LCAAA 2007-2008 Annual Report

Prepared by:

Ed Twidwell & Kurt Guidry

2007-2008 Officers for the Louisiana County Agricultural Agents Association

President Ed Twidwell LSU School of Plant, Environmental & Soil Sciences 220 MB Sturgis Hall Baton Rouge, LA 70803 Phone: 225-578-4070 Fax: 225-578-1403 Email: etwidwell@agctr.lsu.edu President-Elect Miles Brashier Pointe Coupee Parish Extension Office Courthouse Annex 180 East Main St., 1st Floor New Roads, LA 70760 Phone: 225-638-5533 Fax: 225-638-5550 Email: mbrashier@agctr.lsu.edu Vice President Brian Chandler Idlewild Research Station 4419 Idlewild Road Clinton, LA 70722 Phone: 225-683-3101 Fax: 225-683-3281 Email: bchandler@agctr.lsu.edu Past President Ralph Frazier West Carroll Parish Extension Office 10284 Highway 17 Oak Grove, LA 71263 Phone: 318-428-3571 Fax: 318-428-7444 Email: rfrazier@agctr.lsu.edu Secretary Kurt Guidry LSU Dept. of Ag Economics & Agribusiness 220 Ag Administration Building Baton Rouge, LA 70803 Phone: 225-578-4567 Fax: 225-578-2716 Email: kmguidry@agctr.lsu.edu

Treasurer Keith Normand St. Landry Parish Extension Office 1065 Highway 749, Suite A Opelousas, LA 70570 Phone: 337-948-0561 Fax: 337-948-0564 Email: knormand@agctr.lsu.edu

Board of Directors

Southeast District Rusty Batty rbatty@agctr.lsu.edu Shaney Hill shill@agctr.lsu.edu Rick Louque rlouque@agctr.lsu.edu LSU Campus Ron Strahan rstrahan@agctr.lsu.edu Earl Johnson ejohnson@agctr.lsu.edu Bill Branch bbranch@agctr.lsu.edu Northern District Jason Holmes jholmes@agctr.lsu.edu Glen Daniels gdaniels@agctr.lsu.edu Mryl Sistrunk msistrunk@agctr.lsu.edu Central/Southwest District Stuart Gauthier sgauthier@agctr.lsu.edu Barry Crain bcrain@agctr.lsu.edu Jimmy Flanagan jflanagan@agctr.lsu.edu

NACAA – National Association of County Agricultural Agents

2007 – 2008 State Committee Contacts

State: Louisiana

These positions become effective 6/6/07

Program Recognition Council Name e-mail Phone Recognition & Awards Eddie Eskew eeskew@agctr.lsu.edu 337-824-1773 Communications John Chaney jchaney@agctr.lsu.edu 318-473-6605 Extension Programs Mryl Sistrunk msistrunk@agctr.lsu.edu 318-428-3671 Professional Excellence Howard Cormier hcormier@agctr.lsu.edu 337-898-4335 Public Relations Barton Joffrion bjoffrion@agctr.lsu.edu 985-873-6495 4-H & Youth Shaney Hill shill@agctr.lsu.edu 985-873-6495 Scholarship Stan Dutile sdutile@agctr.lsu.edu 337-291-7090 Life Members Howard Gryder Extension Development Council Public Relations & Ag Issues Bill Branch bbranch@agctr.lsu.edu 225-578-3492 Early Career Development Jason Holmes jholmes@agctr.lsu.edu 318-368-9935 Administrative Skills Development Bobby Flectcher bhfletcher@agctr.lsu.edu 985-446-1316 Teaching & Educational Technologies Earl Johnson ejohnson@agctr.lsu.edu 225-578-0777 Professional Improvement Council Agronomy/Pest Management Allen Hogan ahogan@agctr.lsu.edu 337-824-1773 Agricultural Economics & Community Development Kurt Guidry kmguidry@agctr.lsu.edu 225-578-4567 Animal Science R.L. Frazier rfrazier@agctr.lsu.edu 318-428-3571 Natural Resources/ Mark Shirley mshirley@agctr.lsu.edu 337-898-4335 Aquaculture/Sea Grant Horticulture & Turfgrass Ron Strahan rstrahan@agctr.lsu.edu 225-578-4070 Sustainable Agriculture Dale Pollet dpollet@agctr.lsu.edu 225-578-2180

2007-2008 LCAAA State Committees

Annual Meeting JCEP Memorial Ed Twidwell- Chair Kurt Guidry Dale Pollet-Chair Ron Strahan James Devillier Bill Branch Clint Depew Earl Johnson John Barnett Jack Baldwin Bobby Soileau Dan Gill 4-H Luncheon James Devillier-Chair Association Policy Kenny Sharpe RL Frazier-Chair Stuart Gauthier Jack Baldwin Henry Harrison Bill Branch Louis Lirette Kenny Sharpe Barrett Courville Allen Hogan Ed Twidwell Retirement and Insurance Extension Programs Gerald Roberts-Chair Mryl Sistrunk-Chair Robin Bridges Rene Schmidt Terry Erwin Donna Morgan Kenny Sharpe Ronnie Levy Memorial 4-H and Youth Boyd Padgett-Chair Shaney Hill-Chair Henry Harrison Sheena Grote Cecil Earnest Freeman Stefan Givens Eddie White Mike Lavergne Membership Professional Excellence Miles Brashier-Chair Howard Cormier-Chair Myrl Sistrunk Johnny Anders Kurt Guidry David Bourgeois Stan Dutile Ron Robbins Barton Joffrion Jim McCann Public Relations Agronomy/Pest Mgmt. Bill Branch-Chair Allen Hogan-Chair Bill Branch David Lanclos Jerry Whatley Richard Letlow Mike Hebert Carol Pinnell-Alison Barton Joffrion Keith Collins John Saichuk Don Ferrin Early Career Development Agricultural Economics

Jason Holmes-Chair Kurt Guidry-Chair Karen Blackburn Jimmy Flanagan Virginia Fortson Jerry Whatley Rick Louque Mike Dunn Administrative Skills Development Animal Science Bobby Fletcher-Chair R.L. Frazier-Chair John Barnett Stan Dutile Mary Grodner Thomas Shields Steve Linscombe Andrew Granger Robert Hutchinson Tim Page Teaching & Educational Technologies Natural Resources/ Aquaculture/Sea Grant Earl Johnson-Chair Mark Shirley-Chair David Bankston Barry Crain Lynn Hannaman Chris Robichaux John Levasseur Brian Chandler Robert Richard Don Reed Ben Legendre Todd Shupe Communications Finance and Budget John Chaney-Chair Sandra Benjamin-Chair Glen Daniels Ed Twidwell Alfred Guidry R.L. Frazier Jason Holmes Miles Brashier Rafash Brew Keith Normand Sustainable Agriculture Horticulture & Turfgrass Dale Pollet, Chair Ron Strahan, Chair Carl Motsenbocker Annie Coco Denyse Cummins

2007-2008 LCAAA Proposed Budget June 6, 2007

Oak Grove, LA

Income Amount ($) Dues $7560 Interest Checking 10 Savings 50 CD 1630 Scholarship Auction 1100 Annual Meeting 1600 Total Income $11,950 Expenditures National Dues $6300 Police Jury Convention 250 NACAA Meeting DSA and AA recipients 400 Voting Delegates 500 President 150 President-Elect 150 Vice-President 150 Treasurer 150 Secretary 150 Awards 250 Office Expenses 50 JCEP Workshop 600 PILD Meeting 600 4-H U Luncheon 700 LCAAA Professional Improvement Scholarship 1000 4-H Scholarship 500 Lunch for New Agent Orientation 50 Total Expenditures $11,950 ________________________________________________________________________

2008 LCAAA Annual Meeting Baton Rouge, LA

Meeting Dates: June 1-4, 2008 Meeting Location: University Inn & Conference Center (Soon to be the Red Lion Inn) 2445 S. Acadian Thruway Baton Rouge, LA Room rates: $72 per night (This is a great rate for Baton Rouge!) Tentative Schedule Sunday, June 1: Board supper in the evening at Miles Brashier’s office in New Roads. Would include a boat trip on the False River and then meal near the office. Monday, June 2: Board meeting in a.m. at motel Professional tour in p.m.- Pointe Coupee area Tentative stops include: plastic manufacturing plant, master gardener plots, Big Cajun coal-fired plant, pecan orchard. Have meal and auction at the 911 Building in Morganza. Tuesday, June 3: Professional development program in a.m. at motel (Dept. heads) Spouses tour & lunch (Burden & LaHouse) AgCenter administrators & regional NACAA rep in p.m. Committee reports President’s reception & social Kids pizza party & swimming Awards banquet Wednesday, June 4: Memorial breakfast 1 or 2 professional presentations Business meeting Adjourn by 11:00 – 11:30 a.m. Registration Fee: ? (Will likely be higher than for the 2007 meeting)

