Gipson: Next Generation Is Vital To Keep Ag Strong
Mississippi Agriculture and Commerce Commissioner Andy Gipson spoke to agriculture and community leaders during a meeting Monday. He was appointed commissioner back in March, succeeding Cindy Hyde-Smith who stepped down to take an appointment for the U.S. Senate.
By David Howell
Editor
WATER VALLEY – Speaking to farmers and community leaders across the county during a community session Monday in Water Valley, newly appointed Mississippi Agriculture and Commerce Commissioner Andy Gipson stressed that preparing future farmers to work in the state’s largest industry must be a priority.
Gipson’s input comes as he has already traveled to 67 counties in Mississippi, listening to farmers, ranchers and landowners in the $7.4 billion industry that employs over a quarter of the state’s workforce. His insight also stems from a life-long love for cattle farming, raising cows since he was 13 years-old and managing a small cattle operation for over two decades as well as growing pine trees.
“Our next generation is so crucial to our future,” Gipson explained, “The average age of the farmer in Mississippi is 63 years-old. “They say to me ‘when we stop farming, we don’t know who is going to keep this going.’”
Gipson said identifying the next generation of ag leaders is crucial and work is underway on a statewide internship program through the Department of Agriculture to develop these leaders.
“Maybe they are not going to college, maybe they are kids who are going to community college, maybe they are high school students who just want to get out and work. We want to find them and get them real life experiences,” Gipson said.
He also said a meeting is scheduled on October 5 with community college presidents to try to come up with an ag workforce development program which also be instrumental in keeping the farms going.
“It helps the farmer, it helps the young people and it is going to help our overall Mississippi economy,” the commissioner said.
Gipson’s experience also includes serving almost 12 years as a state representative, a role that also provides unique experience for another challenge he identified during the meeting in the Mechanic’s Bank Community Room.
“Roads and bridges in the state must be addressed,” Gipson noted. “We have to get our crops to the market, we have to get our livestock across the bridges,” a message he said he helped promote at the recent special session in Jackson.
“They did pass some good legislation to make sure those dollars get to the local county and municipal rural roads and bridges that we depend on,” Gipson told the group.
Ironically just six months earlier, during the 2018 regular session, Gipson shared that Governor Phil Bryant called and asked if he would serve as agriculture commissioner.
That call came during a particularly grueling afternoon as lawmakers were working on infrastructure funding.
“We were trying to pass a road and bridge bill and it was like beating your head on that wall, trying to make sense of those folks,” Gipson explained about that afternoon.
“He said ‘I need an agriculture commissioner, would you do it,’” Gipson recalled.
“I said Governor, I sure want to do it but I need to pray about it and talk to my wife about it,” Gipson continued.
“He said ‘fine, it’s a big decision. Take all the time you need, but get back to me by eight o’clock in the morning,’” Gipson said about the conversation that led to a career change from state representative to commissioner.
Other challenges
Gipson also stressed minimizing burdensome regulations for the state’s farmers is another priority for his agency, a task that he is also prepared to tackle as he is also an attorney, earning his law degree from Mississippi College School of Law in 2002.
“Every time we turn around, some bureaucrat is sitting in an office somewhere is writing a regulation trying to put us farmers out of business. Trying to make it harder for us to do what we already know how to do, to farm and raise food, fiber and timber,” Gipson continued.
A fourth priority identified Monday included branding and promoting Mississippi products.
“One of the big things I hear across Mississippi is consumers want to buy local, they want to support local products and they want to know where their food is coming from.
In July, the agency launched Genuine Mississippi, a new branding program that will promote products that are grown, raised, crafted or made in the Magnolia State.
“We want to promote Mississippi, I am proud of Mississippi, I love our state,” Gipson said.
