The Mississippi Farm Bureau Federation will host its annual Region One Young Farmer Summer Leadership Meeting July 9 in Cleveland, Miss., at the Warehouse Restaurant.

The meeting will begin at 9 a.m. and conclude at noon. Lunch will be provided.

This year the meeting will focus primarily on grassroots involvement at the local level and provide information about additional leadership opportunities within Farm Bureau and other commodity groups and associations.

Speakers and topics for the meeting include:

• Activating, Energizing, & Coordinating the Political Grassroots Network: Cody Lyon, American Farm Bureau Federation, Washington, D.C., and Samantha Cawthorn, Mississippi Farm Bureau Federation, Jackson, Miss.

• Commodity Group Round Table: Brad Woods, MFBF Young Farmer Committee chairman; Dwight Roberts, U.S. Rice Producers Association; Will Choate, National Cotton Council; Chip Morgan, Delta Council; and a representative of the Mississippi Soybean Association/American Soybean Association.

•Perspectives from Members of Mississippi Legislature: Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith, chair, Senate Agriculture Committee; Rep. Greg Ward, chair, House Agriculture Committee; Sen. Buck Clarke, Senate District 22, Hollandale, Miss.; Rep. David Norquist, House District 28, Cleveland, Miss.

There is no registration fee, and the meeting is open to all young farmers in Bolivar, Coahoma, Desoto, Lafayette, Leflore, Panola, Quitman, Sunflower, Tallahatchie, Tate, Tunica, and Washington counties.

Farm Bureau membership is not a requirement to attend.

If you have questions or plan to attend, contact Justin Ferguson at (601) 720-4238 or [email protected].

Corporate sponsors for the event include: Land Bank of North Mississippi, Wade Incorporated, Pioneer Seed, Bayer Crop Science, Syngenta, AgVenture/Dulaney Seed, Stringers Equipment, DuPont, Dow Agroscience, Valent, Agriliance, UAP, Circle S Irrigation, First National Bank of Clarksdale, Helena Chemical, Jimmy Sanders Incorporated, First South, Milburn Growers, Cleveland State Bank, Delta and Pine Land, Leflore Hardware, Service Auto Parts of Greenwood, Planters Bank, Greenwood Bank of Commerce, Bobby Henard Tire Service, and the Farm Bureau Insurance Companies.