regional_director_report_to

National Association of County Agricultural Agents

Chuck Otte,

President

Henry Dorough

Southern Region Director

North Carolina Association of County Agricultural Agents

June 21, 2007

2007 Annual Meeting in Grand Rapids, MI

The Michigan agents have been working hard over the last three years and are very optimistic about the 2007 AM/PIC. Based on the previews I have seen, this is a meeting you will not want to miss. I even got Phil Durst, 2007 NACAA AM/PIC chair to promise there will be NO BOILED FISH served at the meeting. For more information go to www.nacaa2007.msu.edu/ or click on the link located on the NACAA home page (www.nacaa.com).

Phil has challenged each state to obtain a goal of having 35% of their membership attend this year�s AM/PIC in Grand Rapids, Michigan. According to Phil, Michigan is excited to be this year�s host of the meeting and wants to provide a top-notch event. They have set the bar high for themselves and want each state to reach high as well and have a large number in attendance. To better understand Michigan�s challenge of 35 % attendance for the 2007 meeting, below is a table they provided.

2007 Southern Region Attendance Goals

State	AL	AR	FL	GA	KY	LA	MS	NC	OK	SC	TN	TX	VA
2005 Membership	109	107	171	210	117	119	120	262	72	75	174	292	120
2007 - 35% Goal	38	37	60	74	41	42	42	92	25	26	61	102	42
2006 Attendance	8	20	33	37	96	12	15	67	11	11	24	20	21
Percent Attendance 2006	7	19	19	18	82	12	13	26	15	15	14	7	18

NACAA Annual Meeting Dates

Year Location Dates

2007 Grand Rapids, Michigan July 15-19

2008 Greensboro, North Carolina July 13-17

2009 Portland, Oregon Sept 20-24

2010 Tulsa, Oklahoma July 11-15

2008 AM/PIC

I am confident that I speak for the entire southern region when I congratulate North Carolina for demonstrating outstanding leadership and taking on the great challenge of hosting the 2008 AM/PIC in Greensboro. We are all looking forward to attending and helping in any way possible. Please do not hesitate to call on me if there is any way that I can assist your efforts.

DSA & AA Recipients

Congratulations to Eileen Coite, Tommy Grandy & Tyrone Fisher who received the Achievement Award in Cincinnati and also to Kathy Bunton, Kathyrn Holmes & Malcolm Gibbs who received the Distinguished Service Award. Recipients of the DSA and AA have been presented the highest awards that your national association can bestow on a member. Your national association thanks you for your outstanding work and dedication.

Congratulations also go to all of the 2006 North Carolina award winners:

Search For Excellence

National Finalist

Karen Neill, Landscape Horticulture

National Winner

Debbie Roos, Small Farmers/Ranchers

Abstract Published

Amy-Lynn Albertson, Small Farmers/Ranchers

Communications Awards

National Finalists

Linda Blue, Feature Story

Linda Blue, Video

Debbie Roos, Direct Mail Piece

Karen Neill, Radio

Regional Finalists

Eileen Coite, Team Newsletter

Darrell Blackwelder, Home Page

Animal Science Tour

Barry Foushee

Ben Chase

Gerda Rhodes

Walter Earle

New Program

We are excited to announce the beginning of two new professional improvement opportunities within NACAA. The USDA Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) Operations Committee has accepted a proposal from NACAA to support and fund the new �USDA SARE/NACAA Sustainable Agriculture Fellows Program� and a new Sustainable Agriculture Search for Excellence opportunity.

The purpose of the Sustainable Agriculture Fellows Program is to provide an educational training opportunity for members of NACAA that will enhance their understanding of sustainable agriculture and give them a broad-based, national exposure to successful and unique sustainable agriculture programs. With a greater understanding of real-life, applied applications, it is expected that the fellow will be better able to meet the needs of his or her local clientele and create new programs of benefit to those with whom they work. The new Search for Excellence opportunity will be similar to existing Search for Excellence programs but with a sustainable agriculture focus.

Futuring Committee

The NACAA Futuring Committee report was presented to the voting delegates in Cincinnati with many recommendations for the NACAA Board and membership to consider. The report is available on the NACAA website. The Futuring Committee report is a tool that will guide the Board over the next several years to improve how the association serves the membership. Study this document carefully and feel free to offer any thoughts or ideas you have that will help the NACAA Board develop programs or implement possible changes to improve our association. Be assured that we continue to work for your interests and that of the organization. The National Board�s internal Planning and Development committee has prioritized the Futuring Committee recommendations in a report that will be presented to the voting delegates in Grand Rapids. The board will implement them as we move forward with the association.

Committee Appointments

Each year there are a number of committee appointments approved by the National Board of Directors. Applications can be obtained from your state president and the available committee positions are listed in the December issue of the County Agent magazine. Keep in mind that competition is usually keen, especially in the Southern Region. The Council Chairs and Vice-President review the submitted applications and make recommendations to the Board. Committee work is the foundation and life blood of the association. The working committees keep all of the special programs and excellent member benefits going strong.

