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Two Farmers Recognized as Outstanding Cooperative Leaders at NCFC Annual Meeting |
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At its annual meeting last week in Lake Buena Vista, Florida, the National Council of Farmer Cooperatives (NCFC) announced the two winners of the Farmer Cooperative Director of the Year awards.
Contact: Justin Darisse, 202-879-0816 Washington, DC—At its annual meeting last week in Lake Buena Vista, Fla., the National Council of Farmer Cooperatives announced the two winners of the Farm Cooperative Director of the Year awards. This year, Roy Orton—a board member and former chairman of CoBank and a farmer from Ripley, N.Y.—and David Kragnes—chairman of American Crystal Sugar Company who farms in Felton, Minn.—were recognized for the outstanding leadership that they have given to their cooperatives. Orton, a long-time CoBank member who also has belonged to the National Grape Cooperative Association since 1948, grows nearly 450 acres of Niagra and Concord grapes in western New York. Kragnes, who has been a member of American Crystal Sugar since 1973, farms 468 acres of sugar beets and 1500 acres of wheat, corn and soybeans in Felton, Minn. The Farmer Cooperative Director of the Year Award was established to recognize the outstanding achievements of a farmer cooperative director who takes the lead to help their board of directors make decisions vital to their cooperative. Farmer Cooperative Director of the Year nominees were examined by a panel of judges representing the NCFC members and outside experts. In selecting the winners, judges looked at four broad criteria: how well the nominee understands his cooperative; the ability to provide leadership and be a team player; the possession of good business judgment; and the ability to communicate effectively. “Both Roy and David have spent their careers exhibiting outstanding leadership of their cooperatives and showing a strong commitment to the farmer cooperative community in general,” said NCFC President Jean-Mari Peltier. “They are truly dedicated to the principles of farmer-ownership and I congratulate them on being named Director of the Year.” In addition, NCFC announced that CoBank, of Denver, Colo., won the Best in Cooperative Communications Award in the NCFC Cooperative Information Fair, a communications contest that recognizes excellence in the publications, member relations, and marketing products of farmer cooperatives. CoBank won for the materials that they used to plan and promote their series of customer meetings around the country under the theme of “Partnering for a Stronger Rural America”. The winning entry was the culmination of a clear message strategy to maximize attendance that is evident in pre-meeting promotional pieces, planning, and on-site meeting materials. This careful preparation and communications outreach helped this year’s meetings receive the highest satisfaction rating in many years. NCFC is a national association representing America’s farmer cooperatives. There are nearly 3,000 farmer cooperatives across the U.S. whose members include a majority of our nation’s more than 2 million farmers, ranchers and growers. These farmer cooperative businesses handle, process, and market agricultural commodities and related products; furnish farm supplies; and provide credit and associated financial services. Earnings from these activities are returned to their members on a patronage basis. Farmer cooperatives also provide jobs for nearly 300,000 Americans, many in rural areas, with a combined payroll of over $8 billion.Additional information about NCFC can be found at http://www.ncfc.org. -End- |