LCAAA Board Meeting Agenda

September 18, 2007 Woodworth, Louisiana

1. Call to Order Ed Twidwell 2. Minutes of Summer Board Meeting Brian Chandler/Kurt Guidry 3. Treasurer’s Report Keith Normand 4. NACAAA Director’s Report James Devillier 5. Old Business a. 2007 Annual Meeting Report Myrl Sistrunk/R.L. Frazier b. Faculty Council Update Miles Brashier c. 4-H Centennial Committee Update Miles Brashier d. 4-H Luncheon Update James Devillier e. NACAA AM/PIC Report Ed Twidwell f. 4-H Regional Conference Funding Proposal Ed Twidwell/Terril Faul g. North Carolina “States Night In” Proposal Ed Twidwell 6. New Business a. Membership Report Keith Normand b. Southern Regional Leadership & PILD Conference Ed Twidwell c. 2008 Annual Meeting Update Ed Twidwell d. Certificate of Deposit Considerations Ed Twidwell/Keith Normand 7. Committee Reports 8. Other Business 9. Adjourn

Those present at the meeting were:

Ed Twidwell Kurt Guidry Barry Crain Stuart Gauthier Brian Chandler Ron Strahan Rick Louque Eddie Eskew Keith Normand Myrl Sistrunk R.L. Frazier Bill Branch Jimmy Flanagan Miles Brashier Stan Dutile Jason Holmes

Call to Order: Ed Twidwell welcomed everyone to the meeting and passed out all handout material that would be discussed during the meeting. He mentioned that he would like to deviate from the agenda somewhat by waiting to the end of the meeting to discuss the 4-H Regional Conference funding proposal and the “States Night In” proposal. Terril Faul would be here later in the meeting to discuss the 4-H Regional Conference and he felt it easier to discuss both proposals along with making a decision on what to do with the Certificate of Deposit that would be maturing soon. Finally, he thanked Keith Normand for preparing the meal and reminded everyone that lunch costs would be $7.00 per person. Minutes: Copies of the minutes were passed out to everyone and everyone was emailed a copy previously. Keith Normand made a motion that we dispense with the reading of the minutes and accept them as written. The motion was seconded by Brian Chandler. The motion passed unanimously with no discussion.

Treasurer’s Report: Keith Normand passed out copies of four reports. The reports were: 1) Account Balances, 2) Cash Flow Report, 3) Transaction Report, and 4) Budget. The current account balances were reported as:

Account ID Description Balance Available Balance1 Share $4,591.30 $4,586.302 Basic Checking $4,146.48 $4,146.4827 Special Shares $1,527.01 $1,522.0115 12 Month Certificate* $67,690.66 $66,690.66

* Maturity Date: 9/22/2007. The cash flow report from 10/01/06 to 10/01/07 was reported as follows:

CATEGORY DESCRIPTION 10/01/06 to 10/01/07Inflows Auction Income $1,517.50 Dues Income $7,310.00 Interest Income $2,616.63

Total Inflows $11,444.13 Outflows 4-H U Luncheon $705.98 Awards * $396.64 Donation $61.28 Dues – NCAAA $6,300.00 Officer Expense $1,625.00 Police Jury Association $250.00 Postage $12.50 Scholarship $500.00 Voting Delegate $575.00

Total Outflows $10,426.40 Overall Total $1,017.73

* The awards expenses were $196 for plaques purchased and a $100 cash award was given to each winner. ** The donation expense was money added to the Benevolent Account to bring its total to an even $500.00 The last report discussed was the 2006-07 Budget. A report was provided that showed the proposed and actual budgets for the association:

2006-2007 LCAAA Budget (July 1, 2006 – July 1, 2007) ITEM PROPOSED ACTUALIncome Dues $7,200.00 $7,500.00

Interest Checking $20.00 $10.25 Savings $30.00 $55.48 CD $1,300.00 $3,144.06 Scholarship Auction $1,100.00 $1,517.50 Annual Meeting $1,700.00 *

Total Income $11,530.00 $12,227.29 Expenditures Police Jury Convention $200.00 $250.00 National Dues $6,000.00 $6,250.00 NACAA Meeting DSA and AA Recipients $400.00 $400.00 Voting Delegates $500.00 $500.00 President $150.00 $150.00 President-Elect $150.00 $0.00 Vice-President $150.00 $0.00 Secretary $150.00 $0.00 Treasurer $150.00 $150.00 Awards $250.00 $196.64 Office Expenses $50.00 $12.50 JCEP Workshop $600.00 $600.00 PILD Meeting $500.00 $600.00 4-H U Luncheon $600.00 $705.98 LCAAA Professional Improvement Scholarship $1,000.00 $0.00 Scholarships** $500.00 $500.00

Total Expenditures $11,350.00 $10,315.12 * At the time of the development of the report, the final numbers for the annual meeting were not known. A final report for the annual meeting was given later in the board meeting. ** A question regarding the extra $500 scholarship was raised. It was stated that while it had been agreed to award the second scholarship and while the winner had been named, the money had not yet been paid, and therefore, was not reflected in the budget. After the reports were given and discussed, a motion was made by Stan Dutile and seconded by R.L. Frazier to accept the treasurer’s report as given. The motion was passed unanimously without discussion. NACAA Director Report: Ed Twidwell gave the NCAAA Director’s report on behalf of James Devillier. Twidwell started out by mentioning that the newly elected Southern Region Director was Dirk Webb from Okalahoma and that he is scheduled to be in attendance at the Annual Meeting in 2008 to be held in Baton Rouge. He also mentioned that the NACAAA board is proposing a peer reviewed electronic journal for

the Spring of 2008. Also, the Board voted to accept a $250 facility fee to account for not reaching the reserved hotel rooms for the annual meeting. OLD BUSINESS 2007 Annual Meeting: Myrl Sistrunk passed out an Income Statement from the 2007 Meeting. The final budget numbers for the meeting were: Louisiana County Agricultural Agents Association- Annual Meeting- June 3-6, 2007

ITEM VALUEIncome Sponsorship/Donors $8612.26 Registration Fees (55 members) $2,450.00

Total Income $11,062.26 Expenses Board Meal $346.63 Tour Bus $800.00 Spouses Tour Meal $925.00 Spouses Gifts $193.00 Tuesday Breakfast $138.00 Tuesday Lunch $400.00 Presidents Reception $501.97 Awards Banquet $1314.38 Memorial Breakfast $300.00 Postage (Life Members/Sponsors) $132.48 Office Depot (Folders) $801.90 Decorations $335.73 Door Prizes $226.71 Supplies (Drinks, Coffee, Cups, Etc) $467.02 Poster Contest $150.00 Back 40 Books (Reference Books)* $1,647.25

Total Expenditures $8,887.07 Net Income $2,175.19

* These books were given as gifts to everyone that registered for the meetings. Sistrunk indicated that the breakdown of participation for each the major events of the annual meeting were: 38 attended the board meeting; 62 attended the tour; 25 attended the spouses/kids event; 59 attended the awards banquet; and; 50 attended the memorial banquet. A question was asked about the sponsorship for the annual meeting. It was stated that Monsanto was the largest sponsor of the 2007 meeting. State associations sponsorship varied. The group then complemented both Sistrunk and R.L. Frazier for the great job

