Notes from the Chair of the CTIC Board of Directors

 

At the February 2009 meeting of the CTIC Board of Directors, a new Executive Board was voted into office. Our term began March 1 and will expire on February 28, 2010. While a few of us previously served on the Executive Board we all have new positions. John Deere's Chris Foster is now the Past Chair; Foundation for Agronomic Research's Dr. Harold Reetz is First Vice Chair; Agri Drain's Charles Schafer is Second Vice Chair; Osborn & Barr Communication's Neil Caskey is Secretary; and Monsanto's Jim Hudson is Treasurer. Both Neil and Jim are new to the Executive Board.

In addition to electing a new Executive Board, the CTIC membership renewed the term of National Corn Growers Association's Rod Snyder and elected a new member to CTIC's Board of Directors, CropLife America's Allan Noe. Mosaic's Ron Olson rotated off the Executive Board as Secretary and will continue to serve as a board member.

We owe many thanks to Agri-Pulse Communication's Sara Wyant who served on the board since 2006 and did not seek re-election, and to long-time board member Neil Strong who retired from Syngenta at the end of 2008. Neil had been a board member since 1996 and held every position on the Executive Board during his board tenure. Jack Bernens will replace Neil on the CTIC Board of Directors.

Also at the board meeting, the membership committee, headed by Dr. Harold Reetz, recommended, after several years of study, a new membership dues structure. The only basic membership that increased with the new structure was for individuals. Individual membership dues were raised from $25 to $50 per year. The basic membership at all other levels remains the same, but enhanced membership categories were added should a member wish to support CTIC at a level above their basic membership dues. Members electing to support CTIC above their basic level will receive additional recognition at CTIC events, in this magazine and in other ways. To learn more about our new membership structure, click here.

In late February, membership renewal letters were mailed to current members and these new enhanced categories are detailed in the accompanying brochure. If you haven't already done so, please send in your membership renewal today, or fill out the online form and we'll send you an invoice. Then, take a minute to look at all the events CTIC has planned for 2009 and plan to get involved. With membership support and engagement, CTIC will continue to fulfill its mission.

On July 29, 2009, CTIC will host our third Conservation In Action Tour. On this one-day tour in western Illinois, we will visit farms where conservation agriculture systems are put in to action — to help protect resources and to build a profitable operation. Through conservation practices, including nutrient management plans developed by producers and their advisors, these farmers are minimizing agriculture's impact on the Mississippi River watershed. CTIC staff will be sending additional details about the tour over the next few months. So please save the date, sign up for the tour and visit these successful farms with us.

In addition to joining us on the tour, I hope you will accept my invitation to attend our next board meeting, which will be the day after the tour, July 30, 2009, in Moline, Ill.

On behalf of the entire CTIC Board of Directors, I thank you for your membership and support, and I invite you to become active in your organization in 2009. The CTIC staff and board are committed to continually providing the information and technology that producers and their advisors need to make environmentally responsible and economically viable decisions on America's farms. With your help, we will make a difference.

Very sincerely yours,

Timothy J. Healey



For more information, contact us at 765-494-9555 or ctic@conservationinformation.org