Ag Council Holds 91st Annual Meeting

 

In her opening remarks at the Delegate Body Meeting, Ag Council President Emily Rooney presented strategic priorities to move the organization forward during these trying economic times. “The theme for this year’s meeting is ‘Shaping our Future’ and that seemed fitting for both the organization, as well as our many cooperative members who are adapting their businesses to meet the current challenges head on,” she said. “At Ag Council, we’ve taken a strategic approach to focus on our core objectives, which include representing our members with a strong policy agenda and working hard to proactively influence legislative outcomes, while at the same time building upon the foundation that has been constructed by Ag Council members and leadership during the last 91 years.”

 

The meeting was capped off by a slate of speakers that embodied a proactive sentiment and offered attendees innovative ideas to create a better business environment for California’s farmer-owned cooperatives.

 

Rayne Pegg, administrator for the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS),  encouraged the growers in attendance to “look for opportunities and embrace the initiatives and sentiments that you are seeing among consumers. People want to know where their food comes from and California cooperatives are uniquely positioned to take advantage of those opportunities.” Other speakers included political and former San Francisco Chronicle bureau chief, Greg Lucas; Fred Silva, senior fiscal policy advisor for California Forward; and David Carroll, director of operations and finance for the California Association of Food Banks (CAFB). 

 

The Ag Council meeting concluded with a luncheon that honored previous president Don Gordon for his years of service to the association and recognized him with the Cooperative Leader Award.

 

In his closing remarks, Ag Council Chairman Mike Emigh reminded attendees of the role that Ag Council has had for the last 91 years championing the interests of its cooperative members. “As the dynamics of agriculture and our businesses change in the next 90 years, we will have to continue to be a responsive organization that keeps its core principles in mind while seeking out the opportunities that will allow our members to remain successful in growing and producing food for consumers.”

 

The joint meeting concluded with CoBank’s Pacific West Customer Meeting and featured speakers Marci Rossell, Ph.D., and former chief economist for CNBC; Terry Jones, founder of Travelocity; and Carlos Gutierrez, former CEO and chairman of Kellogg Company and former secretary of the U.S. Department of Commerce.