they had done hosting and organizing the meeting. Finally, Ed Twidwell reminded everyone that the surplus from the annual meeting would now go into the Savings Account 1. Faculty Council Report: Miles Brashier indicated that elections for representatives to the Faculty Council would soon begin and suggested that board members should consider serving. Miles thought there were 5 LCAAA members that were going off the Faculty Council and hoped that they would be replaced with other LCAAA members. Miles also mentioned that they would likely soon be advertising for an ombudsmen position for the AgCenter. This position would fill complaints from faculty and be the “go-between” for the faculty and administration. This will be a part-time position. Miles then said that the representatives to the Faculty Council where there to address issues raised by the faculty and said that faculty should contact a representative if they have an issue that they would like discussed. Two issues were suggested for the Faculty Council. Stan Dutile asked the question why assistant/associate county agents had to go through the same process for promotion as professors/specialist. 2) Jimmy Flanagan suggested that there should be some official process for when decisions are made by the administration that affects agents in a parish/region. He felt that there should be an individual meeting with those agents impacted prior to the decision being implemented. 4-H Centennial Committee Update: Miles Brashier is the LCAAA representative on that committee. Brashier indicated that there was a meeting of this committee but it conflicted with the current LCAAA board meeting. Currently, those leading this effort are trying to raise money for advertising of the event(s) because state or federal money cannot be used for promotion. A request has been made that each parish provide $2,000 and each association provide $2,000, however, there has been no timeline given for raising the money. Twidwell suggested that the board table any action on this request until additional information is gathered. It was suggested that it be tabled until the December board meeting when Miles can report on more specifics. Myrl Sistrunk made a motion that discussion on the 4-H Centennial be tabled until the December Board meeting. Miles Brashier seconded the motion. The motion unanimously passed without further discussion. 4-H Luncheon Update: Ed Twidwell reported that around 200 were served during the event. While the event was slightly over budget, it was felt that it was a successful event. Twidwell indicated that James Devillier would be willing to serve as chairman for this event for another year. NACAA AM/PIC Report: Ed Twidwell indicated that we had 35 people attend this year’s event. We had 20 agents and 15 spouses/children attend. Bill Branch and Glen Daniels and Annie Coco gave presentations at the meetings and Ed Twidwell had a poster presentation at the meetings. Twidwell indicated that Dr. Coreil had provided monetary support for those who were giving presentations at the meetings and felt like he would continue to offer that support in the future. Ed indicated that most of the agents were doing work that would be very suitable for presentations at the meetings and indicated that there was a website (Postersession.com) that made developing poster presentations very easy. NEW BUSINESS Membership Report: Keith Normand indicated that the membership drive should start now so that we could get the bulk of the dues by January 1. Normand indicated that we

ended up with 125 members by the March 16 deadline. He did indicate that there was a new employee that paid dues after that deadline and that he would hold those dues until the 2008 membership drive. Eddie Eskew then suggested that Ed Twidwell ask Dr. Coreil to send out an email reminding everyone that dues to LCAAA could be reimbursed. Miles Brashier indicated that he would send a general email to all Agcenter officially opening the membership drive. Discussion on membership ended when the question about the possibility of developing a membership brochure. It was indicated that the national association had one and that we may not be able to develop our own for the state association. Southern Regional Leadership and PILD Conferences: Ed Twidwell indicated that the Southern Regional Leadership Conference was going to be held in Orlando, Florida on February 5 – 7, 2008. The Southern and Northeast Regions would be meeting together. Ed Twidwell and Miles Brashier would be attending the meeting. The PILD conference is going to be Washington DC on April 28-30, 2008. Miles Brashier will be attending the conference. It was noted that additional travel support may be needed given the cost of the hotels in Washington DC. It was suggested that the board wait and see what the expected costs are before a decision is made. R.L. Frazier suggested that Dr. Coreil be contacted to see if he could increase the support for this conference. 2008 LCAAA Annual Meeting: Ed Twidwell indicated that the meeting will be at the Red Lion Inn in Baton Rouge. This hotel was originally called the University Inn and Conference Center and was the hotel that was used the last time the meeting was in Baton Rouge. The meeting is scheduled for June 1 - 4, 2008. Miles Brashier indicated that he is organizing the Board supper and tours and that he had sponsors for the food for the board supper and the scholarship dinner. Some alternatives for the tour stops are a plastic manufacturing plant, master gardener plots, Big Cajun coal-fired plant, and a pecan orchard. It was indicated that the scholarship auction and meal could be held at the 911 building in Morganza or given the tour stops, could end up at the West Baton Rouge Extension office. Ed Twidwell indicated that the planning committee was going to meet on October 5 and more details would be available for the December board meeting. A final comment was all clothing requirements for the tours be specified in the registration material so that people would be prepared. COMMITTEE REPORTS Award Committee: Eddie Eskew reinforced the requirements for the DSA and AA awards and gave a breakdown of the number he projected would be eligible from each of the districts. Eskew indicated he would send emails during the first week of October to all those that were eligible and see if there were interested in applying for the award and if they would be willing to attend both the state and national meetings. Eskew projected that by mid November to December 1, the final ballot would be sent out to the membership. Scholarship Committee Report: Stan Dutile passed out a summary report indicating actions taken and deadlines for the 4-H, LCAAA Member, and LSU College of Ag Scholarships. For 2007, there were 6 applications for the 4-H scholarship. Anna Normand of St. Landry Parish was selected as the winner. However, because of the success of fund raising this year, a decision was made at the Annual Meeting to award a second scholarship for the same value. Kristie Waddle of Beauregard was the recipient of the second scholarship. There were no applications in 2007 for the LCAAA Member

Scholarship. Applications for the 2008 LCAAA Member Scholarship are due in the Spring of 2008. The College of Agriculture Scholarship sponsored by LCAAA has a deadline of Feburary 1. After the report was given, there was discussion on whether the second scholarship was to be permanent. It was noted that the second scholarship is dependent on the funds raised from the auction and that a decision could not be made until the Annual Meeting. As a result, it was suggested that the scholarship committee rank the top two applicants in case the second scholarship can be given. It was also mentioned that students interested in the scholarship be made aware that they need to apply for admittance to school early enough so that they can be considered for the scholarship. Finally, the board thanked Stan Dutile for a job well done on the scholarship committee in 2007. ITEMS DELAYED TO END OF MEETING North Carolina “States Night In” Proposal: Ed Twidwell indicated that the national meeting will be held on July 13 -17, 2008 in Greensburg, North Carolina. Traditionally, each state would get together during the meetings to go out for a meal. For 2008, however, North Carolina is proposing a “States Night In” function. The reason given is that there are not many places to eat close to the conference hotel and that they thought this event would entice higher participation. They are requesting that each southern state provide funds to help sponsor the meal. The amount requested is based on membership in the state, and for Louisiana, is $1,600. It was noted that during the Summer Board meeting in June 2007, a motion was passed that we would support the request. Therefore, R.L. Frazier made a motion to support the “States Night In” request for the annual meeting in the amount of $1,600. Bill Branch seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously. 4-H Regional Conference Funding Proposal: Ed Twidwell indicated that he was originally contacted by Terril Faul for funding and tabled the request for funding in June until this board meeting. Faul indicated that this a leadership conference for 4-H volunteers held at the Rock Eagle 4-H Center in Georgia and that Louisiana generally brings from 35 – 50 volunteer leaders each year. Louisiana has been asked to host the event in 2007 and 2008. Faul indicated that for 2007 they would be required to set up and find funding for the workshops, and for 2008, they would be responsible for getting a guest speaker, printing materials, meals, and entertainment for the conference. Faul indicated that projected funding needs were $6,500 to $7,000 for 2007 and $12,000 to $14,000 for 2008. They have already raised the money they needed for 2007. Thus far, their funding raising efforts had netted:

New Orleans Hornets $5,000 Louisiana Association of Family and Consumer Sciences $1,000 Louisiana 4-H Association $2,000 Louisiana 4-H Foundation* $1,000

* The 4-H Foundation has agreed to provide an additional $1,000 if needed. The money would be needed by July 1st. Brian Chandler then made a motion to give a total of $1,000 for the 4-H Regional Conference. Jimmy Flanagan seconded the motion. Discussion of the motion turned to giving $1,000 each year for two years for a total of $2,000. Keith Normand made a motion to amend the original motion by stating we give

$1,000 each year for a total of $2,000. Bill Branch seconded the motion. The amendment passed by majority vote (2 nays). A vote was then taken on the original motion with amendment. The amended motion that we give $1,000 each year for a total of $2,000 for the 4-H Regional Conference passed by majority vote (1 Nay). Certificate of Deposit Considerations: Keith Normand had mentioned during his Treasurer’s report that the CD was maturing on September 22, 2008 and the board needed to make a decision on what to do with it and the interest earned. That decision was postponed until the board could discuss the two funding proposals. Given the boards decision to support the 4-H Regional Conference, Keith Normand made a motion that the $2,000 for the 4-H Regional Conference be taken out of interest from the CD and that $1,000 be paid now and the other $1,000 be held to be paid by July 1, 2008. Brian Chandler seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously. OTHER BUSINESS and ADJOURN Ed Twidwell then asked if there was any further business to be considered. With no further business, R.L. Frazier made a motion to adjourn. Myrl Sistrunk seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously and the meeting was adjourned.

