Schitt Industrial Complex – Economic Impact Report
(1950-1975)
Executive Summary
The Schitt Industrial Complex, comprising Schitt Manure & Fertilizer, Inc. (SMFI) and Needeep N. Schitt, Inc. (NDNSI), represents one of the most enduring examples of vertically aligned rural enterprise in mid-century Tennessee. From its origins in Depression-era resource management, the complex evolved into a regional economic driver whose combined production and transportation operations influenced agricultural supply chains across the American South.
Economic Contributions
| Category | Impact (1950-1975) | Notes |
| Direct Employment | 125-145 jobs | Approx. 55-70 in SMFI production, packaging, warehousing and administration; 65-75 in NDNSI transportation, maintenance, dispatch and freight handling. |
| Estimated Local Economic Share | Approx. 2.5% of Schitt County commercial and industrial output | The combined companies ranked among the area’s larger privately operated employers during peak years. |
| Agricultural Reach | 14 states by 1970 | NDNSI’s distribution network moved SMFI products throughout the South and into adjoining regional markets. |
| Infrastructure Investment | Approx. $1.7 million cumulative | Plant modernization, processing and packaging equipment, warehouse expansion, tractors, trailers and maintenance facilities. |
| Tax Contribution | Approx. $70,000 annual average during mature operations | Combined property, business, fuel, payroll-related and other local/state contributions. |
| Secondary Employment | Estimated 50-75 additional jobs supported | Fuel and service stations, equipment repair, tire suppliers, agricultural dealers, independent suppliers and other businesses benefited from the two-company operation. |
Combined Livelihood Impact: At peak operation, the Schitt Industrial Complex directly or indirectly supported the livelihoods of an estimated 175-220 workers and their families throughout the Little Schitt area.
Operational Synergy
- SMFI: Production, processing, packaging, and marketing of processed manure fertilizer and related agricultural soil products.
- NDNSI: Transportation and distribution, specializing in agricultural freight and the movement of SMFI products to regional and interstate customers.
Together, the companies formed a coordinated supply chain – “from barn to bag to buyer.” SMFI concentrated on making and packaging the product; NDNSI concentrated on getting it where it needed to go.
Social & Cultural Influence
- Provided stable employment for more than one hundred local workers during post-war agricultural mechanization.
- Supported an estimated 50-75 additional jobs through fuel, repair, tire, supplier, dealer, and service businesses.
- Sponsored local fairs, agricultural exhibitions, and community events.
- Became a regional symbol of humor-infused industriousness; “We Haul Schitt!” became the recognized NDNSI slogan.
Legacy
By the mid-1970s, the Schitt Industrial Complex had transitioned from two closely aligned family enterprises into a cornerstone of Little Schitt’s economic identity. SMFI produced and packaged the agricultural product; NDNSI carried it to market. Together, the companies supported generations of local families while expanding the reach of Little Schitt far beyond the community itself.
“Quality processed Schitt builds better soil.”
🏛️ Interpretive Panel — Little Schitt Historical Society
Panel Title
“From Barnyard to Business: The Schitt Industrial Complex”
In the heart of Little Schitt, Tennessee, two family enterprises turned practicality into prosperity. Schitt Manure & Fertilizer, Inc. transformed livestock manure into a processed, packaged, marketable agricultural product. Needeep N. Schitt, Inc. carried that product across the South – and eventually into a fourteen-state distribution network.
Together, they embodied the ingenuity of rural enterprise: one produced, the other delivered. Their partnership supported approximately 125-145 direct jobs at peak operation and an estimated 50-75 additional jobs in supporting businesses, making the combined enterprise one of Little Schitt’s more important private employers.
Their coordinated operation became known informally as the Schitt Industrial Complex, a supply chain that moved product “from barn to bag to buyer” and gave rise to one of the most memorable slogans in regional agribusiness – “We Haul Schitt!”
Artifacts Displayed
- Original 1950s SMFI burlap fertilizer bag (50 lbs. net wt.)
- NDNSI truck door panel with painted lettering
- Ledger pages documenting early interstate shipments
- Photograph of the Little Schitt loading dock and shipping yard
Interpretive Quote
“Horace tried to sling it. Bewilder learned to use it. Awe learned to package it. And Oh figured out how to ship it.”
Museum Note
At peak operation, the two companies directly or indirectly supported the livelihoods of an estimated 175-220 workers and their families throughout the Little Schitt area. Whatever else may be said of the enterprise, Schitt supported a whole lot of families.