Mississippi Farm Bureau Federation will host a Summer Leadership Conference July 18-20 at the Sheraton Refuge in Flowood. More than 15 speakers are scheduled to present. The full list of speakers, their biographies and topics can be found below.
Troy Applehans – Market Analyst, CattleFax
Troy Applehans was born and raised in Colorado, involved in the registered and commercial cattle business. He actively participated in showing cattle at local, regional, and national levels. He also was actively involved in livestock judging from a very young age. He attended Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College in Miami, Okla., where he earned his associate degree, prior to attending Oklahoma State University in Stillwater, Oklahoma and was a member of two National Champion Livestock Judging teams. He graduated with a bachelor’s degree in
agriculture, majoring in animal science/livestock merchandising.
Following graduation, Troy worked in Alabama for Cattle Today, Inc., a southeastern U.S. livestock publication where he was a livestock fieldman for eight years, assisting registered cattle producers in merchandising cattle and working as a ringman at over 2,000 auctions across the nation.
Troy then worked for the American Gelbvieh Association in Denver, CO and served as a regional director/fieldman. Following this, he was a business owner of Express Personnel Services in Plano, Texas. Following the sale of this business, he was on the procurement team for Future Beef Operations, purchasing both feeder cattle and calves, as well as directing quality control of cattle entering feedyards.
Troy started his career at CattleFax in late 2003. His responsibilities include covering cow-calf and stocker members in the southern plains and southeastern states, as well as feedyards in Colorado, Nebraska, and the Corn Belt.
In addition to his duties at CattleFax, Troy continues to work registered cattle sales as a ringman,
and runs cows and stocker cattle.
John Walt Boatright – Director of Government Affairs, AFBF
The H-2A program helps employers who anticipate a lack of available domestic workers to bring foreign workers to the U.S. to perform temporary or seasonal agricultural work including, but not limited to, planting, cultivating, or harvesting labor. Over the past several years this program has become more and more vital to MS agriculture as producers continue to face a shrinking pool of domestic farm workers. John Walt Boatright, Director of Government Affairs for American Farm Bureau Federation, works closely with lawmakers in Washington D.C. regarding labor policy and regulation. Mississippi Farm Bureau is proud to have John Walt with join us to discuss ongoing obstacles with labor and things American Farm Bureau is working on to ensure the availability of skilled agriculture workers for U.S. farmers.
Sarah J. Bohnenkamp – Leadership and Business Coach
Sarah J. Bohnenkamp, is a Chief Trailblazer of epic conversations.
She is setting a new standard for how to develop leaders and grow the impact of agriculture-focused and service-based organizations big and small.
With a passion for empowering underdogs and tackling issues related to communication, leadership, and sustainability, Sarah works with individuals and organizations who want to make an epic difference in the world.
Sarah’s been a developer of people and organizations for more than two decades, quickly moving from Training Coordinator to Director of Employee Development in the financial world, to graduating to the C-Suite in an industry she’d never fathomed leading (in the beef world) as Chief Operating Officer.
Since 2015, she’s led her own Colorado-based coaching and consulting firm where she helps clients deepen trust, clarify vision, improve strategy, and grow impact. Over the years she’s worked with many agriculture organizations from cattle to corn, and often leverages the wisdom of horses in her work.
She’s a momma of two little love bugs, professional singer, and hope dealer who loves to cut cattle and put her toes in the water as often as she can.
You can follow along with her leadership journey on Instagram at @sarahjbohnenkamp or visit sarahjbohnenkamp.com.
The Honorable Jenifer Branning – Mississippi Senator
Jenifer Branning is an attorney, state senator, wife, mother, proud Mississippian and friend of agriculture. She represents District 18 – Leake, Neshoba and Winston counties in the Mississippi Senate, where she serves as the Highways and Transportation Committee Chair, the Judiciary, Division A Committee Vice-Chair, and a member of the Accountability, Efficiency, Transparency; Appropriations; Business and Financial Institutions; Compilation, Revision and Publication; Constitution; Elections; Forestry; and Housing committees.
She is a member of Official MS Women’s Club, NRA; Neshoba Forestry Association, Neshoba County Industrial Managers’ Association, MS Federation of Women’s Club, MS Bar, Philadelphia Community Development Partnership, Neshoba Chamber of Commerce, Leake Chamber of Commerce Winston County Republican Women.