Newsletter

James Devillier (Louisiana) and I have pledged to keep communication a hot topic and an open exchange between you and NACAA. As part of this pledge, we�ve encouraged Alan Galloway to continue the regional newsletter. With John Dorner�s help, Alan has now sent two Southern Region newsletters to the state presidents with a request to forward it to the state membership. John also posted the newsletter on the NACAA home page, which is a first for NACAA. If you have information from NCACAA relevant to our region or to NACAA, share it with Alan for the next publication. Also, please let me and your state president know if you are not receiving the newsletter.

NACAA Website

(www.nacaa.com)

Thanks to John Dorner for his leadership as NACAA Electronic Communications Chair. John has moved our association well into the electronic age and has a vision to make our association even more efficient. John continues to make improvements to the NACAA web page making it an efficient tool for members to conduct business and communicate with other members. The member information page is a good example. This secure site allows you to locate any member by name, state, position in NACAA or even specialty area. To access this information click on the membership button on the NACAA home page and request a password. You will need to enter the email address that you have registered with NACAA. Your email address will be your user name. The State Officers Tool Kit is on the front page and offers a wealth of information to help members and state associations keep current. Important deadlines and forms can also be found on the State Officers Tool Kit.

NACAA depends on the state officers to keep member information updated on the website. The same is true for state committee chair information. This is a vital link for national council and committee chairs to communicate with state committee chairs. It is important to the association that each state keeps this information current so that professional development opportunities and information can be provided to the membership in a timely manner.

Scholarships

You can be proud of your record of contributions and participation in the NACAA scholarship program. As of November 2005, North Carolina agents have contributed $20,490.33 and received $22,135.80. The scholarships are an excellent benefit provided to members and NACAA encourages you to consider applying for these funds to support your scholarly and professional improvement activities.

To qualify you must contribute $40.00 by June 30 of the year prior to making application to ensure your eligibility for a scholarship up to $2,000. Applications for scholarships should be submitted by June 1 to the State Scholarship Chair and are approved at the AM/PIC. Last year, scholarship applications exceeded $51,000 and actual awards totaled $24,799. A member who receives a scholarship now has 14 months from the end of the AM/PIC in which it was awarded to use the scholarship.

In an effort to benefit the Scholarship Program, the National Scholarship Committee began selling NACAA Case knives at the AM/PIC in Orlando (2004). These fine pocket knives have the NACAA logo on the blade and can be ordered from Scott Hawbaker at the National office for $50.00. The supply is limited so get yours today.

The old scholarship database is being converted into a more user friendly database that has web access potential. This is a very tedious process because the conversion has to be done by hand one line at a time. Final edits to the database are being made at this time and it should be unveiled at the AM/PIC in Grand Rapids. The new database will allow members to track the amount and date of all scholarship contributions and awards. All scholarship donations and awards since November 2005 have already been placed into the new database.

Donor/Sponsor

Donor and Sponsor funds are important to your national association and the AM/PIC. Most professional development opportunities and award programs are tied to donor contributions. Please encourage everyone to make donors and sponsors a priority. To encourage active member involvement in donor recruitment, NACAA offers a member incentive program for getting donor/sponsor funds. If you get a donor or sponsor to contribute $2,000 to $4,999 your AM/PIC registration will be reimbursed. Sponsorship of $5,000 to $9,999 will get your AM/PIC registration reimbursed and $500 toward travel expenses. Sponsorship of $10,000 and above secures your registration for the AM/PIC and $1,000 toward travel expenses. Be sure to contact our Executive Director, Scott Hawbaker, prior to making an official request to a potential sponsor/donor.

NACAA Officers & Directors

President Chuck Otte, Kansas

President-Elect Fred Miller, North Carolina

Vice-President Rick Gibson, Arizona

Secretary Leon Church, Texas

Treasurer Paul Wigley, Georgia

Past President Mickey Cummings, Georgia

Southern Region Director Henry Dorough, Alabama

Southern Region Director James Devillier, Louisiana

North East Director Dave Myers, Maryland

North Central Director Stan Moore, Michigan

Western Region Director Michele Hebert, Alaska

Southern Region Vice-Director and Director Rotation

State Vice-Director Director

Alabama 2004-05 2006-07 Henry Dorough

Louisiana 2005-06 2007-08 James Devillier

Oklahoma 2006-07 2008-09 Dirk Webb

Tennessee 2007-08 2009-10 Alan Galloway

South Carolina 2008-09 2010-11 (Charles Davis)

Georgia 2009-10 2011-12

Arkansas 2010-11 2012-13

Florida 2011-12 2013-14

Texas 2012-13 2014-15

North Carolina 2013-14 2015-16

Kentucky 2014-15 2016-17

Mississippi 2015-16 2017-18

Virginia 2016-17 2018-19

Henry�s Ramblings

As an agricultural Extension agent, I cannot imagine where I would be today without the last 18 years of membership in NACAA. Over the years I have witnessed the evolution of the NACAA Annual Meeting and Professional Improvement Conference (AM/PIC) into the leading professional improvement event that it has become today. Like you, I receive many hours of professional improvement at various conferences and inservice training sessions every year, but none can match the level of training received at the NACAA AM/PIC. No other organization in Extension offers the volume of career development and discipline specific training for its entire membership during one meeting as does NACAA.

