E4-Lancaster Fanning, Saturday, June 6, 1998
Cooperative Resources International Reviews 1997 Achievements
OHIO, NEW YORK, WIS
CONSIN Mid-March was a
busy time for CDI subsidiaries.
During that time, each subsidiary
held its annual meeting and CRI
conducted three annual meetings,
one each in Ohio, New York, and
Wisconsin.
CRI Chief Executive Officer
Tom Lyon, in his annual address,
reported that 1997 was “a stable
year which provided the oppor
tunity for more extensive strategic
planning and the measuring of our
progress against Board-adopted
objectives.” Lyon also told the
more than 500 delegates who at
tended the three sessions that the
newly-adopted CRI mission state
ment will guide the organization’s
decision-making for the foresee
able future. “We have made pro
gress strategically toward making
the mission statement a living and
working statement,” Lyon empha
sized.
An example Lyon cited of the
product strength offered by CRI
was the February USDA sire sum
maries. “The February competi
tive price analysis indicates CRI
to be very strong in the genetic
value-to-price relationship,” he
said.
Lyon also commented on the
consolidation of CRTs interna
tional activities, saying the “joint
ventures with the Dutch, French
and New Zealand continue to ma
ture. We have every reason to be
lieve that, in 1998, Holland Gene
tics and CRI will become strategi
cally more closely aligned through
embryo sales, sire housing and
beef programming,” he added.
Referring to the U.S. dairy in
dustry, Lyon said, “... in the total
scheme of our nation and world’s
economy, we must recognize we
are relatively inconsequential, and
begin to break down the barriers
of individualism, pride, positin
and short-term fixes for coopera-
Maryland and Virginia Milk Producers
\ot
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•20 straight years of 13th checks distributed to
members.
• Averaged 72 cents per hundredweight above market
prices returned to producers in cash the past 3 years
• 70 percent of patronage dividends in cash returned to
members the last 3 years.
• Quality and over-order premiums paid monthly to
producers.
Call 1-800-552-1976 for more information
Maryland & Virginia
Milk Producers Cooperative
Association, Inc.
1985 Isaac Newton Square West 3*
Reston, Va. 20190-5094
turn, coordination and integration,
making the best use of the dairy
fanner dollar. Our global leader
ship is being challenged and we
must realize that global competi
tiveness is not just a distant possi
bility it’s here.”
President’s Address
In his final report as CRI Board
president, Donald “Skip” Jensen,
Penn Yan, N.Y., reflected on his
more than 20 years of serving
Cenex members. Jensen retired
from the Cenex and CRI boards
alter he and his family decided on
a career change and sold their
dairy herd and farm last fall.
Jensen was instrumental in the
formation of Cenex and also
worked closely with the Noba and
21st Century Genetics boards of
directors. “My emphasis has al
ways been to work together and
help improve the lives of all dairy
producers,” he said. Commenting
on the formation of Cenex and its
subsequent entry into CRI, Jensen
emphasized the positives of the
merger, saying. “We have one of
the strongest sire lineups in the in
dustry today and offer more
choices in products and services to
our members than ever before.”
Noba Highlights
Working toward a common
mission was the them cm of the
1998 Noba Annual Meeting. The
format of the Noba/CRI Annual
Meeting was changed, opening
more time for discussion among
the delegates, directors and man
agement. The event started the
evening of Wednesday, March 18,
with dinner and a presentation by
Dr. Bruce Anderson of Cornell
University. With down-to-earth
humor, Anderson set the tone for
the meeting, relating the trends of
agricultural cooperatives today
and considerations for a viable fu
ture. “So what is the future of co
operatives?” he asked. “I drink it
is very bright, but there are things
they must do.” Anderson’s sug
gestions for future viability in
cluded more aggressive strategies
and communication of these
strategies to members, greater
emphasis on sales growth, and an
attitude more like a business en
terprise than a political organiza
tion.
The evening concluded with a
message from Hap Allen, Noba/
CRI vice president of operations,
who presented Noba’s “yardstick
of progress” in 1997. Allen gave
high marks to Noba’s addition of
service programs and field staff to
help dairy and beef producers
maximize their profitability.
The next morning, delegates
and Noba/CRI staff brainstormed
in small groups to develop solu
tions for value-added cooperative
membership, creative marketing
strategies, on-farm utilization of
data and technology, and elimina
tion of the herd bull.
