|
 |
||||||||||||||
 |
Mississippi Farm Bureau Federation
Agricultural News and Information
Farm Bureau concludes 90th annual meeting
JACKSON – Nearly 750 Farm Bureau members, representing the state’s
82 county Farm Bureaus, took part in the three-day meeting where, in addition
to the election of officers and directors, the delegates adopted policy
to guide the organization’s efforts during 2012. Policies relating
to national issues will be forwarded to the American Farm Bureau Federation
for consideration at its annual meeting, which is scheduled for Honolulu,
Hawaii, in mid-January.
Newly elected or re-elected directors on the MFBF Board include Carla
Taylor, Prentiss County; Ronnie Jones, Marshall County; Randle Wright,
Calhoun County; Mike Langley, Chickasaw County; Wanda Hill, Humphreys
County; Fred Stokes, Kemper County; David Boyd, Rankin County; Jeff Mullins,
Franklin County; Lyle Hubbard, Jefferson Davis County; and J. B. Brown,
Stone County. Jason Hill of Chickasaw County will sit on the Board due
to his election as Young Farmer & Rancher Committee chairman. Betty
Mills of Winona was elected State Women’s Committee Chair and will
represent the Women’s Committee on the State Board.
Brad and Carla Spencer of Vardaman were selected as Farm Bureau’s
Young Farmer Achievement Award winner and will travel to Honolulu to represent
Mississippi in the National Young Farmer Achievement Award competition.
Clint Russell of Sunflower County won the Young Farmer Discussion Meet,
an event that challenges contestants’ discussion skills and their
ability to persuade others to see their side of an issue. He will also
compete in the national competition in Honolulu in January.
Farm Bureau’s highest award, the MFBF Distinguished Service Award,
was presented to long time Extension Service employee Steve Cummings of
Coffeeville. Cummings grew up on a cattle farm and from a very early age
knew that he wanted a career in agriculture.
He worked closely with the county Farm Bureau to surface contestants for
the Young Farmer contests.
The Excellence in Leadership Award went to Warren Oakley of Starkville
for his many years of dedicated service to agriculture and Farm Bureau
in Mississippi.
Barbie Bassett of Madison was given the Ag Ambassador Award for her work
in promoting agriculture and Mississippi. Bassett is the Chief Meteorologist
for WLBT in Jackson and has worked with Farm Bureau’s Ag Image Campaign
promoting agriculture.
There were three recipients of the Friend of Agriculture Award. Lt. Governor
Phil Bryant of Rankin County, Representative Frank Hamilton of Jackson
County, and Representative Tom Mayhall of DeSoto County received the award
for their support of agriculture and Farm Bureau in the Mississippi Legislature.
In other meeting activities, Alan Smith of Picayne was chosen as Farm
Bureau Ambassador. This contest is to identify young leaders who can use
their advantages to tell the farm story. It is also designed to enlighten
and inform the public that interest in agriculture, as a career, is alive
and productive.
(30)
The