Mississippi Ag Council elects new leaders
Sep 5, 2003 12:00 PM
THE MISSISSIPPI Agricultural Industry Council has named Abby Taylor, a Helena Chemical Co. representative from Webb, Miss., as its new president for 2003-04. Taylor assumed his duties at the group's recent annual meeting in Orange Beach, Ala.
Serving with Taylor will be Joe Camp of Mantachie, Miss., location manager for Agriliance at Baldwyn, Miss., first vice president; Keylon Gholston of Baldwyn, Miss., eastern region manager for Delta and Pine Land Co., second vice president; Will McCarty Mississippi Extension cotton specialist, executive vice president; and Lee Daughtry, Mississippi Department of Agriculture and Commerce/Bureau of Plant Industry, secretary/treasurer.
The mission of the Mississippi Agricultural Industry Council is to represent all segments of the state's agricultural industry and to provide opportunities for education, problem solving, legislative consultation and communication to ensure the viability of agriculture at every level.
In addition to honoring their incoming officers and outgoing president Ned Darbonne with Bayer CropScience, the group also presented an Outstanding Member award to Andy Ezell, professor at Mississippi State University's College of Forest Resources, for his assistance in recruiting 84 new members into the organization.
The Outstanding Man of the Year award went to Jonny Spivey of Indianola, Miss., with Dow AgroSciences. Spivey is a past president and board member of the organization as well as having served on several committees and special projects.
MAIC presented its coveted Lifetime Membership award to Bob Thompson of Mississippi Chemical Corp. Thompson began his career as an agronomist with MSU and later served as Mid-South director for the Potash and Phosphate Institute. He worked closely with university faculty and other crop production professionals to develop nutrient management education, research and demonstration programs in the region until retiring in 1995. He then went to work as an agronomist for MCC.
Thompson helped found the annual Southern Soil Fertility Conference, which is now the Southern Plant Nutrient Management Conference. He was an early advocate in the design and implementation of the Mississippi Certified Crop Adviser Program and continues to serve as secretary and Continuing Education Committee chair.
