It was never in Covington County’s V.O. Campbell’s nature not to take a step forward, to lead when just a few would or only one would. From his own farm to his county to his state, Campbell wanted to do what was right.

“When you talking farmers and V.O., this was his life and he wanted to see that everything was right and that the farmers got the benefit of the doubt on things,” said Reggie Magee, longtime Campbell colleague and Farm Bureau leader.

Campbell was the voice for agriculture in Covington County even before there was a county Farm Bureau office.

“The first that I knew about Farm Bureau was a guy that was selling and fertilizing a few farm essentials out of an old warehouse.  That was about 1960, ’59 somewhere, ’58 maybe,” said Campbell. “Then, Colonel McGowan was our first agent and he sold insurance out of his car, and then we had about an 8×10 office in the Mississippi Federate Co‑op building.  We didn’t have a secretary.  We just had a place to meet, and I was on the Board at that time.”

Things would change for Farm Bureau in Covington County as well as for farming and ranching. Campbell was on the forefront for both.

“I was at many, many meetings when I probably should’ve been at home working,” said Campbell. “But I knew early on that Farm Bureau was the lifeblood and the only connection between the farmer and the state government, as well as federal government.”

Around 1990, poultry really began to take off in this county with the modern houses,” said Campbell.  “As a matter of fact, one of the first houses that was built on a modern scale, and I’m talking about controlled ventilation and that type thing, was in this county and on this farm.”

But just a few years later, contract poultry growers were threatened with mounds of regulations. Regulations impossible for many to overcome. Campbell and Magee united contract poultry growers to speak up and push for better contracts and better wages.

“We were kind of on top of it and we spent a lot of our time, you know, trying to resolve issues that were going on in the poultry industry and we did,” said Reggie Magee.  “We were successful and, you know, people don’t realize how much time we spent doing that.”

“Money was hard to come by and we were about to allow ourselves to be governed by the legislator, as far as contracts, and not only poultry but the bills that were offered applied to cattle, poultry, swine, hogs,” said Campbell.  “It applied to all livestock and we didn’t think that was good.”

Campbell also served on the Southeast Mississippi Economic Development Council, the Mississippi Water Board and National Resource Conservation Service. All to help his fellow farmer.

“It’s what he’s done for other farmers.  He is a true, true farmer and a true Farm Bureau person,” said Magee.

Campbell says he couldn’t do it as one man with one voice, but rather with the backing of Mississippi agriculture and Mississippi Farm Bureau Federation.

“Farm Bureau is the only link between the farmer and the people who govern you.  And if you don’t know what the people who are governing you, if you don’t know what they’re thinking, they don’t know what you’re thinking,” said Campbell.  “So, Farm Bureau and the volunteers that make Farm Bureau work.”