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Mississippi Farm Bureau Federation
Agricultural News and Information
Greg Gibson, Coordinator
Public Relations / Multimedia
1-800-227-8244 ext. 4154
or 601-977-4154
email: ggibson@msfb.org
Farm Bureau concludes 86th annual meeting
JACKSON - Over 660 Farm Bureau members, representing the state’s
82 county Farm Bureaus, took part in the two-day meeting where, in addition
to the election of officers and directors, the delegates adopted policy
to guide the organization’s efforts during 2008. Policies relating
to national issues will be forwarded to the American Farm Bureau Federation
for consideration at its annual meeting, which is scheduled for New Orleans,
LA, in mid-January.
Newly elected or re-elected directors on the MFBF Board include Dr. Jim
Perkins, Iuka; Paul Briscoe, Oxford; Mike Ferguson, Senatobia; L. C. Sanders,
Hamilton; Betty Mills, Winona; Kenneth Thompson, Philadelphia; James Ford,
Taylorsville; Jeff Mullins, Meadville; E. A. “Pud” Stringer,
Foxworth; and Terry Estis, Lucedale. Dott Arthur of Carthage was re-elected
for a two-year term as State Women’s Chair and Patrick Swindoll
of Hernando will sit on the Board due to his election as Young Farmer
& Rancher Committee chairman.
The delegate body identified several areas of interest as priority issues
for the upcoming year including the protection of private property rights,
the protection of animal production practices and methods, and protecting
agricultural producers from nuisance lawsuits.
In other meeting activities, Ashley Helton of Tishomingo County, a student
at Mississippi State University, was selected as Miss Farm Bureau - Mississippi
in a competition with 6 other contestants from around the state. Helton
will serve as a spokesperson for Farm Bureau during the next year.
Stephen and Kisha Bailey of Calhoun County were selected as Farm Bureau’s
Young Farmer Achievement Award winner and will travel to New Orleans to
represent Mississippi in the National Young Farmer Achievement Award competition.
Stephen also won the YF&R State Discussion Meet but due to an American
Farm Bureau rule prohibiting a contestant from entering more than one
national competition, he will not be competing in the National Discussion
Meet.
The annual MFBF Distinguished Service Award was presented to Dr. Alan
Blaine, Head of the North Mississippi Research and Extension Center in
Verona.
The Excellence in Leadership Award went to Louis Breaux, III of Kiln,
in Hancock County for his many years of dedicated service to agriculture
in Mississippi.
Meredith McCurdy of Batesville was given the Ag Ambassador Award for her
work in promoting agriculture and Mississippi.
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