Page Talk, Lahfiaster Farming, Saturday, October 11/1997 1
NCGA Provides Grower Answers
Q: Why should we change
the organization , and why must
it be done now?
A; Farmer members of the
Process and Resources Study
Groups took a long, hard look
at the current organization and
determined that more unified
and coordinated planning,
implementation and evaluation
between states and a single
national organization would
result in a more efficient use of
financial and human resources.
A unified and coordinated
approach will help us reach the
nine goals adopted by the
boards of the National Com
Growers Association (NCGA)
and National Com Develop
ment Foundation (NCDF) in
December 1996. Such an
approach also will help us
achieve the shared Com Indus
try Vision. In short, we need a
more efficient, more participat
ory organization if we are to
realize our target of a $4O bil
lion crop value at the farm gate
in 2002 and address changing
needs of farmers.
Q: Is this new organization
like the many others in agricul
ture today?
A: No. Our proposed new
organization is completely dif
ferent in many ways than any
existing farmer-led organiza
tion. The Study Groups looked
at existing organizations and
determined ours had to be
unique to meet the needs of
com growers. The whole idea
behind it is broad-based, grass
roots participation with oppor
tunities for many different far
mers from all states to partici
pate. The decisions would be
made closer to the farm, and
farmers would collaborate on
programs and funding deci
sions throughout the
organization.
Q: How will representa
tion be determined?
A: The Com Congress, the
largest of the three interacting
groups making up the new
national organization, is struc
tured in such a way that all
states are fairly represented
and have a say in the process.
The number of growers from
each state isn’t capped.
Instead, the number is deter
mined by three equally weight-
ed criteria applied to each state:
number of com grower associ
ation members in the state;
state com production; and the
dollars invested by the state in
the new NCGA. Each state’s
representation is determined by
the number of representatives
the state actually earns. Every
state with a com grower associ
ation or checkoff board would
be represented.
Q: How will the process be
approved?
A: The recommendations
from the Study Groups will be
discussed and voted on by the
boards of the NCGA and
NCDF at their August meet
ings. The August vote is the
major, official vote creating the
new NCGA and authorizing it
to begin functioning. If the
recommendations are
accepted, a Transition Team
will be appointed to help form
one organization from the
NCGA and NCDF. The Transi
tion Team would develop pro
cedures and guidelines for put
ting the Com Congress, Com
Board and Com Action Teams
into place. Other team actions
include revamping the bylaws
of the NCGA and integrating
the NCDF into the new Nation
al Com Growers Association.
The Transition Team would
report to the NCGA/NCDF
Executive Committee on its
progress in November. It
would make recommendations
to the NCGA and NCDF
boards in December. The time
line recommended for estab
lishing the new-NCGA calls for
the process to be complete by
Oct. 1, 1998.
Q: How will appointments
be made to Corn Action Teams
and Task Forces?
A: Com Action Teams are
open to any farmer who has an
interest in areas in which the
team is working. These work
areas would tie directly to the
nine strategic goals of the new
NCGA. Nominees do not have
to be members of the Com
Congress or the Com Board.
Com Action Team members
can be nominated by their
states, by members of the Com
Congress or by the Corn
Board. They also can be self
nominated. The officers of the
Corn Board appoint Corn
Action Team Chairmen and
Vice Chairmen with the
approval of the Com Board.
Action team members are
selected from among the nomi
nees by the Chairman, Vice
Chairman and Corn Board
officers with approval of the
Com Board.
Q: Who is eligible for the
Corn Congress, Corn Board
and Corn Action Teams?
A: Representatives from
state grower associations or
checkoff boards can determine
the length of the term. Con
Board members are recom
mended by a nominating com
mittee for election by the Com
Congress after the nominating
committee has requested a list
of interested candidates from
state organizations. You don’t
need to be in the Com Con
gress to be on the Com Board.
Com Board members can serve
two, consecutive, three-year
terms. Com Board members
and officers can be either state
grower association members or
checkoff board members.
Com Action Team members
can be nominated for a particu
lar team by their states, by the
Com Congress or by the Com
Board. They also can be self
nominated. The officers of the
Com Board and Com Board
members will work with the
Chairman and Vice Chairman
of each team to select and
approve the people nominated
for each Com Action Team.
Q: How does a state involve
more growers in the new
NCGA than in the present
NCGA/NCDF?
A: Currently NCGA/NCDF
board members comprise both
the board and the committees
of the association. In addition,
board members often serve as
delegates. In the new NCGA,
there are separate and distinct
functions for growers who par
ticipate in the Congress, Board,
Action Teams and Task Forces
and more ways for farmers to
be involved. These functions
involve various time committ-
ments. The Study Groups sug
gest that each state plan to use
different growers for these pos
itions. States will decide which
farmers to recommend for van-
€®lM fMJ[ NlWi
ous positions. The Study
Group members believe that
not utilizing different growers
is a disservice to the states that
will limit the potential of the
new NCGA and its increased
farmer access.
Q: Won’t smaller states be
left out of the process?
A: Because the Study
Groups are proposing three
criteria for state representation
in the Com Congress, all states
have the opportunity to be fair
ly represented. If only one
criteria were used, it would be
possible that representation
could be unfairly skewed.
Every state organization repre
sented in the current NCGA
and NCDF will be represented
in the new Com Congress and
can be part of the Com Board
or Com Action Teams as well.
Q: What is the role of the
NCGA/NCDF Executive Com
mittee during the transition
year?
A: The NCGA/NCDF
Executive Committee will be
elected in 1997 as usual. With
the integration of the NCGA
and NCDF into the new
National Com Growers Asso
ciation in December 1997, the
Executive Committee begins to
serve as ah “interim Corn
Board" until the first Com
Board elections are held in
August 1998. Throughout
1998, the “interim Corn
Board” will serve as an advisor
for implementing the new
organizational structure. It will
fill the management role for
policy and budget matters. This
procedure allows the new
NCGA to progress smoothly
through the transition. It also
allows the new Com Board to
be elected at the time that it
would be elected in each of the
following years.
Q: How will the NCGA/
NCDF join together?
A: In December 1997, the
Transition Team will propose
bylaws for the new National
Com Growers Association. At
that time, NCDF directors will
vote to join the NCGA. NCGA
directors will vote to amend the
NCGA bylaws. Specific steps
and explanation for this action
will be reviewed at the NCGA/
NCDF board meetings in
August.
Q: How do /find out more?
A: Call us. Members of the
Process and Resources Study
Groups are available to talk
with you individually by con
ference call or to make a pre
sentation to a group. Contact
either Wallie Hardie at (701)
474-5471 or Everett Nordine at
(712) 843-5405. Or call Mike
Rohan at the NCGA at (314)
275-9915 ext. 123.