Mississippi Farm Bureau delegates will gather in Jackson for their 91st annual convention, December 1-3, with an agenda to set policy for the state’s largest farm organization. Mississippi Farm Bureau President Randy Knight, a Pelahatchie dairy farmer, has announced a membership total of nearly 200,000 member families.

The adoption of the organization’s policy book, which lays out Farm Bureau’s direction for the coming year, is the most important business of the upcoming convention, Knight said. “This has been a great year for Mississippi farmers in the field and legislatively. Our policies will reflect the membership’s feelings about many issues including ones that affect all consumers.”

The 2012 annual meeting begins at 9:00 a.m. on Saturday, December 1, with the statewide Farm Bureau Ambassador Contest.

The Opening General Session will begin at 1:00 p.m. Saturday afternoon and will feature the keynote address by Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant, and a presentation by Jeff Fowle, a third generation family farmer and rancher from Etna, California. That session will be followed by an Environmental Conference and a Safety Conference.

Sunday afternoon will feature the Recognition and Awards program where individual county Farm Bureaus are recognized for their work during the past year. The Distinguished Service Award and the Excellence in Leadership Award will also be presented at this session along with the Friend of Agriculture Award and the Ag Ambassador Award.

The Sunday Night General Session will be at 6:30 p.m. highlighted by the announcement of the winners of the Young Farmer and Rancher Achievement Award, the Excellence in Agriculture Award, and the Discussion Meet.

The Business Session will take place on Monday, December 3, at 8 a.m. The annual report will be delivered by President Randy Knight to be followed by the adoption of the resolutions that form Farm Bureau’s Policy Book and the election of officers and directors.