County Farm Bureau board members recently gathered at The Sheraton Refuge in Jackson to attend a County Board Advocacy Training in an effort to begin 2023 strong.

After celebrating 100 years of faith, family and Farm Bureau in 2022, the training was designed to re-energize county leaders.

“It’s good to find out what everybody’s doing, put all our thoughts together and come together to try to have the best board we can for our county,” Jones County Farm Bureau member Kirby Maulding said.

Long-time and first-time county board members heard from national and local advocacy experts, learning what could happen in Washington, D.C. and Jackson this year and how those actions could affect their counties and their farms.

One of those experts included Cody Lyon, American Farm Bureau Federation Managing Director, Advocacy and Political Affairs.

“You want to have members who want to go in and be part of changing the policy, editing the policy, making the policy stronger, making the policy fit the needs of the members in the current environment that we have now,” Lyon said.

This is just one example of what makes a Farm Bureau membership so valuable.

“Everything that Farm Bureau is doing – at the county, regional, state, national levels – directly comes back to us as people in agriculture businesses and farmers,” Sunflower County Farm Bureau member Sarah Clark said.

“I am a Farm Bureau member because of the grassroots the organization does for agricultural policy,” Hinds County Farm Bureau member Lee Thorne said.

“It’s just important for us to have a voice, especially at the state capital and our nation’s capital, and have a seat at the table. Through Farm Bureau, we’ve been able to have that,” Pontotoc County Farm Bureau member Kayla Poe said.

The benefits of being a Farm Bureau member go far beyond the farm. With a office in all 82 Mississippi counties, Farm Bureau serves all Mississippians, focusing on issues that affect more than just those who farm.

We tend to talk about the ag benefits of a Farm Bureau membership, but a membership entails a lot more,” Stone County Farm Bureau member J.B. Brown said. A Farm Bureau membership gives you a voice. For example, Farm Bureau has led the charge to get rural broadband access for all rural residents. To me, that voice is one of the greatest benefits of all.”

They fight for you, whether you’re a farmer, an individual or a politician,” Lamar County Farm Bureau member Renee Keith said.

A Farm Bureau membership gives Mississippians a voice, bringing together more than 180,000 families to make a resounding impact.

“To me, a Farm Bureau membership is more valuable than any monetary amount. You can voice your opinion to Farm Bureau on whatever issue you have and they listen. A Farm Bureau membership is pocket change compared to any problems we have on the farm,” Jones County Farm Bureau member Sean McDonald said.

Find out what a membership would mean to your life by visiting msfb.org/benefits.