PAST

Organized in the early 1960s as the Mississippi Plant Food Council, then becoming the Mississippi Agricultural Chemicals Council in the late 1960s, the Mississippi Agricultural Industry Council (MAIC) has always focused on maintaining the viability of Mississippi agriculture. The founding participants consisted of members of industry, the Mississippi Department of Agriculture and the Mississippi Cooperative Extension Service. Through more than four decades of service, MAIC has provided leadership, communication and education to all aspects of the plant foods industry. In more recent years, the group has expanded its efforts to become a voice for important agricultural issues and to serve all segments of Mississippi agriculture.

PRESENT

Today’s MAIC membership represents a broad cross section of the agricultural industry from chemical, seed and fertilizer companies to regulatory groups, the Mississippi State University (MSU) Extension Service, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station, the Mississippi Department of Agriculture and Commerce, ag media and growers. MAIC, led by a slate of experienced and progressive officers and committee chairmen, works continually to keep members informed on issues of importance to the industry. We also provide input to other organizations and agencies charged with regulatory and farm policy issues. To ensure members are always aware of agriculture news that could impact them, MAIC uses a variety of written and digital communications and meetings as opportunities for sharing ideas and concerns. In addition, MAIC provides student scholarships, offers training sessions for members to earn Certified Crop Advisor credits or Continuing Education Units and supports MSU through a financial endowment.

FUTURE

Economic relief for the nation’s agricultural industry won’t come quickly, and it won’t come without more of the mergers and cutbacks that have been so prevalent the last few years. MAIC, recognizing that every segment of the industry will continue to be faced with doing more with less, is committed to making that burden easier. We will continue to search for educational opportunities that help our members move toward the future. We will strive to advise our state and national leadership on environmental, economic and farm policy issues. We are expanding efforts to be proactive in telling the good stories of agriculture through media outlets and ag-related events. During the lifetimes and careers of our members, we’ve seen technological advances that we seemingly read about one day and put into practice on the turnrow the next. While we can’t tell exactly what the future may hold, we are committed to being the agriculture organization that prepares for it optimistically, laying the groundwork for agriculture’s next generation.