Micah Brown – Staff Attorney, National Agriculture Law Center
Micah Brown is a Staff Attorney at the National Agriculture Law Center. His primary areas of research are finance and credit, commercial transactions, secured transactions, federal crop insurance, and foreign ownership of agricultural land. Micah is here today to speak on the topic of foreign ownership of agricultural land. This is a hot topic across farm country the last few years and will only continue to grow hotter. As a general agriculture policy organization our grassroots policy directs the leadership on how to handle issues. This particular issue is multifaceted in the fact that most of the conversation revolves around individual’s resistance against Chinese ownership of agricultural land. This however is a very delicate topic that needs to be addressed correctly so as we do not incur unintended consequences. For instance if the state legislature were to pass a blanket law that opposed the foreign ownership of agriculture land this would prevent many of our seed and feed companies from owning test plots, storage facilities or other interests that we rely on as an industry. The Mississippi Legislature voted in the 2023 legislative session to create a study committee to review the issue. We as an organization need to review our current policy to make sure that are positioned to advocate on the topic for the best interests of our farmers in Mississippi. MFBF current policy as adopted in 2021 states; Private Property Rights – 110, Lines 44-49, Foreign ownership of utility companies and natural resource businesses, including agricultural land, should be limited to less than a controlling interest. We oppose preferential treatment of foreign investments in agriculture and insist that foreign investors be required to conform to the same tax laws and import and export regulations as Mississippi producers.
Micah will review what other states have done to address the issue and highlight what has worked and what has had unintended consequences. Please make every effort to engage in this session and provide MFBF with the policy direction needed to address this issue going forward that represents the best interests of Mississippi farmers and ranchers.
Dr. Clay Cavinder – Equine Specialist, Mississippi State University
Clay Cavinder grew up on a horse and cattle farm in Idabel, OK. He received a B.S. from Oklahoma State, a M.S. from Missouri State, and a Ph.D. from Texas A&M in the area of reproductive physiology. From 2006-2014, Clay was on faculty at Texas A&M University where he taught and conducted research. In 2015, Clay became the Extension Horse Specialist at Mississippi State University. There he has created programs centered around educating the public on management practices and training to improve horse related performance for showing and recreational use.
Jacqueline Ervin – Miss Rodeo Mississippi
Jacqueline Ervin of McComb, MS, is the 22-year-old daughter of Doug and Brandi Ervin and the granddaughter of Randy and Jackie Braswell and the late Hershel and Dorothy Ervin. She is a recent graduate of Mississippi State University where she earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration.
Jacqueline has more than 11 years of experience with rodeos, horse shows, and other activities that have helped her be a quality ambassador for the sport of rodeo, the state of Mississippi, and the western way of life. I’m competitions, Jacqueline has won the title Grand Champion from the TTES Riding Club as well as earning Reserve Champion from the Liverpool Riding Club. She also qualified for NBHA World Competition four years in a row, and she has served as a Dixie National flag girl 3 times.
Jacqueline is no stranger to the Miss Rodeo Mississippi Foundation. In January 2021, she was crowned the 2021 Miss Dixie National as the official ambassador for the Dixie National Livestock and Rodeo Show. In January 2023, she was crowned Miss Rodeo Mississippi 2023 as the Mississippi ambassador for the PRCA, agriculture, and western way of life. She will compete for the coveted title of Miss Rodeo America in Las Vegas, Nevada, this December.
Shawn Hacket – President, Hackett Financial Advisors, Inc.
Throughout history, long term changes in weather patterns, geopolitics, currency values and interest rates have had an exorbitant influence on the economics of the global agricultural system. Understanding these cycles can help to discern longer-term trends in ag investments and production and the prices required to satisfy the world’s need for quality food that is accessible and reliable. When overlaying these historic cycles with current deglobalization trends, the “just in time inventory” ag supply chain model the world has embraced over the past 20 years will quickly revert back to the tried and true “stockpiling strategy” and regionalized global trade structure seen throughout most of history. The increased demand required to re-stock the world’s food reserve system will require higher ag prices to encourage production at a challenging time of volatile weather patterns, higher costs of production from systemic shortages of inputs like fertilizer and reliable energy. Food security, accessibility, reliability, and quality are about to take precedence over the prices paid. In this presentation, Hackett explains these various short, intermediate, and longer-term cycles mentioned above, why they happen along with the historical data on their impacts to production and prices. Emphasis will be placed on how producers and end users can navigate this dramatic change in our weather patterns and price volatility patterns to alter their growing, cash-marketing, crop insurance, and hedging activities. Being proactive to this volatile environment will be paramount to being able to bring more money home on the farm.