LCAAA Winter Board Meeting Agenda December 17, 2007

Lockett Hall, Room B15 Baton Rouge, Louisiana

1. Welcome/Call to Order Ed Twidwell 2. Minutes of Fall Board Meeting Kurt Guidry

3. Treasurer’s Report Keith Normand 4. Awards Report a. 2008 DSA + AA Winners Eddie Eskew b. 2007 Search for Excellence in Crop Production Myrl Sistrunk 5. NACAA Vice Director’s Report James Devillier 6. Old Business a. NACAA Hall of Fame Award Eddie Eskew b. Scholarship Report Stan Dutile c. Faculty Council Update Allen Hogan d. 4-H Centennial Funding Request Ed Twidwell e. 4-H U Luncheon James Devillier 7. New Business a. Membership and Dues Ed Twidwell/Keith Normand b. Southern Regional Leadership Workshop Ed Twidwell c. PILD Meeting Ed Twidwell d. LCAAA Historian’s Report Charles Overstreet e. Committee Reports f. LCAAA 2008 AM/PIC Ed Twidwell g. Spring 2008 Board Meeting Ed Twidwell 8. Other Business 9. Adjourn

Those present at the meeting were:

James Batty Allen Hogan Bill Branch Barton Joffrion Brian Chandler Earl Johnson Barry Crain Kim Landry Glen Daniels Rick Louque James Devillier Ron Nicholas Stan Dutile Charles Overstreet Eddie Eskew Gerald Roberts Jimmy Flanagan Myrl Sistrunk R.L. Frazier Ron Strahan Stuart Gauthier Ed Twidwell Kurt Guidry

Call to Order: Ed Twidwell began the meeting by welcoming everyone and announcing that handouts were available at the front of the room. He then mentioned that a couple of the board members were going to be out due to sickness. Miles Brashier was recovering from heart surgery. Ed also mentioned that he had sent a gift (plant) to Miles on behalf of the board and LCAAA. He also mentioned that Keith Normand was absent

due to having out-patient surgery to correct issues suffered from an earlier 4-wheeler accident. Minutes: It was mentioned that copies of the last board meeting had been sent via email to everyone and that a couple of corrections were made and an updated version of the minutes were re-sent. It was asked if anyone had any comments regarding the fall board meeting minutes. At that time Brian Chandler made a motion to accept the minutes as previously distributed and it was seconded by Rick Louque. The motion passed unanimously. Treasurer’s Report: Ed Twidwell gave the report since Keith Normand was unable to attend. From the last treasurer’s report, Ed indicated that the following expenses had been paid:

Expense Item AmountDonation to North Carolina for Annual Meeting $1,600.00Donation to Rock Eagle 4-H Leadership Conference $1,000.00

The board had decided at the Fall Board Meeting that a total of $2,000 would be donated to the Rock Eagle 4-H Leadership Conference. The $1,000 was the first installment of that donation with the remaining to be paid in 2008. The money for the Rock Eagle donation was from earnings from the association’s Certificate of Deposit (CD). When the CD matured in September 2007, $2,000 was taken from the interest and transferred into the association’s savings account. The $1,000 already paid came from those moneys as will the second installment of the donation. Other than the expenses mentioned, Ed Twidwell did mention that the cost of the plant sent to Miles Brashier was $50. Ed Twidwell also mentioned that Keith Normand had received dues for 29 members prior to the Annual Conference, of which 5 were new members. Another 29 had paid as part of their Annual Conference registration. It was mentioned that we had 125 members last year and that we wanted to shoot for at least that number for 2008. Finally, based on the information provided by Keith Normand, the following were the current balances in the association’s accounts:

Account ID Description Balance 1 Share Savings $6,185.92 2 Basic Checking $4,156.40 27 Scholarship Savings $1,532.68 15 12 Month CD $66,563.87

A motion was then made by R.L. Frazier to accept the treasurer’s report. It was seconded by Myrl Sistrunk. The motion passed unanimously. Awards Report: Eddie Eskew indicated that there were 42 votes cast for the DSA and AA awards. The winners were:

DSA AA Boyd Padgett David Lanclos

Shaney Hill David Bourgeois Richard Letlow

He mentioned that he found out that Louisiana could have 3 DSA winners. The NACAA’s rule is that the number of DSA winners from a state is set at 2% of the membership. Since Louisiana had 125 members, 2 percent would equal 2.5, which can be rounded up to 3. The AA winners are still based on 1 per 100 members. One of the criterions when selecting the DSA and AA winners is that the winner be willing and able to attend the national meeting. Eddie indicated that all winners had agreed to attend the meeting. He said that they would work with the winners to determine who would be designated as voting delegates at the national meeting. Eddie then discussed the National Hall of Fame Award. He said that the application deadline is January 15, 2008 and that he had not received any nominations to this point. If there were more than one nomination, a committee would be developed to choose between the nominations. Myrl Sistrunk then discussed the Search for Excellence in Crop Production program. Myrl mentioned that LCAAA members had participated in this program in the past (Glen Daniels, Bill Branch, and Denise Cummings) and he felt it was an excellent opportunity for agents to showcase some of the work they conducted. He urged everyone to look at these award programs and to seriously consider submitting. He felt like that there was working being conducted in the state by agents that would certainly be appropriate for this program. NACAA Southern Director’s Report: James Devillier is the Southern Region Director for the NACAA. James mentioned that he had just got back from the national board meeting. The national annual meeting will be held on July 13-17, 2009 in North Carolina with the theme being “North Carolina- A Place To Grow”. He said that there would be a variety of activities planned for the meetings. There were 24 planning tours, pre-conference animal science and horticulture tours, 10 full day and 6 half day spouses tours, 2 tours for children each day, a 4-H Talent Review, roughly 140 businesses with exhibits, among other things that will be offered this year. The NACAA has worked out a deal for a 10 percent discount with Northwest Airlines for travel to and from the meetings. The registration for the annual meeting would be: $225 for a member, $180 for spouses, and $160 for children. In other news, James indicated that they would be taking nominations for national and regional committee chairs. He urged the membership to seriously consider applying for some of these positions. James then mentioned the National Young Farmer Program. This is a joint effort of the Jaycees and NACAA. He mentioned that Richard Fontenot from Evangeline Parish was one of the 10 national finalists for the award. In other news, James mentioned that there would be 7 seminar sessions relating to agriculture at the Galaxy meetings. In addition, he mentioned that Billy Scaggs from Georgia would be nominated from the Southern Region to the board.

The final item discussed was the promotion brochure for membership recruitment. Ed Twidwell brought everyone’s attention to the samples of the brochures that he had at the meeting. A question was asked if the state could include additional information with the national brochure and James indicated that they could. It was suggested that Ed Twidwell try to get additional brochures and to have them included in the new employee orientation packet. OLD BUSINESS Hall of Fame Award: Eddie Eskew covered this topic in his discussion regarding the DSA and AA award winners. Scholarship Report: Stan Dutile began his comments by reviewing the number of applicants and winners from 2007. There were 6 applications in 2007 with Anna Normand of St. Landry parish being named the winner. Because of successful fund raising, it was decided at the 2007 annual meeting that a second scholarship be awarded of the same value. Kristie Waddle from Beauregard Parish was the winner of the second award. They are currently awaiting records of proof that the award winners successfully completed their first semester and met all grade requirements of the award. Once that information was received, it would be sent to Keith Normand to have him cut checks to the winners. It was mentioned that the second scholarship was not designed as an annual award. The decision to award a second scholarship would be decided each year depending on the amount of funds raised at the annual scholarship auction. Dates for the 2008 scholarships were mentioned. The LCAAA scholarship application deadline is April 15, 2008. The April deadline is also the deadline for membership scholarships. The deadline for the application to the College of Agriculture scholarship sponsored by LCAAA is February 1, 2008. Faculty Council Update: Allen Hogan gave the report given that Miles Brashier was unable to attend the meeting. Allen indicated that there had been 3 major topics covered by the Faculty Council over the last several months. The first was elections held in November. Those elected were:

Full Title – Off Campus: Andrew Granger (Vermillion) and Adrienne Vidrine (Acadia) Full Title – On Campus: Diane Sasser (Human Ecology) Associate – Off Campus: Denise Zeringue (St. Charles) Associate – On Campus: Joan King (Food Science) Assistant – Off Campus: Mandy Armentor (Vermillion)

