2012 Annual Meeting
The NCFC’s 83rd Annual Meeting was held February 1-3, 2012 at the Waldorf Astoria Naples in Naples, FL. Thank you to all that attended and particpated! We appreciate your continued support and were thrilled with the record attendance! Materials from the Annual Meeting are available under the Members Only- Event Materials. Log-in is required; if you have any questions, please contact Kate Disbrow: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it | 202.626.8700
Year of the Farmer Co-op Celebration Launched at NCFC’s 83rd Annual Meeting
At its 83rd annual meeting last week in Naples, Florida, the National Council of Farmer Cooperatives (NCFC) launched its celebration of the Year of Farmer the Co-op, part of the wider effort to recognize 2012 as the International Year of the Cooperative.
The Year of the Farmer Co-op will showcase how America’s farmer-owned businesses enable their producer-members to thrive in a global marketplace, how they create jobs and economic growth across rural America, and how they provide consumers with a safe, abundant and affordable supply of food and fiber.
“I am excited about what 2012, the Year of the Farmer Co-op, holds for us, and the opportunity that it gives all of us in the farmer cooperative community to tell our story to policy makers, opinion leaders, and the public all across the country,” said NCFC President and CEO Chuck Conner in his opening remarks to the meeting’s 560 attendees. “We have a fantastic story to tell—one of how co-ops have created real value for millions of farmers and ranchers across the U.S.; one of how farmer co-ops are an engine of job creation and economic growth throughout rural America; and one of how farmer co-ops connect customers and consumers directly with the farmers who provide them with a safe, affordable and abundant food, fiber, and fuel supply.”
To help energize meeting attendees to spread the word, NCFC showcased a short video it created on Year of the Farmer Co-op (http://youtu.be/6My7l_4OwWA). In addition, the organization unveiled several catchy taglines to quickly relate the benefits of farmer co-ops: “Farmers Make Co-ops, Co-ops Make Jobs”; “Co-ops Rock, and Make the Economy Roll”; and “Super Model: Farmer Co-ops are a Model for Success.”
In July of 2011, the United States Senate passed a resolution declaring 2012 to be the International Year of Cooperatives (IYC) to recognize and celebrate the benefits cooperatives of all types deliver to the communities they serve. The Senate’s action came on the heels of the United Nations General Assembly passing a resolution proclaiming the year 2012 as the International Year of Cooperatives. The Year of the Farmer Co-op is NCFC’s contribution to the yearlong, global celebration of the cooperative business model.
NCFC is planning events throughout 2012 in order to spread the word about the Year of the Farmer Co-op. High points will include a week of activities in Washington, D.C., in conjunction with NCFC’s June Washington Conference, and celebrations throughout October, which is Co-op Month.
Fran Podvin of Ocean Spray Honored as NCFC Director of the Year
At last week’s Annual Meeting NCFC awarded its prestigious Director of the Year award Francis (Fran) Podvin, chairman of the board of Ocean Spray, a co-op member of NCFC.
Podvin has served on the Ocean Spray board for 10 years, the last six as chairman, and has been a member of the cooperative for over 23 years. He has been active in the cranberry industry since 1965 and is a general partner in City Point Cranberries, LLP, a 110 acre cranberry marsh located in City Point, Wis. Podvin is also a practicing attorney who heads Podvin Law Firm, which specializes in water and wetland issues involving new and existing cranberry marshes.
“I would like to congratulate Fran on his achievement. Over the last decade, he has provided the grower-owners of Ocean Spray with outstanding leadership and foresight, and has shown a strong commitment to the wider farmer cooperative community and in promoting the co-op model,” said NCFC President and CEO Chuck Conner.
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.
To honor award winners, the NCFC Foundation provides a $5,000 donation to the scholarship fund of a land grant university chosen by the winner.
Tennessee Farmers Wins Best in Show, Land O’Lakes Takes Chairman’s Prize in NCFC Cooperative Information Fair
NCFC announced the winners of the 2011 Cooperative Information Fair—a contest designed to showcase farmer co-op communications, marketing and member relations efforts—at the Annual Meeting last week.
Tennessee Farmers Cooperative took top honors this year in winning the Best in Show prize for their membership publication, The Tennessee Cooperator. In her comments nominating the entry for the prize, the judge said, “the overall content does an outstanding job of making this newspaper ‘personal’ for its members, while providing information of value to the wider readership, and even non-members. This publication is well designed, with engaging content and high quality writing and editing.” The Cooperator is also available online at http://ourcoop.com/ourcoop08/cooperator/default.aspx.
For the second year, NCFC also awarded a Chairman’s Prize for the Info Fair entry that best exemplifies the spirit of NCFC’s “Farmer Co-ops: Providing for America” campaign. Land O’Lakes won this year’s prize for their entry in the Social Media class, which was their campaign around the Land O’Lakes World Food Prize. The campaign was designed to generate interest around a panel at the World Food Prize co-sponsored by Land O’Lakes, Women Thrive, and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations. In his comments on the entry, the judge said, “this [campaign] represents an exquisite design marked by inventive skill and imagination…it reflects creativity and an excellent communications effort.”
Upcoming Annual Meetings-
- February 6-8, 2013 | Westin Kierland | Phoenix, AZ
- February 12-14, 2014 | The Roosevelt | New Orleans, LA