Matt Harrison – Enterprise Security Risk Manager, SFBCIC
Matt Harrison is Southern Farm Bureau Casualty’s Enterprise Security Risk Manager. He has 23 years of experience in the cybersecurity industry. Matt worked at a national bank for 13 years before leaving his position as Associate Vice President of Cybersecurity to join Southern Farm Bureau. He celebrated his 10-year anniversary with Southern Farm Bureau this month.
Matt and the team that he leads is responsible for protecting the organization’s assets, applications, systems, and technology while enabling and advancing business outcomes across all the casualty company’s states.
He holds the following security certifications:
- Certified Information Systems Security Professional
- Certified Information Systems Auditor
- and Certified Cloud Security Professional
Natasha Haynes – Extension Agent IV, Mississippi State University
Natasha Haynes is a Family and Consumer Sciences Extension Agent for the Mississippi State University- Extension Service, Rankin County, and the interim county coordinator for Scott County. She provides educational programs on money management, leadership development, child development, family life, and nutrition and food safety. Natasha enjoys traveling, strength training and rowing, as well as Pilates. She enjoys meeting new clients and that her job is never the same each day. Her favorite color is purple. She refers to herself as a purpleholic because everything in her office is purple and a good bit of her houseware is purple. She wears purple tennis shoes and socks when filming her social media segment, The Food Factor.
The Food Factor provides research-based information related to food, nutrition, diet, and healthy lifestyles for Mississippians of all ages. She brings food science down to earth and makes it useful for today’s families. She is also a blog writer for the Extension for Life blog.
She is the daughter of Dr. Linden Haynes and the late Dr. Worth Haynes, Sr. She holds a Master’s degree in Communication from Mississippi College and a Bachelor’s Degree in Family Consumer Science from Alcorn State University.
Ms. Haynes can be reached at 601-825-1462 or email natasha.haynes@msstate.edu
Rankin County Extension Office address is 601 Marquette Road, Brandon, MS 39042.
Whit Kendall – Associate, Adams and Reese LLP
Whit Kendall grew up on his family farm in western Hinds County, where they grow cotton, corn and soybeans and have a commercial cattle herd. After studying Agricultural Engineering at Mississippi State, Whit went to law school at Mississippi College. Whit lived on the farm during law school and continues to live there now. After graduating from law school, Whit worked for Commissioner Andy Gipson at the Dept. of Ag and Commerce, where he served as counsel and worked on legislative and policy issues.
Whit then transitioned into private practice where he focuses his transitional practice on real estate and commercial lending. Over the past few years, Whit has specialized in representing landowners in solar leases throughout his firm’s footprint. He has represented all types of landowners from individuals to large timber companies and has worked with leases and options to purchase on every type of property from row crop and pastureland to pine plantations. His agriculture background gives him the ability to understand what protections landowners need when negotiating solar leases.
Trent Lott – Former U.S. Senator and Director and Senior Partner, Crossroads Strategies
Senator Lott represented the people of Mississippi in Congress for 35 years and is one of a handful of officials to have held elected leadership positions in both the House of Representatives and Senate. During his 16 years in the House and 19 years in the Senate, he worked closely with seven presidential administrations and was regarded as a savvy coalition builder and dealmaker. Senator Lott joined the House in 1973, representing Mississippi’s Fifth Congressional District. From 1981 to 1989, he served as House Minority Whip, the second-ranking Republican in the House.
In 1995, Senator Lott was elected Senate Republican Whip, giving him the distinction of being the only person to hold that position in both the House and Senate. He served as both Senate Majority and Minority Leader from 1996 to 2003.
Jay Mahaffey – Manager and Science Fellow, Scott Learning Center, Bayer CropScience
Jay Mahaffeyis a native of Chase, Louisiana, went to the University of Louisiana Mo=roe and received a Bachelors of Science degree in Agricultural Aviation. He then earned a Masters degree in Entomology and Statistics at North Carolina State University working with Bollgard in some of the very early studies with the product. In the =early 90’s Jay joined D&PL as an entomologist in the Technical Se=vices group working in the development and support of new transgenic products, seed treatments, and other technology for the cotton seed market. Jay has also worked with Roundup Ready, Bollgard II, VipCot, Bollgard III and Roundup Ready Flex. For the last 13 years Jay has been the manager of Bayer’s Scott Learning Center where they test the latest advanced agronomic practices with Bayer Products in a demonstration program consisting primarily of Corn, Cotton and Soybeans.
