David Waide, a cotton, soybean and cattle producer from West Point, Miss., has been re-elected to his sixth two-year term as the president of the Mississippi Farm Bureau Federation.

Waide’s election took place at the MFBF’ 85th annual meeting, which was held Saturday and Sunday in Jackson. More than 650 Farm Bureau members representing the state’s 82 county Farm Bureaus took part in the meeting.

Besides returning Waide to its top position, the organization elected three area vice presidents, including: for North Mississippi, Donald Gant of Bolivar County; Central Mississippi, Randy Knight of Rankin County; and South Mississippi, Reggie Magee of Jeff Davis County.

Newly elected or re-elected directors on the MFBF Board include: Lowell Hinton, Alcorn County; Ken Middleton, Washington County; Kelcy Shields, Itawamba County; Richard Canull, Noxubee County; Jimmie Arthur, Leake County; Ricky Ruffin, Jasper County; Neal Clinkscales, Sharkey County; Bill Pigott, Walthall County; W. G. Hickman, Stone County; and Louis Breaux IV, Hancock County.

Clint Tindall of Webster County will sit on the board of directors due to his election as Young Farmer & Rancher Committee chairman.

MFBF delegates also adopted policy to guide the organization’s efforts during 2007. Policies relating to national issues will be forwarded to the American Farm Bureau Federation for consideration at its annual meeting, which is scheduled for Salt Lake City in mid-January.

In other meeting activities, Meagan Holaday of Madison County and a freshman at Mississippi State University, was selected Miss Farm Bureau — Mississippi in a competition with four other contestants from around the state. Holaday will serve as a spokesperson for Farm Bureau during the next year.

Bill Ryan and Leslie Tabb of Bolivar County were selected as Farm Bureau’s Young Farmer Achievement Award winner. They will join Matthew Burnham of Covington County, who won the YF&R Discussion Meet competition, in traveling to Salt Lake City to represent Mississippi in the national competition.

The annual MFBF Distinguished Service Award was presented to Vance Watson, vice president of Agriculture, Forestry, and Veterinary Medicine at Mississippi State University.

The Excellence in Leadership Award went to Sylvia Clark of Calhoun County for her work promoting the sweet potato industry in Mississippi.

Two Friend of Agriculture Awards were presented to state legislators who are supportive of Farm Bureau and agriculture in their work in the state legislature. The recipients were Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith of Brookhaven and Rep. David Gibbs of West Point.