“For the past five years, the
Noba Board of Directors and staff
have worked to ensure that Noba
operates as a true cooperative,”
Noba President Palmer Steiner
stated in his address. “Most im
portantly, the 1996 cooperative
profits were returned to die mem
bership through patronage. This
was die first year since 1954 that
patronage had been returned to the
Noba membership, and several
members have voiced their appre
ciation to employees and direc
tors.”
At the conclusion of his speech.
President Steiner thanked the
1997 Noba Board of Directors and
welcomed Larry Alexander, Big
Prairie, Ohio, as a new director.
Alexander represents members in
District 4, includiong eastern and
southern Ohio counties. He is no
stranger to Noba, having served
on the board of directors from
1974 to 1986. Alexander manages
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Hyland Acres, where he and his
family milk 210 Registered Jer
seys and farm 500 acres.
Following the meeteings, the
board elected its 1998 officer
team. Elected president was Bud
Butcher, a dairyman from Senoia,
Ga., beginning his second term on
the board. Vice president is John
Kronemeyer, a dairy producer
from Pickford, Mich. Marvin
Topp of New Bremen, Ohio, was
re-elected board secretary. Also
serving as Noba directors in 1998
are Larry Alexander, Big Prairie,
Ohio; Jim Crocker, Valley City.
Ohio; Jeff Hoepf, Tiffin, Ohio;
Herby D. Lutz, Chester, S.C.; My
ron Moyer, Greens Fork, ItxL; and
Palmer Steiner, Apple Creek,
Ohio. Representing Noba on the
CRI Board will be President
Butcher.
At the Cenex annual meeting,
Dave Hileman, Tyrone, Pa., was
elected president to succeed Skip
Jensen. The new vice president is
Joseph Greenbacker, Durham,
Conn., and Lanny Conerly, Kent
wood, La., was re-elected secre
tary. Hileman, Greenbacker and
Conerly, along with Alfred Wan
ner Jr., Narvon, Pa. will represent
Cenex on the CRI Board of Direc
tors.
The other Genex/CRI board
members are: Jacques Couture,
Westfield, Vl; Paul Greene, Ber
lin, N.Y.; Earl Fuhrman, Hanover,
Pa.; Lee Kummer, Evans City,
Pa.; John Fogler, Exeter, Maine;
Hugh Humphreys, New Hartford,
N.Y.; Charles Slade, Homer,
N.Y.; and Ron Totten, Strafford,
N.Y.
The Genex/CRI Board voted to
accept areas of Tennessee as
membership territory for the co
operative following last year’s ad
dition of Virginia and the non
member counties of West Vir-
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21st Century Highlights
Approximately 300 delegates,
directors, employees and Mends
of 21st Century Genetics attended
the annual meeting in Eau Claire.
With the board being downsized
from IS to nine directors, dele
gates met in regional caucuses and
elected the following men as
directors; Randy Holewinsld, Sey
mour, Wis.; John Ruedinger, Van
Dyne, Wis.; David Watkins, Mos
cow, Iowa; Bob Prahl, Wausau,
Wis.; Walt Wyttenbach, Kasson,
Minn.; Cal Mullen, Rice Lake,
Wis.; Steve Anderson, Foley,
Minn.; Duane Nelson, Winthrop,
Minn.; and Alan Haugdahl, Hen
ning, Minn.
In the board reorganization
meeting, Ruedinger was elected
president, Watkins first vice presi
dent, Anderson second vice presi
dent and Mullen secretary. Rued
inger, Watkins and Anderson will
represent 21st Century on the CRI
Board.
Doug Wilson, chief operating
officer for 21st Century and Noba,
told the 21st Century delegate
body that the cooperative’s role in
the CRI structure is to operate in a
responsible way and take to die
membership a product, program
and service which fulfills the new
Mission Statement With CRI
sampling 270 Holstein sires and
SO colored breed sires each year,
along with affiliations and con
tracts with Holland Genetics and
LIC in New Zealand, Wilson said,
“No other membership in the U.S.
is investing as much in genetic se
lection pressure.”
Wilson also commented on the
amount of information dairy pro
ducers have available for sire se
lection. “There is absolutely in
formation overload,” he said, “and
the real issue is losing sight of real
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