Hello again, everyone. Time is marching on...March Madness....Spring Fever....First Quarter almost in the books. Early Spring, Easter’s almost here...Every day is a new day and a new opportunity on so many levels.
Your Board of Directors met on Tuesday, March 21, again taking care of routine business, hearing reports on the progress of the Annual Meeting Committee, the Continuing Education Committee, the Strategic Alliance Committee and the Marketing and Promotion Committee.
Member’s dues continue to be received. If you haven’t already paid your 2023 dues, I encourage you to please do so.
We’re continuing to receive inquiries about professional membership, on top of the excellent month of February. Two applications are in process as of this writing and should be completed and on the Member Roster by the time you are reading this Communique.
These recent two applications are international applicants – from India and Nigeria. Assuming acceptance of these two men, our overseas membership will number four individuals, up from just one a year ago. As encouraging as it is to have this interest from other countries, it will be interesting to see how we --- and they --- will coordinate and provide mutually beneficial assistance, training, education and communication. ASAC once had a significant presence in overseas work. Members still among our roster --- John Jackson and Bill Lee immediately come to mind --- have significant overseas experiences to share from years past. I personally am excited about overseas opportunities and am interested in how this will work. I will be in Europe for three weeks in May, starting with a church-related program in southern France and ending with Memorial Day ceremonies in Belgium at the American cemetery where my Uncle Charlie, my dad’s brother, is buried. In between, my travel buddies and I hope to see a variety of sites, including some agricultural operations and businesses. Perhaps I can come back with some things with which to present an educational program and to develop some ideas for overseas outreach.
I’ve had the opportunity and time to visit by phone briefly with some of our new members. Jake LaRue is an irrigation consultant, presently living near Tulsa, Oklahoma. He tells me he was an ASAC member back in the 1980s, before he accepted employment with Valmont Industries. Now retired from there, he has come back to independent consulting and re-joined ASAC. Welcome back, Jake. Judith Bullock in Arizona, near the Grand Canyon, has some interesting activities and opportunities working with small acreage producers in specialty crops. Kendall Treadwell in southwestern Oklahoma and her husband farm, consult and also manage a beef feedlot. She told me these things help support and subsidize her “hobby” of raising horses. Just kidding, Kendall. Horses in her part of the world are an important part of the ranching business.
I encourage you to print the ASAC Directory and keep it handy. When you catch some slack time, make it a point to contact some of the other members and build some relationships. They will be deeply gratifying and surely will be mutually beneficial to everyone and to the Society.
Bill Zweigbaum manages the Certified Agricultural Consultant (CAC) program. We’re working to get this program on the top of everyone’s mind, advertising its benefits not only to the membership, but also as a tool for new member recruitment and professional development. Check it out and work on certification. I need to do the same.
Watch for communications from Jean Merry, Executive Director, about our initiatives through the various committees (Strategic Alliance, Marketing and Promotion, Continuing Education). Stay informed about our activities. Participate, find an interesting topic and help develop a program. We’ll publicize and promote it.
----------------------------------------------------------
Member Highlights:
Has anyone presented at a conference, whether locally or nationally? Let us know. We want to highlight our member’s activities, wherever they may be.
----------------------------------------------------------
Repeating from last month’s Communique...............
Shop Talk program. Contact Jean Merry and Russell Morgan for information to help develop a program. Consider putting something together from your company or industry and host one.
The Blog Post. Write an article on something pertinent to our ag consulting profession and submit it to Don Tyler, Northern Region Director (don@dontyler.com). He’s taking the lead on getting content to the website. Keep an article to no more than 600 words.
Standing Committees:
· Membership – Ron Rabou
· Nominating – Kyle Walker
· By-Laws – Dave Mielnicki
· Ethics and Grievance – Ethan Robertson
· Continuing Education – Russell Morgan
· Annual Meeting – Keith Dickinson
· Finance – Keith Raynor
Ad Hoc Committees
· Marketing and Promotion – Paige Gilligan
· Strategic Alliance – Norm Brown
Finally, something from the Archives below the Board of Directors' Notes............
In this Communique is an annotated picture from John Jackson’s first ASAC Conference and Annual Meeting in New Orleans. I am very appreciative of John’s loyalty and dedication to the Society and, of course, for his friendship.
Remember...............
The Sky is NOT the Limit!
Pete Weisenberger
President