He mentioned that only 30 percent of the potential voters actually voted in the last election and urged everyone to vote. The next topic was a survey conducted by the council. The survey was designed to get information regarding three major areas: 1) Determine the faculty’s familiarity with the Faculty Council, 2) Determine issues that faculty felt were important, and 3) Determine the satisfaction of the faculty regarding the service units. It was an email survey and there was a 53 percent response rate which was very good for this type of survey. The results have been sent out to all faculty. He felt that one of the main findings of the

survey was that the faculty was not familiar with the Faculty Council and were not aware of the work that the Council had done and was doing. The final topic was that of an ombudsman position for the LSU AgCenter. This position is in the progress of being developed and advertised. The position would be filled in 2008. A search committee was being developed and Eddie Eskew will be on that committee. After the discussion, James Devillier thanked Allen Hogan for his service on the Faculty Council. Glen Daniels then echoed those statements and also took the opportunity to introduce a newly higher agent that would be working in his area. Allen Hogan thanked everyone for their appreciation and suggested that all LCAAA members that have or are serving on the Faculty Council should be thanked. 4-H Centennial Funding Request: Ed Twidwell indicated that parishes and associations had been asked to provide funding support for the Centennial. However, to this point, Ed had not received a formal request, including a dollar amount. He felt like until a formal request was made, that the board could not move forward on this issue. As such, he suggested that the board invite someone from 4-H to attend the spring board meeting to give a formal request and to delay any formal discussion and decisions until then. 4-H University Luncheon: James Devillier along with Kenny Sharpe have served as Co-Chairs for this event for the past several years. In 2007, James indicated that they had served roughly 300 people during the event. He mentioned that while the event had come in slightly over budget that the costs would have been considerably higher not for the amount of food that had been donated. James indicated that he would be willing to chair the event for 2008 and Ed Twidwell thanked him as well as Kenny Sharpe for their continued support and leadership for this event. NEW BUSINESS Membership Report: Ed Twidwell indicated that membership drive for 2008 was currently ongoing. He mentioned that most of the leadership to seek new members and collect dues was designated to the Senior Board Members. The Senior Board members are Rusty Batty, Ron Strahan, Jason Holmes, and Stuart Gauthier. Ed indicated that he would get with Keith Normand and that they would get with the Senior Board Members to provide them a list of 2007 membership and a list of those that had paid and those that still needed to be renewed. This would give the Senior Board Members as basis for contacting agents about 2008 membership. Ed then reminded everyone that dues were due to the National association by March and urged everyone to renew their membership and actively attempt to recruit new membership. Southern Regional Leadership Workshop: Ed Twidwell indicated that the Southern Region Leadership Workshop would be held on February 6-7, 2008 in Orlando, Florida. Ed Twidwell and Miles Brashier were originally scheduled to attend, but with Miles recent illness, Brian Chandler has agreed to go in place of Miles. In the past, LCAAA has given each person $300 to help offset the costs of attending the workshop with Dr. Coreil matching those funds. This would be done again for 2008. PILD Meeting: Ed Twidwell indicated that the PILD conference is going to be in Washington DC on April 28-30, 2008. Miles Brashier is scheduled to attend the event

but Brian Chandler has agreed to attend if Miles cannot make the event given his recent health issues. In the past, the LCAAA has provided $600 per person for travel expenses. However, Ed Twidwell indicated that the costs of attending this meeting have continually increased and that there was likely a need to increase the funds provided. He also indicated that Dr. Coreil had generally matched the LCAAA in travel funds and that he would ask him to match any increase in support provided by the LCAAA. LCAAA Historian Report:: Charles Overstreet indicated that there were records that went back to 1954 on membership in LCAAA. He was unsure as to how up-to-date the records were and encouraged everyone to send information related to LCAAA that people would like to see archived. Charles indicated that he would check to see what information was currently available and see what information was needed to bring everything up-to-date. It was also mentioned that Kenny Sharpe was the person who had been overseeing the LCAAA website. It was suggested that some of the information that Charles Overstreet was referring to might be a logical candidate to place on the website. Ed Twidwell suggested that he and Kenny Sharpe and Charles Overstreet meet to see what had been and what needs to be done and will report on those findings at the Spring Board Meeting. Committee Report - 4-H Award Committee: Shaney Hill indicated that the deadline for the 4-H Award was February 8, 2008. The award would be given at the Louisiana 4-H Agents Association meeting in 2008. A question was proposed regarding multi-parish work submitted for the award. The question specifically was which person(s) should be given the award if it involved several agents from several parishes. Eddie Eskew suggested that the agent or committee in charge of project should be given the award rather than every agent that was involved in the project. In a related statement, James Devillier asked who was the Communications Chair and suggested that communication awards should be applied for at least on the state level and regional levels. LCAAA Annual Meeting: Ed Twidwell provided and went through a tentative schedule for the 2008 annual meeting. The dates, location, and tentative schedule were provided as follows:

2008 LCAAA Annual Meeting Baton Rouge, Louisiana

Meeting Dates: June 1 – 4, 2008 Meeting Location: University Inn & Conference Center (Soon to be the Red Lion

Inn) 2445 S. Acadian Thruway Baton Rouge, LA Room Rates: $72 per night (This is a great rate for Baton Rouge!)

TENTATIVE SCHEDULE Sunday, June 1: Board supper in the evening at Miles Brashier’s office in New

Roads. Would include a boat trip on the False River and then meal

near the office

Monday, June 2: Board meeting in a.m. at motel Professional tour in p.m. – Pointe Coupee Area

Tentative stops include: plastic manufacturing plant, master gardener plots,

Big Cajun coal-fired plant, pecan orchard. Have meal and auction at the

911 building in Morganza.

Tuesday, June 3: Professional development program in a.m. at motel (Include Dept. Heads)

Spouses tour & lunch (Burden and LaHouse are potential tour areas)

AgCenter administrators & regional NACAA representatives in p.m.

Committee reports President’s reception and social Kids pizza party & swimming Awards banquet

Wednesday, June 4:

Memorial breakfast

1 or 2 professional presentations Business meeting Adjourn by 11:00 – 11:30 a.m.

It was mentioned that the hotel room rates of $72 per night were very good for Baton Rouge and it was also emphasized that it would be important for everyone wishing to get a room to do so before the reservation deadline. Room rates would go up substantially after the cutoff date for making a hotel reservation. It was mentioned that given the costs associated with putting on the annual meeting in Baton Rouge, that the registration fee may have to increase slightly for 2008. A question was asked regarding the poster contest that was held in 2007. It was mentioned that it would be held again in 2008 and that Ron Strahan has agreed to be in charge of the contest. Those interested in competing should bring their poster to the annual meeting. For those wanting to participate in the National Associations competition, the deadline for submitting those posters will be on March 15.

Spring Board Meeting: Ed Twidwell mentioned that the spring board meeting had been held at the LDAF center in Woodworth and asked if it was the general consensus of the board to keep it there. It was agreed that the Woodworth center was an acceptable site for the meeting and Ed would look into its availability for the 2008 spring board meeting. Ed mentioned that the 2007 spring board meeting was held on March 28 and that he would look to have a meeting somewhere within the time frame of March 15 – 30, 2008. OTHER BUSINESS AND ADJOURN: Ed Twidwell then asked if there was any further business that needed to come before the board. With no further business, Allen Hogan made a motion to adjourn. It was seconded by Eddie Eskew. The motion passed unanimously and the meeting was adjourned.

LCAAA Winter General Membership Meeting Agenda

December 17, 2007 Lockett Hall, Room B15 Baton Rouge, Louisiana

1. Welcome/Call to Order Ed Twidwell 2. Minutes of Fall Board Meeting Kurt Guidry 3. Director’s Remark Dr. Paul Coreil 4. Treasurer’s Report Keith Normand 5. Awards Report a. 2008 DSA + AA Winners Eddie Eskew

b. 2007 Search for Excellence in Crop Production Myrl Sistrunk 6. NACAA Vice Director’s Report James Devillier 7. Old Business a. 2007 Annual Meeting Report Myrl Sistrunk b. NACAA AM/PIC Meeting in Greensboro, NC Ed Twidwell c. NACAA Hall of Fame Award Eddie Eskew d. Faculty Council Update Allen Hogan e. 4-H University Luncheon James Devillier f. Funding Requests Ed Twidwell 8. New Business a. Membership and Dues Ed Twidwell/Keith Normand b. Southern Regional Leadership Workshop Ed Twidwell c. PILD Meeting Ed Twidwell d. Committee Reports e. LCAAA 2008 AM/PIC Meeting in Baton Rouge Ed Twidwell 9. Other Business 10. Adjourn

