Getting a captive audience of high school students who want to hear more about farming and agriculture in one room is not an everyday occurrence. However, that is exactly what happened at the Mississippi Trade Mart last week during the Mississippi FFA Association’s Legislative Luncheon.

Mississippi Farm Bureau Federation speakers including, MFBF President Mike McCormick, MFBF State Affairs Representative Camille Scales Young and MFBF Ag Ambassador Shelby Hall, took full advantage of the audiences’ attention during their presentations and a question and answer session.

“These students are the future of Mississippi agriculture, and based on their questions today, I believe the future is bright,” McCormick said. “I see great potential. I commend FFA for teaching these kids not only about agriculture, but about the leadership skills they need to lead us in the future.”

Hall, who served as a Mississippi FFA Association officer four years ago, can relate to the students who attended the event more than most. During the luncheon, she helped McCormick impress upon the students in attendance how much agriculture needs them and their voices.

“There will be approximately 9.9 billion people in the world by 2050 who need to eat,” Hall said. “There has to be people willing to provide that food. These students are here today to learn about how they can be those people, those leaders. I’m so glad to be here representing Mississippi Farm Bureau and to teach them and encourage them.”

Billie Patterson, a Sumrall High School student, is eager to be a part of the future of Mississippi agriculture.

“I feel like the agriculture industry is going to grow because of the people in here using their voices to advocate,” she said.

“I thought it was very important to be here because we got to meet the leaders of agriculture now and learn their views on issues,” said Alyssa Murry, a Forrest County Agricultural High School student. “When it comes to for us to vote on something or use our voice, we have a better understanding.”

For most of these students, the next step in their lives is picking a field of study and then an occupation, hopefully tied to agriculture.

“My plan is to go to Mississippi State to major in agricultural education,” said Billie Jade Chapman, the 2021 Mississippi FFA President and a Pine Grove School student. “I want to advocate for agriculture by teaching the future of the industry about the importance of it to their lives.”

Pine Grove School FFA Advisor and teacher Millie McKinney believes that even if these students do not work in agriculture after graduating, the skills they learn in FFA lays a strong foundation for their lives.

“They can take what they’ve learned into the medical field, into the school system, or whatever career they decide to pursue,” she said. “No matter their occupation, they can still advocate for agriculture.”

Even something as simple as leading a conversation on social media can make a difference in the public’s knowledge of agriculture.

“When I am scrolling through Instagram, I see posts about agriculture. Sometimes I share them and sometimes I don’t. I never thought about that as a form of advocating until the speakers talked about it today,” Chapman said. “That was eye-opening for me, so I will definitely be taking the time to share more about this industry on social media in the future.”

“I always tell my kids, ‘Y’all are the future,’ and I mean it,” McKinney said. “The first step in leading is learning to advocate. I think today’s speakers drove that point home, and I’m grateful for that because these kids are going to determine what the future looks like.”