river levels sharply reduced basis. His wife Skiver is a nurse practitioner who also helps on the farm, and the couple welcomed their first child in 2025, according to Arkansas Farm Bureau.
What Mezza Luna Farms Grows and Raises
The operation grows cotton, soybeans, wheat, corn and rice on about 6,000 acres, of which about 2,700 are owned and the rest rented. The farm has four full-time employees and several H-2A workers. Dilldine says his strategy is continuous improvement with a focus on profitability, using technology and larger equipment to do more with less.
Moisture sensors in the fields show when to start and stop irrigation, and most wells are automated and can be started and stopped by phone. Machinery monitoring lets him watch field activity from the office, and he works with the Natural Resources Conservation Service on conservation programs. The grain facility holds about 750,000 bushels, with about 600,000 currently usable, and can unload trucks in about six minutes and load out in about 12.
How Mezza Luna Farms Makes Money
Row crop sales
The farm sells cotton, soybeans, corn, wheat and rice. Spreading across five crops lets the operation rotate acres and balance workload and risk across the season.
On-farm grain storage and handling
Owning a commercial-scale grain facility gives the farm more control over when and where it sells. AgWeb describes the purchase as a way to improve marketing in a year of weak river basis.
Efficiency and conservation programs
Automated irrigation and equipment monitoring reduce labor and input costs, and conservation work with NRCS can support practices that protect water and soil.
Farm Insight: What Other Operators Can Learn from Mezza Luna Farms
Storage is a marketing tool. A farm with its own bins and fast receiving can wait for better bids and reduce dependence on a single river or elevator. Check capital costs, insurance and handling labor before buying.
Technology is most useful when it saves labor. Phone-controlled wells and moisture sensors let one small crew manage thousands of acres. Succession planning matters too, because the farm's story began with an unplanned handoff; talk with Farm Credit, FSA and an attorney early.
A farmer who can start an irrigation well from his phone has finally beaten the old rule that the pump always fails on Sunday. Fans of farm.FM who love farm satire, farm humor, ranch humor and farm jokes will appreciate that Mezza Luna Farms is a half-moon in name and a full circle of Delta crops in practice. We tip our cap to the Dilldines and their six-minute grain trucks.
If the name is new to you, farm.FM is the nation's first satirical farm site, with Tractor Tunes country music for farmers on the side. One of its regular writers keeps a whole archive of stories like that.
How to Contact Mezza Luna Farms
No official website, address, phone or email was found for Mezza Luna Farms, so the AgWeb profile is the best verified public page, November 2026.
Mezza Luna Farms Sources and Agriculture Authority Links
- AgWeb - Profile of Dalton Dilldine
- Arkansas Farm Bureau - 2025 YF&R Achievement Award finalists, the Dilldines
- Arkansas Farm Bureau - 2024 YF&R Achievement Award finalist
- University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture - Arkansas Row Crops Radio
- USDA NASS Census of Agriculture - National and state farm data
Mezza Luna Farms FAQ
What does Mezza Luna Farms grow?
It grows cotton, soybeans, wheat, corn and rice in the Arkansas Delta, according to AgWeb.
How large is Mezza Luna Farms?
AgWeb reports about 6,000 acres with 2,700 owned, and Arkansas Farm Bureau lists 5,900 acres in 2025.
Who runs the farm?
Dalton Dilldine, a fourth-generation farmer, with his wife Skiver, who helps on the farm.
Is there an official website?
None was found; the AgWeb profile is the best verified public page.
Mezza Luna Farms shows how a young Delta farmer can build scale, storage and technology after an unexpected early start. For more producers and programs, see the Arkansas state guide on bestfarms.top.