Members of the Rankin County Farm Bureau recently showed their appreciation to their local and state elected officials during a celebratory Thanksgiving steak dinner at the Rankin County Extension Office.

U.S. Rep. Elect Michael Guest, Mississippi State Auditor Shad White, Commissioner of Agriculture and Commerce Andy Gipson, and a dozen other county and city officials were in attendance, in addition to Mississippi Farm Bureau Federation President Mike McCormick and MFBF Vice President Ted Kendall.

Guest expressed his appreciation to the members in attendance for their support.

“We could not have done this and been successful without the help of so many people in this room and community,” Guest said. “I’m going to work hard to make you proud, and I’m going to continue to make sure that we are friends of the Farm Bureau family. As issues come up involving agriculture, I promise you, you’ll have a voice on how we proceed on those issues.”

Gipson said he was excited to be a part of such a diverse farming organization

“It’s great to be here,” Gipson said. “I appreciate all that you’ve done. I appreciate Farm Bureau. I’ve had the chance to work with Farm Bureau for many years now in the Legislature, and I look forward to building that relationship as Commissioner.”

Rankin County Farm Bureau President Brian Rhodes said the entire membership is thankful for all of the work each elected official does to help Farm Bureau, and they wanted to take an evening to honor those officials.

“We just feel it’s important to have personal relationships with our elected officials,” Rhodes said. “We want to build those relationships so we know who to call and talk to about issues we’re facing.”

Mississippi Farm Bureau Federation President Mike McCormick expressed his appreciation of all the work the Rankin County Farm Bureau does and the elected officials.

“We can’t do what we do without you,” McCormick said. “We appreciate the support of all of our elected officials, whether it be at the local, state or national level. Thank you for being here tonight.”