Over his extensive career in agriculture research, Jay has amassed a wealth knowledge and experience across a wide range agronomic systems. Throughout the years, Jay has gathered a vast collection of data encompassing every aspect of crop production in the mid-south. Taking a deeper dive in to all of the information gathered at the Scott Learning Center, Jay has developed a unique perspective on trends in common production practices, variety performance and adaptation. We are excited to have Jay with us to share his findings and lessons learned from his experience at the Scott Learning Center.
Marc Measells – Business Recruitment and Expansion Project Manager, Mississippi Development Authority
Marc Measells is an Economic Development Specialist at the Mississippi Development Authority with extensive experience in the forestry industry. He is a registered forester in Mississippi and previously served in various research and extension positions at Mississippi State University, Department of Forestry focusing on forestry, forest economics, forest management, and natural resource issues. Throughout his 21.5 year MSU career, he served on multiple committees associated with forestry and the forest industry, including the Society of American Foresters and the Mississippi Forestry Association. He started at MDA in January 2023 and his primary focus is working with existing forest industries on expansion projects and recruiting new forest industries to Mississippi.
Janine Strange – Motivational Speaker
Janine Stange is a motivational speaker, singer, and on-air personality. She is best known for her historic journey to sing the Star-Spangled Banner in all 50 states – a mission she embarked on to honor our brave. Her story is the subject of “National Anthem Girl” a documentary by Kelly’s Filmworks now streaming on Amazon Prime and Apple TV.
Janine has been featured on every major television network and appeared on national news shows including: TODAY Show, Fox & Friends, NBC Nightly News, and Fox News @ Night. She can also be heard every Thursday morning on Sirius XM’s 60’s Gold with Phlash Phelps.
For more information on Janine, please visit: www.janinestange.com and follow on social: Twitter: @TheAnthemGirl, Facebook: NationalAnthemGirl, Instagram: JanineStange. Join “Janine’s Team” by texting USA to 33777.
Carrie Walker – Director of Member Engagement, AFBF
Carrie joined American Farm Bureau in October of 2021. She serves as the lead for the Women’s Leadership and Health & Safety Network programs. A South Carolina native, Carrie has two degrees from the University of South Carolina in History and Political Science. Prior to joining AFBF, she worked for South Carolina Farm Bureau Federation, coordinating membership and leadership development programming. Carrie has a robust history of volunteer leadership experience in various non-profit organizations and cares deeply about having a voice through active involvement in the community.
Dr. Jim Watson – State Veterinarian, Mississippi Board of Animal Health
Jim Watson is a 1982 graduate of Mississippi State University, College of Veterinary Medicine and a Diplomat of the American College of Veterinary Preventive Medicine. After spending 16 years as a large animal veterinarian in Central Mississippi he became the State Veterinarian in 1998. He also served for 12 years as an officer in the Veterinary Corps of the US Army Reserves.
As State Veterinarian, Dr. Watson is the Executive Director of the Mississippi Board of Animal Health and is responsible for carrying out the various disease programs intended to prevent, control or eradicate animal diseases within the State of Mississippi. In addition, his duties include the development and implementation of animal disaster response plans for prevention and control of diseases exotic to the United States as well as promoting awareness of animal health issues. Dr. Watson also serves on various committees and advisory boards of many state and national organizations which seek to resolve animal health and animal disaster issues.
Jim Wiesemeyer – Washington Policy Analyst, Pro Farmer
From his office near Washington, DC, Jim Wiesemeyer contributes daily to Pro Farmer’s online website at profarmer.com, providing members with the latest information on agricultural policy and trade developments. He also is a participant in Farm Journal’s Agri-Talk radio program, has his weekly Farm Journal podcast each Monday called Signal to Noise, and serves as a Washington analyst for Pro Farmer and Farm Journal.
Since 1978, Mr. Wiesemeyer has frequently reported on and interviewed senior government officials, including presidents, as well as USDA Secretaries since Earl Butz. He has traveled extensively in his assignments and is a frequent speaker on farm policy and trade issues. Wiesemeyer rejoined Pro Farmer in June of 2017, after serving as their Washington consultant for 19 years while at Informa Economics, and before that an employee of Pro Farmer, then owned by Oster Communications. Mr. Wiesemeyer also is one of the writers for the Agriculture Letter, formerly the Kiplinger Ag Letter, now owned by Farm Journal Media.