Call to Order: Ed Twidwell began the meeting by welcoming everyone and introducing himself. He then mentioned handouts that were available and talked about a few members that were absent due to various health issues. Ed mentioned that Miles Brashier, Keith Normand, and Carlos Smith were not in attendance due to various health issues. Ed then stated Dr. Coreil was scheduled to attend but that he didn’t know exactly what time he would get here. The meeting would follow the agenda if Dr. Coreil had not made it when his spot in the agenda came up. Minutes: The minutes from the last general membership meeting were previously made available to everyone. Ed asked if there were any comments regarding the minutes. At that time Allen Hogan made a motion to accept the minutes. It was seconded by R.L. Frazier. The motion passed unanimously. Treasurer’s Report: Ed Twidwell gave the report since Keith Normand was unable to attend. From the last treasurer’s report, Ed indicated that the following expenses had been paid:

Expense Item AmountDonation to North Carolina for Annual Meeting $1,600.00Donation to Rock Eagle 4-H Leadership Conference $1,000.00

The board voted at its October 2007 to fund the request for the NACAA AM/PIC meeting in North Carolina at the level of $1,600.00. Every Southern state, with the exception of Texas, had agreed to fund the request. The board had decided at the Fall Board Meeting that a total of $2,000 would be donated to the Rock Eagle 4-H Leadership Conference. The $1,000 was the first installment of that donation with the remaining to be paid in 2008. The money for the Rock Eagle donation was from earnings from the association’s Certificate of Deposit (CD). When the CD matured in September 2007, $2,000 was taken from the interest

and transferred into the association’s savings account. The $1,000 already paid came from those moneys as will the second installment of the donation. Other than the expenses mentioned, Ed Twidwell did mention that the cost of the plant sent to Miles Brashier was $50. Ed Twidwell also mentioned that Keith Normand had received dues for 29 members prior to the Annual Conference, of which 5 were new members. Another 29 had paid as part of their Annual Conference registration. Ed indicated that he would be available to accept dues for anyone wanting to pay their dues. It was mentioned that we had 125 members last year and that we wanted to shoot for at least that number for 2008. Based on the information provided by Keith Normand, the following were the current balances in the association’s accounts:

Account ID Description Balance 1 Share Savings $6,185.92 2 Basic Checking $4,156.40 27 Scholarship Savings $1,532.68 15 12 Month CD $66,563.87

Some discussion was brought up about the association funding the Rock Eagle 4-H Leadership Conference. Mr. Jerry Whatley questioned why the association would fund a request of $2,000 and felt like that type of money could be better spent in state. He suggested that if the association was going to spend that kind of money that the request should be brought up in front of the entire membership. A motion was then made by Annie Coco to accept the treasurer’s report. It was seconded by Eddie Eskew. The motion passed unanimously. Awards Report: Eddie Eskew indicated that there were 42 votes cast for the DSA and AA awards. The winners were:

DSA AA Boyd Padgett David Lanclos Shaney Hill David Bourgeois

Richard Letlow He mentioned that he found out that Louisiana could have 3 DSA winners. The NACAA’s rule is that the number of DSA winners from a state is set at 2% of the membership. Since Louisiana had 125 members, 2 percent would equal 2.5, which can be rounded up to 3. The AA winners are still based on 1 per 100 members.

One of the criterions when selecting the DSA and AA winners is that the winner be willing and able to attend the national meeting. Eddie indicated that all winners had agreed to attend the meeting. He said that they would work with the winners to determine who would be designated as voting delegates at the national meeting. Eddie then discussed the National Hall of Fame Award. He said that the application deadline is January 15, 2008 and that he had not received any nominations to this point. If there were more than one nomination, a committee would be developed to choose between the nominations. Myrl Sistrunk then discussed the Search for Excellence in Crop Production program. Myrl mentioned that LCAAA members had participated in this program in the past (Glen Daniels, Bill Branch, and Denyse Cummins) and he felt it was an excellent opportunity for agents to showcase some of the work they conducted. He urged everyone to look at these award programs and to seriously consider submitting. He felt like that there was working being conducted in the state by agents that would certainly be appropriate for this program. NACAA Southern Director’s Report: James Devillier is the Southern Region Director for the NACAA. James mentioned that he had just got back from the national board meeting. The national annual meeting will be held on July 13-17, 2009 in North Carolina with the theme being “North Carolina- A Place To Grow”. He said that there would be a variety of activities planned for the meetings. There were 24 planning tours, pre-conference animal science and horticulture tours, 10 full day and 6 half day spouses tours, 2 tours for children each day, a 4-H Talent Review, roughly 140 businesses with exhibits, among other things that will be offered this year. The NACAA has worked out a deal for a 10 percent discount with Northwest Airlines for travel to and from the meetings. The registration for the annual meeting would be: $225 for a member, $180 for spouses, and $160 for children. In other news, James indicated that they would be taking nominations for national and regional committee chairs. He urged the membership to seriously consider applying for some of these positions. James then mentioned the National Young Farmer Program. This is a joint effort of the Jaycees and NACAA. He mentioned that Richard Fontenot from Evangeline Parish was one of the 10 national finalists for the award. In other news, James mentioned that there would be 7 seminar sessions relating to agriculture at the Galaxy meetings. In addition, he mentioned that Billy Scaggs from Georgia would be nominated from the Southern Region to the board. The next item discussed was the promotion brochure for membership recruitment. Ed Twidwell brought everyone’s attention to the samples of the brochures that he had at the meeting. A question was asked if the state could include additional information with the national brochure and James indicated that they could. It was suggested that Ed Twidwell try to get additional brochures and to have them included in the new employee orientation packet. James ended his discussion stating that the 100th annual meeting for NACAA was going to be in 2015. There were a couple of sites being considered for that meeting. One

would be in Chicago which was the original site of the first meeting. The other site would be in Washington DC. In conjunction with the Director’s report, Allen Hogan provided an update on an Electronic Journal being developed by the NACAA. Allen is a representative on the committee in charge of developing the electronic journal. The NACAA Board has approved the electronic journal – it will be electronic only, with no plans to have a hardcopy journal. There will be two components of the journal: 1) an applied research section and 2) an educational program section. There will be no limit on the number of article submissions but you must be a NACAA member to submit an article. If there are multiple authors, at least one author must be a NACAA member. There is also no limit about pre-submitted articles to other journals and since it will be an electronic journal, there will be no page fees. Initially, it will be published annually with the potential to expand into a semi-annual publication. It was mentioned that if anyone wanted to be a reviewer for the journal to let either Allen Hogan or Ed Twidwell know. Finally, in relation to the electronic journal, Allen also mentioned that the NACAA was currently negotiating with the Journal of Extension to have an agricultural section. Director’s Report: Dr. Coreil started his comments mentioning that we had a new President of the LSU System. Dr. Coreil mentioned that to this point everything has been very positive. The new President’s daughter was a 4-H member and that he has been very complementary of the LSU AgCenter. Dr. Coreil mentioned that 95 percent of all the System’s dollars for patents and technology were generated by the LSU AgCenter. Dr. Coreil then mentioned that they have been able to hire new people (agents). The problem that they have encountered is having starting salaries at high enough levels to attract candidates and still be able to have some equity among existing salaries. He felt like they had to increase starting salaries to continue to be competitive. He then mentioned the new positions that had been filled. Dr. Coreil then mentioned the changes that existed in state government. Roughly half of the Louisiana House of Representatives were new members and over half of the Senate were new. The AgCenter is the process of making contact with new and existing representatives to discuss our role in the state. He also mentioned that agents should contact representatives and get and give feedback. Bobby Fletcher will be compiling this information. There will also be new chairman to key committees. Dr. Coreil felt like that there was potential support in both the Agricultural and Finance committees which should help our cause. There is an estimated $2.1 billion in un-committed funds for next fiscal year. Dr. Coreil re-confirmed his support for professional organizations and indicated that he would continue to support realistic requests regarding activity of those organizations. He then mentioned the 4-H Centennial and stated that state and federal funds could not be spent to advertising this special event. He indicated that there would be a challenge made to each parish to support the advertising and marketing of this event in the amount of $2,000. However, he did say, that there would be no retribution for parishes that couldn’t support this challenge.

