Black Soil

In the Mississippi Delta, a Black farmer and his son Trentis transform their family’s hard-won farmland through regenerative agriculture, carrying forward an 80-year legacy of resilience, stewardship, and hope for future generations.

BLACK SOIL is a multigenerational story of resilience, land, and legacy in the Mississippi Delta. Beginning in the 1930s, when the U.S. government granted 40-acre parcels to Black sharecroppers through the New Deal Resettlement Administration, the Allen family planted roots in Lamkin, near Yazoo City, on what would prove to be some of the richest soil in the country. Eighty years later, the family has expanded that original parcel into 500 acres - managing over 1,500 acres, stewarded by nine siblings. At the heart of the film are Herbert Allen Jr. and his son, Trentis Allen, who carry the family legacy forward by transitioning hundreds of acres to regenerative and organic farming. Blending modern agricultural training with ancestral knowledge, they work to restore the soil, sustain ecosystems, and secure abundance for future generations. BLACK SOIL is a powerful portrait of family, stewardship, and the enduring contributions of Black farmers regenerating the Delta.

Project Website: www.vacationland.film

Director | Nicholas Weissman

Producer | Emmanuel D. Harris II, Ph.D.,

Producer | Darcy McKinnon