Our members deserve recognition for their dedicated work for the good of the public we serve. The NACAA AM/PIC affords our association the opportunity to spotlight the outstanding work being conducted by Extension professionals across the country. Many of the awards include presentations by the recipient during the AM/PIC. Last year, Florida set the bar high by having the most state, regional and national winners and finalists of any state in the Southern region. Yes, even Texas and Georgia. Congratulations to all the award winners in the Southern Region. I encourage all of your members, especially the younger generation to get involved and submit your work for award consideration next year. Keep leading the way!

In addition to the outstanding professional training and awards, the NACAA AM/PIC offers members an opportunity to learn more of how this association works. Most importantly is the committee structure. The NACAA committees constitute the grass roots connection of our organization to the membership in each state. For some, the committee structure is confusing and sometimes the job of committee chairs is not well communicated. State committee members can receive beneficial training on the workings of their committee during the AM/PIC.

Another personal benefit that I have discovered by attending the NACAA AM/PIC is the network of agents I have met from across the country. Meeting agents from other states and regions with similar interests and job assignments can sometimes be the best professional improvement an agent receives. Some of the agents I met at past AM/PICs have become very close personal friends; others are great mentors whom I call upon from time to time.

On the next page is a listing of professional development opportunities that were offered at the 2006 NACAA AM/PIC in Cincinnati, OH.

Professional Development Offered at the

2006 NACAA AM/PIC, Cincinnati, OH

NACAA Committee Workshops and Professional Training

Activity Hours of Training

Geospacial Technology Workshops 14

State Officers Workshop 1.5

Council Chairs Workshop 3

Committee Workshops 1.5

Regional Meetings 1.75

Early Career Development Seminars 3

Administrative Skills Dev. Seminars 3

Program Recognition Council Award Seminars 6

Extension Development Council Seminars 18

Situational Leadership Workshop 1.25

Balancing Work & Live Workshop 1

North American Farmers Direct Marketing

Association Seminar 1.5

JCEP Workshops 3.75

Opening Session Speakers 2

General Session Speakers 5

Poster Session (meet the presenters) 1.5

Search for Excellence Seminars 4.5

TOTAL: 72.25 Hours

Animal Science

Pre-Conference Livestock Seminar & Tour 2 (days)

Donor/Sponsor Trade Talks 1.75

Commercial Technology & Issues

Luncheon Seminars 9.25

Professional Improvement Seminars (2 Blocks) 6

TOTAL: 38.75 Hours

Agronomy

Donor/Sponsor Trade Talks 2.5

Commercial Technology & Issues

Luncheon Seminars 4.5

Professional Improvement Seminars (2 Blocks) 9

Cotton Marketing Seminar 5

TOTAL: 21 Hours

Horticulture

Pre-Conference Horticulture Workshops 8

Donor/Sponsor Trade Talks 1.25

Commercial Technology & Issues

Luncheon Seminars 1.75

Professional Improvement Seminars 3

TOTAL: 14 Hours

Forestry, Natural Resources, Aquaculture

Commercial Technology & Issues

Luncheon Seminars 4.5

Professional Improvement Seminars

Aquaculture/Sea Grant Committee 2.25

Natural Resources Committee 4.5

TOTAL: 11.25 Hours

Agricultural Economics & CRD

Search for Excellence Luncheon Seminar 1.5

Commercial Technology & Issues

Luncheon Seminars 4.75

Professional Improvement Seminars (3 Blocks) 9

TOTAL: 15.25 Hours

A total of 172 Hours of Career Development & Professional Improvement Training was offered during the 2006 AM/PIC in Cincinnati, OH. Add the professional improvement tours offered on Wednesday during the AM/PIC and the total exceeds 250 hours of training.

Every year the AM/PIC offers more professional improvement opportunities for members of NACAA. The Michigan agents are highly motivated and are working hard to ensure an outstanding list of professional training opportunities during the 2007 NACAA AM/PIC in Grand Rapids, Michigan, July 15 - 19. Plan to be there and experience it for yourself!

I would like to thank you for your support over the past four years. My service to NACAA as Southern Region Director has been by far the most rewarding experience of my entire Extension career. This job has allowed me to grow both professionally and personally and has fostered many great new friendships that I will treasure for a lifetime.