Dr. Coreil did mention that there goal was to have two 4-H FTE’s in each parish. A question was then asked if parishes would still be responsible for picking up its share of those positions. Dr. Coreil indicated that parishes would still be expected to come up with 10 percent of the parish costs and that hopefully there would be state funds available to pick up its share of reaching this goal. Dr. Coreil mentioned that additional monies had to be made available for travel given the costs of fuel and hoped that the state would provide some additional funds. He felt like the Governor Jindal was familiar with the AgCenter through his participation in some of the AgCenter activities conducted in his district. Also, the former 4-h Foundation head will be working for Governor Jindal which should also help. He did mention that Governor Jindal has much more of a commitment to performance based budgets which will put more emphasis on our ability to adequately report the good work that the AgCenter does. Finally, he mentioned that there would be a new commissioner of higher education. He hoped that this may help the AgCenter with its issue with the current formula funding problem. At that point, Dwight Landreneau made a few comments. He also stressed the importance of the 4-H Centennial and said that not only will this highlight 4-H but it will also provide an avenue to promote all of the things that Extension does. He also mentioned some new initiatives that they were working on in conjunction with the regional development office in Oak Grove. Finally he just thanked everyone for their contribution to the Agricultural Summary publication. OLD BUSINESS 2007 Annual Meeting: Myrl Sistrunk gave a summary of the activities conducted at the 2007 LACAA AM/PIC that was held in Oak Grove. NACAA AM/PIC Report: Ed Twidwell said that the national meeting will be held on July 13 -17, 2008 in Greensburg, North Carolina in 2008. Ed indicated that there 15 – 20 members that might be interested in attending. Ed said that he would check on the availability of an Extension van to travel to the meetings. Hall of Fame Award: Eddie Eskew covered this topic in his discussion regarding the DSA and AA award winners. Faculty Council Update: Allen Hogan gave the report given that Miles Brashier was unable to attend the meeting. Allen indicated that there had been 3 major topics covered by the Faculty Council over the last several months. The first was elections held in November. Those elected were:

Full Title – Off Campus: Andrew Granger (Vermillion) and Adrienne Vidrine (Acadia) Full Title – On Campus: Diane Sasser (Human Ecology) Associate – Off Campus: Denise Zeringue (St. Charles) Associate – On Campus: Joan King (Food Science) Assistant – Off Campus: Mandy Armentor (Vermillion)

Currently, there are 7 out of the 20 member council that are LACAAA members. He mentioned that only 30 percent of the potential voters actually voted in the last election and urged everyone to vote.. The next topic was a survey conducted by the council. The survey was designed to get information regarding three major areas: 1) Determine the faculty’s familiarity with the Faculty Council, 2) Determine issues that faculty felt were important, and 3) Determine the satisfaction of the faculty regarding the service units. It was an email survey and there was a 53 percent response rate which was very good for this type of survey. The results have been sent out to all faculty. He felt that one of the main findings of the survey was that the faculty was not familiar with the Faculty Council and were not aware of the work that the Council had done and was doing. The final topic was that of an ombudsman position for the LSU AgCenter. This position is in the progress of being developed and advertised. The position would be filled in 2008. A search committee was being developed and Eddie Eskew will be on that committee. 4-H University Luncheon: James Devillier along with Kenny Sharpe have served as Co-Chairs for this event for the past several years. In 2007, James indicated that they had served roughly 300 people during the event. He mentioned that while the event had come in slightly over budget that the costs would have been considerably higher not for the amount of food that had been donated. James indicated that he would be willing to chair the event for 2008 and Ed Twidwell thanked him as well as Kenny Sharpe for their continued support and leadership for this event. Funding Requests: Ed Twidwell suggested that we postpone discussing funding issues to the end of the meeting. NEW BUSINESS Membership Report: Ed Twidwell indicated that membership drive for 2008 was currently ongoing. He mentioned that most of the leadership to seek new members and collect dues was designated to the Senior Board Members. The Senior Board members are Rusty Batty, Ron Strahan, Jason Holmes, and Stuart Gauthier. Ed indicated that he would get with Keith Normand and that they would get with the Senior Board Members to provide them a list of 2007 membership and a list of those that had paid and those that still needed to be renewed. This would give the Senior Board Members as basis for contacting agents about 2008 membership. Ed then reminded everyone that dues were due to the National association by March and urged everyone to renew their membership and actively attempt to recruit new membership. Southern Regional Leadership Workshop: Ed Twidwell indicated that the Southern Region Leadership Workshop would be held on February 6-7, 2008 in Orlando, Florida. Ed Twidwell and Miles Brashier were originally scheduled to attend, but with Miles recent illness, Brian Chandler has agreed to go in place of Miles. In the past, LCAAA has given each person $300 to help offset the costs of attending the workshop with Dr. Coreil matching those funds. This would be done again for 2008.

PILD Meeting: Ed Twidwell indicated that the PILD conference is going to be in Washington DC on April 28-30, 2008. Miles Brashier is scheduled to attend the event but Brian Chandler has agreed to attend if Miles cannot make the event given his recent health issues. In the past, the LCAAA has provided $600 per person for travel expenses. However, Ed Twidwell indicated that the costs of attending this meeting have continually increased and that there was likely a need to increase the funds provided. He also indicated that Dr. Coreil had generally matched the LCAAA in travel funds and that he would ask him to match any increase in support provided by the LCAAA. Committee Reports (Sustainable Agriculture): Dale Pollet asked everyone to make sure that emails regarding that committee were getting to all agents. If someone was not getting the emails, they should contact Dale. Committee Report (Scholarship Report): Stan Dutile began his comments by reviewing the number of applicants and winners from 2007. There were 6 applications in 2007 with Anna Normand of St. Landry parish being named the winner. Because of successful fund raising, it was decided at the 2007 annual meeting that a second scholarship be awarded of the same value. Kristie Waddle from Beauregard Parish was the winner of the second award. They are currently awaiting records of proof that the award winners successfully completed their first semester and met all grade requirements of the award. Once that information was received, it would be sent to Keith Normand to have him cut checks to the winners. It was mentioned that the second scholarship was not designed as an annual award. The decision to award a second scholarship would be decided each year depending on the amount of funds raised at the annual scholarship auction. Dates for the 2008 scholarships were mentioned. The LCAAA scholarship application deadline is April 15, 2008. The April deadline is also the deadline for membership scholarships. The deadline for the application to the College of Agriculture scholarship sponsored by LCAAA is February 1, 2008 Kenny Sharpe suggested that if Stan would send the information regarding the scholarships that he would see to it that it was placed on the LACAAA website. Jerry Whatley indicated that he thought the College of Agriculture scholarship would be raised this year from $1,000 to $2,000. . LCAAA Annual Meeting: Ed Twidwell provided and went through a tentative schedule for the 2008 annual meeting. The dates, location, and tentative schedule were provided as follows:

2008 LCAAA Annual Meeting Baton Rouge, Louisiana

Meeting Dates: June 1 – 4, 2008

Meeting Location: University Inn & Conference Center (Soon to be the Red Lion Inn)

2445 S. Acadian Thruway Baton Rouge, LA

Room Rates: $72 per night (This is a great rate for Baton Rouge!)

TENTATIVE SCHEDULE Sunday, June 1: Board supper in the evening at Miles Brashier’s office in New

Roads. Would include a boat trip on the False River and then meal

near the office

Monday, June 2: Board meeting in a.m. at motel Professional tour in p.m. – Pointe Coupee Area

Tentative stops include: plastic manufacturing plant, master gardener plots,

Big Cajun coal-fired plant, pecan orchard. Have meal and auction at the

911 building in Morganza.

Tuesday, June 3: Professional development program in a.m. at motel (Include Dept. Heads)

Spouses tour & lunch (Burden and LaHouse are potential tour areas)

AgCenter administrators & regional NACAA representatives in p.m.

Committee reports President’s reception and social Kids pizza party & swimming Awards banquet

Wednesday, June 4:

Memorial breakfast

1 or 2 professional presentations Business meeting Adjourn by 11:00 – 11:30 a.m.

It was mentioned that the hotel room rates of $72 per night were very good for Baton Rouge and it was also emphasized that it would be important for everyone wishing to get a room to do so before the reservation deadline. Room rates would go up substantially after the cutoff date for making a hotel reservation. It was mentioned that given the costs associated with putting on the annual meeting in Baton Rouge, that the registration fee may have to increase slightly for 2008. A question was asked regarding the poster contest that was held in 2007. It was mentioned that it would be held again in 2008 and that Ron Strahan has agreed to be in charge of the contest. Those interested in competing should bring their poster to the annual meeting. For those wanting to participate in the National Associations competition, the deadline for submitting those posters will be on March 15. Funding Request: Ed Twidwell discussed the funding requests that had been made to the board. Funds were made available to the NACAA for the annual meeting in North Carolina and he thought that there was going to potentially be another request from

Oklahoma for the annual meeting in 2009. The funding request for Rock Eagle had previously been discussed during the Treasurer’s report. Ed Twidwell also mentioned that there was likely to be a request for the 4-H Centennial but that a formal request had not been made. Other associations had already committed to providing funds but LACAAA had not made a decision since no formal request had been made. Eddie Eskew made a motion to support the 4-H Centennial in the amount of $2,000. It was seconded by Howard Cormier. The motion passed unanimously. OTHER BUSINESS AND ADJOURN: Ed Twidwell then asked if there was any further business that needed to come before the board. With no further business, Jerry Whatley made a motion to adjourn. It was seconded by Myrl Sistrunk. The motion passed unanimously and the meeting was adjourned.

