Charlie Elrod, Ph.D.
President, Natural Biologics, Inc.
Board Member, Northeast Agribusiness and Feed Alliance
At the NEAFA Board of Directors’ and strategic planning meeting this summer, the five new board members were asked which (additional) committees they wanted to serve on. We also reviewed the results of the SWOT analysis which was sent to all NEAFA members back in May. Sadly, only 22 members took the time to respond to the SWOT analysis, the vast majority of those responding were current or former board members. The implication is that a very small minority of the NEAFA membership are setting the direction for everyone. The SWOT analysis respondents provided the data which informed those same people in their creation of a new strategic plan for NEAFA. Our organization would certainly benefit from more diverse input into the future of that same organization
Soon thereafter, we had a discussion of NEAFA member engagement, partly as a result of the low SWOT analysis participation. It struck me that one way to encourage better engagement could be to get more members involved in the various committees. I’m sure that at least one of the eight committees touches on a topic which impacts your business (Transportation, for instance) or is near and dear to your heart (Good Works) or does work which is vital for your workforce (Education). As a committee member, you can influence the objectives and direction of the committee and make sure that new ideas, knowledge and experience are represented.
Most of the committees have a conference call about once a quarter, so it’s not a huge time commitment. Importantly, the work done by the committees not only provides direction for the Board of Directors, but it is also the place where the work of NEAFA gets done. In order to have the most active, inclusive and relevant agribusiness organization in the Northeast, we need your participation! It’s easy to do, just email Sue VanAmburgh, sue@nysta.mobi and let her know which committee you’d like to work on. The committee chair will then follow up with you. Those committees are:
Agronomy Committee: The mission of this relatively new committee is to “produce, guide and disseminate information, on technologies, programs and research that will contribute to an economically, socially and environmentally viable industry for our members policy makers and the greater agricultural community”. The committee has focused on the development of the Phosphorus and Nitrogen White Papers, drafted by Larry Chase and Kristen Reed, in addition to providing a discussion platform for Dr. Reed’s RuFaS modeling project (Ruminant Farm Systems Model)
Bylaws Committee: This committee does the thoughtful work of assuring that our bylaws keep up with our ever growing and evolving organization. This is a great committee for those who like to think about big picture challenges and opportunities.
Communications: Provides guidance on the organization’s various communications strategies, programs and projects.
Conventions: Helps to plan for the NEAFA Annual Meeting and the Annual Golf for Good Works Tournament .
Education: Guides the organization in serving our industry’s educational needs; plans the agenda for the annual Herd Health and Nutrition Conference .
Finance: Reviews the Alliance’s financial information and helps to create the annual budget .
Good Works: Has authority to make donations to worthy programs and causes that fit within the parameters of our Good Works Program. (Proceeds from the annual golf tournament fund this program.)
Governmental Relations: Guides the organization on the public policy front; establishes the annual legislative priority list for Board approval; assists in advocating for issues impacting our industry.
Membership: Assists in membership growth and development of membership priorities.
Transportation: Provides guidance regarding the many transportation related issues impacting the industry. Issues related to trucks and trains tend to be most prevalent.