Stew Deen presided over the meeting. Bryan Shaver provided the opening prayer. Coty Primeaux then led the Club in the Pledge of Allegiance. Stew then let the club in the Four Way Test. The meeting was held at the Mugshots Bar and Grill in Hattiesburg.
Bryan reported tat a District Club Assembly will be held at Coast Electric in Kiln on June 10th. The meeting will begin at 7:30 and end at 1:30. If you are interested in attending, contact Bryan. Sponsorship sign-ups for the June 1 wine tasting event are now underway. Each club member is required to sign up for at least one sponsorship. Angela Herzog asked club members for RYLA nominations. Nominees must be a rising senior. If you know anyone interested, contact Angela.
Stew then conducted the weekly 50/50 raffle. Lucy Sanguinetti’s ticket was drawn but she did not pick the correct card, so the pot will increase for next week.
Bill MacLauchlan then introduced today’s guest speaker, Commissioner of Agriculture and Commerce, Andy Gipson. Mr. Gibson is the eighth commissioner for our state. He is a cattleman, a tree farmer, an attorney, and an evangelist. He served in the Legislature as Mississippi State Representative from 2008 until 2018. Commissioner Gibson received his college education at Mississippi College and the Mississippi College School of Law. He oversees 210 employees at the Commission.
Commissioner Gibson reports that agriculture is the state’s largest industry. Twenty-five percent of the state’s workforce is employed by the industry. Our farmers have had record production every year since 2020, producing $9.7 billion dollars in farm products. Our state is number one in the southeast for poultry production and produces more timber inventory than any other state in the Southeast.
Although many industries were shuttered during the Covid crisis, the agriculture industry continued to operate. The greatest challenge faced by farmers today is the lack of workforce.
Farmers in Europe are fighting environmental concerns and many of them have had to cease production.
There are nine USDA meat producers in Mississippi, which is up from just three just a few short years ago.