Agricultural Heritage

Hopkins County Was Once the Top Dairy County in Texas

A milk processing plant that opened in Sulphur Springs in 1937 transformed Hopkins County from a cotton-growing area into the leading dairy county in Texas by 1990.

Hopkins County History & Culture

Cotton was king in Hopkins County through the 1920s. Then in the 1930s, county leaders paved local roads and attracted the Carnation Milk Company, which opened a processing plant in Sulphur Springs in 1937. Farmers quickly switched from cotton fields to dairy pastures. From 1936 to 1949, roughly 200 Class-A dairies opened in the county.

By 1990, Hopkins County had nearly 500 dairies and produced about 17 percent of all milk in Texas, according to the TSHA Handbook of Texas. The county still holds an annual Dairy Festival each May. The shift away from cotton was dramatic: production fell from about 42,000 bales in 1925 to around 6,700 by 1940.

Source to confirm: TSHA Handbook of Texas — Hopkins County

More Hopkins County notes

Property Tax Basics

Who Appraises and Who Collects Your Property Tax

Two separate offices handle property taxes in Hopkins County — the appraisal district sets the value, and the tax assessor-collector sends the bill.

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Homestead Exemption

Homestead Exemption Can Lower Your Tax Bill

If you own and live in your home in Hopkins County, you can apply for a homestead exemption that lowers the taxable value of your property.

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Agricultural Valuation

Farmland Can Be Taxed on Productivity, Not Market Value

Rural landowners in Hopkins County who use their land for farming, ranching, or qualified wildlife management may pay taxes based on what the land produces, not what it would sell for.

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Public Land Access

Cooper WMA Offers Hunting, Fishing, and Hiking Near Sulphur Springs

Cooper Wildlife Management Area covers about 14,480 acres in Delta and Hopkins counties next to Jim Chapman Lake and is open year-round for hunting, fishing, hiking, and wildlife viewing.

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