August 7, 2005
President - Lenny Rogers
President Elect - Ray Harris
Vice President - Gary Pierce
Secretary - Ben Chase
Treasurer - Barry Foushee
Past President - Mark Tucker
Hello all, I am now your new NCACAA President and I look forward to working with each of you during this upcoming year. Listed here are some tidbits from our recent 2005 NACAA Annual Meeting and Professional Improvement Conference (AM/PIC) which I hope you'll enjoy.
The North Carolina Association of County Agricultural Agents (NCACAA) was well represented in Buffalo, New York: There was a total of 104 agents, spouses, life members and children there from North Carolina. Of these 81 attended our States' Night Out at Pearl Street Brewery and Grill on Tuesday evening. Also, this was the first AM/PIC for 5 of our members.
Ray Harris, David Morrison, Craig Adkins, Billy Little and Richard Rhodes were presented the Distinguished Service Award. Mike Carroll, Diane Ducharme and Gary Pierce were presented the Achievement Award. The Team consisting of: Norman Harrell, Tom Futrell, Art Bradley, Ken Bateman, Charlie Tyson, Louie Johnson and Mitch Smith was awarded the National Search For Excellence - Crop Production Award.
Karen Neil was a national finalist in "Home Page" Communications Category Linda Blue was a national finalist in both "Publication" and "Video" Communications Categories.
Please work at trying to attend these fantastic professional improvement opportunities in your near future. Someone recently stated that you have to experience an NACAA AM/PIC to fully understand how beneficial the activities, presentations, networking, and tours are in providing opportunities for professional growth in your extension career and building relationships with other members and their families throughout North Carolina and across the country.
As you already know, we the NCACAA will be hosting The 2008 NACAA AM/PIC in Greensboro, so this is another reason to be attending and learning from other AM/PICs.
This year's keynote speakers were great - if you ever have a chance to hear a presentation by Dr. Zach Clements - you won't be disappointed - unless you do not believe in personal responsibility. Also, Steve Trasks "The Power of Teamwork" was very powerful.
There were 28 tours to choose from on Wednesday and regardless of your specialty there was more than one tour that would have been of interest to you. The following is just a sampling of the tours (many couples and families go on these tours together):
Exploring Private Forest Production
Lake Erie Grapes, From Cuttings to Glass
Direct Marketing in New York
Greenhouse and Fresh Market Vegetables
Manure Alternative that Add Value and/or Reduce Odor
Food Processing - Farm to Supermarket
Processing Vegetables and the Machines that Harvest Them
Tree Fruits, Fruit Processing and Fruit of the Vine
Dairy Farming and Milk Processing
Horse Industry in Western NY
Ag Environmental Management
Grass Based Livestock - Holsteins and Beef
Retail Horticulture
Beef Production
Large and Unique Dairy Producers in New York
Horticulture Production and Public Gardens
Southern Tier Diversified Small Farms
Ag Best Management Practices and Water Quality
In addition to professional development seminars and tours - there was a wide variety of tours and programming for family members and life members. The children always have a fun and have fantastic learning experiences at these meetings. As my eight year old son Ben said: "The jet boat ride near the Niagara Falls was great and the Buffalo Zoo was cool too!"
Next year's NACAA AM/PIC will be held July 23 to July 27 in Cincinnati, Ohio. The 2006 AM/PIC is being jointly hosted by Ohio and Kentucky. I hope you will mark these dates on your calendar and join the North Carolina delegation for a great educational and fun week.
Why you should join NCACAA and NACAA:
The following is a quote from Daryl Buchholz taken from the Feb. 2005 "e" County Agent
"What about all the professional societies, fraternities, and organizations? I first have to ask, "do you consider yourself a professional?" A professional organization brings together individuals with similar professional interests and varied experiences to share with each other. Paying your dues is not about what the society or organization brings to you, but what you contribute to the profession. As a new employee in the profession, the professional organization offers the opportunity to learn from others. It moves you out of isolation into a support network of professionals, if you let it. As a more seasoned employee, your organization offers contemporary review and renewal along with the leadership roles you can and must take. It keeps you from becoming stagnant and stale in your professional work. You will get new ideas of ways to do your work. It offers a means to be involved with other professionals seeking to improve their knowledge and skills within your profession."
For those that attended, remember that the Buffalo AM/PIC pictures are on-line for agents To review and purchase as desired. Or for those that didnt, check them out anyway and get a feel for the fun and professional development offered at the 2005 AM/PIC!
For more information on the 2005 & 2006 meetings, NACAA, and "e" County Agent: http://www.nacaa.com/
Lenny Rogers
NCACAA
President
Last updated on 08/08/05.
Please send comments and suggestions to John Dorner.