Board of Director Meeting Minutes

Minnesota Beef Council Quarterly Board Meeting
November 10, 2009
Location: Minnesota Beef Council Office
7850 Metro Drive, Room 113
Bloomington, MN 55425

Call to Order: Chairman Dennis Swan called the meeting to order at 10:00am.

Directors Attending: Dennis Swan, Darrin Arveson, Dave Wulf, John Moon, Lowell Schafer, Lori Beckel, Clarence Caraway, Doug Dickmann, Carol Abrahamzon

Absent: Robert Nelson, Dan Olson, Ron Rinkel, Greg Hilgeman, Eli Berry, Jay Bakken, Tim Neft  (Due to delayed and complicated harvest season director attendance was lower than usual.)
 
Staff Present: Ron Eustice, Audrey Rodvold, Amy Halverson, Conrad Kvamme

Guests Present: John Schafer, Dale Lueck, Steve May, Ted Radintz, Eric Haukkala

Secretary’s Report:  The secretary’s report was mailed to all council members prior to the meeting. The secretary’s report was discussed and a motion was made by Clarence Caraway to approve, seconded by Dave Wulf. Motion approved.

Treasurer’s Report: In Greg Hilgeman’s absence the treasurer’s report was presented by Audrey Rodvold. Audrey commented and answered questions regarding the report. A motion was made by Doug Dickmann to approve, seconded by Clarence Caraway. Motion approved.

Eric Haukkala delivered the fiscal year 08-09 audit report. He answered all questions and commented on the content of the report. The report was positive.

Accounting & Compliance Report: Audrey Rodvold reported on the compliance efforts.  Compliance collections are ahead of last year.  All of the  major non-compliance cases have been brought in to compliance or have gone out of business since our last meeting.  A producer mailing will be going out in December that is geared towards private treaty sales.  This mailing will be sent the same time as the final Bovine TB Response Assessment letter. 
The response to the TB Checkoff has been good, so far to date, almost $700,000 has been collected.  Collection for the TB Checkoff is scheduled to end December 31, 2009.   

Dairy Beef Quality Assurance Report: Conrad Kvamme reported on DBQA. His booth at the World Dairy Expo brought a great deal of interest. The Minnesota Beef Expo was another successful event. His retail promotion project in grocery stores continues to be in high demand. Once he has been in a store, they always want him back. He shared many photos of the retail displays he uses.

Steve May, Minnesota Cattlemen’s Executive Secretary reported on MCA activities and encouraged cooperation among our organizations.

Nutrition & Consumer Information Report: Amy Halverson gave her report regarding beef nutrition and consumer information.  Some of the key events she participated in from the last quarter are:

  1. MN Food and Nutrition Network meeting
  2. Webinar on high fructose corn syrup
  3. Attended the Healthy Foods, Healthy Lives Symposium at the U of M
  4. Attended the Family and Consumer Sciences networking meeting at Buffalo High School
  5.  Attended the Twin Cities District Dietetic Association meeting
  6. Spoke at FACS classes at Anoka H.S., Buffalo H.S., Spring Grove H.S., and Blaine H.S.
  7. Exhibited at the Education Minnesota annual conference
  8. Exhibited at the Diabetes Expo
  9. Attended the annual Food Nutrition Conference and Expo in Denver, CO
  10. Attended Twin Cities Heart and Stroke Gala

The MN State Fair had record attendance this year.  The MBC partnered with Woolley’s American Steakhouse, Ken Davis BBQ and served samples of beef from Big Steer Meats, Hormel, and Schwans. 

Following the report, Amy took a few minutes to say her farewell as she will be leaving the Minnesota Beef Council. Directors expressed their appreciation for her contributions and wished her well in her new job.

Tuberculosis Assessment Update: Ted Radintz gave a report on the TB Assessment Collection Program. Compliance with the program has been successful.

Executive Directors Report: Ron Eustice gave his report on Council activities over the late summer and early fall.  The following are the highlights of his report.

  1.  Conducted Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) workshop at Zumbrota on August 20th in cooperation with Cooperative Resources International (CRI).
  2. Worked with MBC director Ron Rinkel to address issues raised in Time Magazine article in late August.
  3. Spoke at and participated in a value added workshop at the U of M in cooperation with Meat Science Department. The topic was Hispanic marketing opportunities for retail meat marketers.
  4. Attended the Twin Cities Heart and Stroke Gala.
  5. Gave a presentation at St. Catherine’s University, St. Paul and the University of Wisconsin, Stout, on beef production issues and food safety.
  6. Spoke to joint meeting of University of Minnesota Block and Bridle Club and Gopher Dairy Club on beef and dairy industry issues.
  7. Ron had several articles published in various publications including Agri-News, The Land, Savage Pacer and others.

Ron presented slides on how modern agriculture is under attack by critics of modern animal agriculture production.  He has encouraged producers and industry professionals to be more pro-active in communicating the powerful story of modern agriculture. 

NCBA Report: Dennis Swan gave a report on the NCBA Summer Conference. The constant drop in check off dollars continues. Retained ownership is a major factor the reduction of check off dollars. He also briefed us on the proposal of the Governance Task Force.

Beef Board Report: John Schafer gave his CBB report. He also commented on the proposal of the Governance Task Force. Latest research has shown that for every $1.00 of beef check off money spent, there is a $5.55 return. John also commented on some of the other programs taking place.

Carol Abrahamzon gave a report on the Youth Programs funded by the Checkoff with a special focus on the Beef Ambassador competition.

Research Report: In Ron Rinkel’s absence, Ron Eustice reported the progress of research projects.

Director’s Expenses: Darrin Arveson made a motion to approve paying director’s expenses. Motion was seconded by John Moon. Motion passed.

Next Meeting:  The next quarterly meeting has been scheduled for January 14, 2010.  The research committee will meet on January 13. 

Adjournment: A motion to adjourn was made by Clarence Caraway. Motion seconded by John Moon. Motion passed.

Lowell Schafer, Secretary
Minnesota Beef Council