LCAAA Spring Board Meeting Agenda March 27. 2008

Woodworth, Louisiana

1. Welcome/Call to Order Ed Twidwell 2. Minutes of Winter Board Meeting Kurt Guidry 3. LCAAA Handbook Update Bill Branch 4. Treasurer’s Report Keith Normand/Ed Twidwell 5. Membership Report Ed Twidwell/Keith Normand 6. 2007-2008 Budget E.Twidwell/K.Normand/M.Brashier 7. NACAA Director’s Report James Devillier 8. NACAA E-Journal Update Allen Hogan 9. Awards Report a. LCAAA DSA and AA Winners Eddie Eskew

b. 2008 Search for Excellence in Crop Production Mryl Sistrunk

c. Communication Awards John Chaney 10. Faculty Council Update Miles Brashier 11. New Business a. JCEP & PILD Conferences E.Twidwell/B.Chandler/M.Brashier b. Scholarship Report Stan Dutile c. LCAAA 2008 AM/PIC Ed Twidwell d. NACAA 2008 AM/PIC Ed Twidwell e. Oklahoma Funding Proposal Ed Twidwell

f. 4-H Centennial Celebration Funding Discussion Ed Twidwell

12. Committee Reports 13. Other Business 14. Adjourn

Those present at the meeting were:

Miles Brashier R.L. Frazier Brian Chandler Stuart Gauthier Glen Daniels Kurt Guidry James Devillier Allen Hogan Stan Dutile Jason Holmes Eddie Eskew Myrl Sistrunk Jimmy Flanagan Ed Twidwell

Call to Order: Ed Twidwell began the meeting by welcoming everyone and announcing that handouts were available at the front of the room. Ed mentioned that we were going to alter the agenda somewhat. Bill Branch was unable to attend the meeting so we will push that discussion back in the meeting. Also, we would likely have to move James Devillier’s report to later in the meeting given he was preparing the meal for the meeting. Minutes: It was mentioned that copies of the last board meeting had been sent via email to everyone. It was asked if anyone had any comments regarding the winter board meeting minutes. At that time Allen Hogan made a motion to accept the minutes as previously distributed and it was seconded by Brian Chandler. The motion passed unanimously. Treasurer’s Report: Keith Normand was unable to attend the meeting, so Ed Twidwell gave the report. A report indicating the balances of all association accounts was provided. The balances as of 3/13/08 were as follows:

Account Balance (3/13/08) Assets Cash and Bank Accounts LCAAA #1 Savings $6,193.75 LCAAA Checking $4,209.02

LCAAA Money Market $67,387.66 LCAAA Scholarship Savings $535.95 Total Cash and Bank Accounts $78,326.38

The only major revision to the balance provided was the $1,000 that was paid to Rock Eagle as agreed to by the board. It was mentioned that not many to any bills had to be paid from the last board meeting in December. A motion was then made by Brian Chandler and seconded by Jimmy Flanagan to accept the treasurer’s report. The motion passed unanimously. Membership Report: Ed Twidwell indicated that as of the board meeting we had 134 paid members. This amounts to total dues received of $8,040 of which $6,700 goes to pay national dues. This represents about 15 new members over the previous year. A question was asked whether people could still join the association. It was mentioned that they could, but that any dues received at this time would not count for DSA or AA awards. This lead to another question on how the increased membership would impact the number of voting delegates to the national meeting. The question was if the voting delegates would increase in 2008 or 2009. It was noted that this could be brought up to James Devillier when he gave his update later in the meeting. 2007/2008 Budget: Ed Twidwell made available a copy of the both the proposed budget that was developed at the 2007 annual meeting and the actual budget as of 3/27/2008. Thus far in the year, it looks as if revenues will be higher than projected given the increase in membership, slightly better than expected interest revenue, and higher returns to both the scholarship auction and the annual meeting. On the expenditures, most of the expenses have been within the proposed levels. The two areas with the largest divergence from the proposed level were national dues and the 4-H Scholarship. The national dues were higher than projected as a result of increased membership. The 4-H Scholarship was higher since it was decided to provide 2 scholarships this year given the high level of funds generated with the scholarship auction. The budget figures provided were as follows:

2007/08 LCAAA Proposed Budget June 6, 2007

Oak Grove, Louisiana Item Proposed Actual (as of 3/27/08 Income Dues $7,560 $7,860 (131 pd) Interest Checking $10 $5.45 (1/2 yr) Savings $50 $38.86 (1/2 yr) CD $1,630 $1,697 (1/2 yr.) Scholarship Auction $1,100 $1,467.50 Annual Meeting $1,600 $2,175.19 Total Income $11,950

Expenditures National Dues $6,300 $6,550 (131 pd) Police Jury Convention $250 No Request NACAA Meeting DSA and AA Recipients $400 $400 Voting Delegates $500 $500 President $150 $150 President-Elect $150 --- Vice-President $150 --- Treasurer $150 $150 Secretary $150 --- Awards $250 Not Yet Spent Office Expenses $50 $51.83 (Plant) JCEP Workshop $600 $600 PILD Meeting $600 $600 4-H U Luncheon $700 $705.98 LCAAA Professional Improvement Scholarship $1,000 Not Yet Spent 4-H Scholarship $500 $1,000 Lunch for New Agent Orientation $50 No Request Total Expenditures $11,950

One question that was brought up regarding the budget was the funds provided to Rock Eagle and to North Carolina for the annual meeting. It was mentioned that $1,000 had been sent to Rock Eagle with those funds coming from the interest generated on the CD. Another $1,000 would be sent to Rock Eagle in June/July to complete the commitment agreed to by the board. The $1,600 agreed to by the board for the “North Carolina States Night In” function at the national meeting had also been paid. Finally, it was noted that the 4-H Centennial funding request would be discussed later in the meeting. NACAA E-Journal Update: Allen Hogan provided an update on the E-Journal. Allen indicated that the committee had recently had a conference call and that there had been 22 submissions for review and publication. The topics of the submissions covered the spectrum from Agronomy to Community Development to Environmental Issues. The submissions were given to volunteer reviewers to insure that each would have at least three reviewers. April 15 has been set as the deadline for completion of the review and scoring process. This will allow for score sheets and comments to be returned to the authors and give them roughly one month to make changes/corrections for final submission. The final drafts will be published in the 2008 AM/PIC proceedings and will be on-line at the NACAA website. Dr. Natalie Hummel and Allen Hogan will serve as reviewers for Pest Management submissions. The question was asked as to how many issues the journal would have. Allen indicated that there one be one issue in the first year with the hope that it would

develop into a multiple issues each year. Another question asked was whether there was any relationship between the E-Journal and the Journal of Extension. Allen indicated that there was no current tie in and that there was no indication that there would be one. One of the reasons for keeping these journals separate was to hopefully keep the wait time from time of submission to time of publication at a minimum, which has tended to be an issue with the Journal of Extension. In addition to his E-Journal update, Allen also discussed the Agronomy/Pest Management Committee, of which he is chair. According to Allen, there were a few LCAAA members have submitted oral presentations for the Agronomy/Pest Management section of the 2008 NACAA AM/PIC. Allen and Boyd Padgett have submitted a presentation on the performance of foiliar fungicides in managing soybean diesaseas and Allen and Jerry Whatley have submitted a presentation on the potential of sweet sorghum as a bioenergy crop in Southwest Louisiana. He also was told that Tara Smith and Myrl Sistrunk have submitted a presentation on work done in conjunction with a new sweet potato research verification program. Allen mentioned that the submission process was very confusing this year. One set of instructions were provided in the County Agent Magazine and another set of instructions were provided on the website. Allen indicated that he did not get much clarification when he contacted the National Chairman for the committee. He mentioned that he would ask James Devillier to bring this issue to the next national board meeting. Miles Brashier then mentioned that he had submitted a presentation for the Horticulture and Teaching & Technology sections and thought that Annie Coco had or would be submitting a presentation to the Horticulture section. Awards Report: DSA and AA Winners: Eddie Eskew said that this years DSA winners were Boyd Padgett, Shaney Hill, and Richard Letlow. The AA winners were David Bourgeois and David Lanclos. All of the voting for both awards was done electronically this year and that seem to work okay. Eddie mentioned that only 40 to 45 out of 125 members voted for DSA and AA and said that we need to encourage more participation in future years. Eddie mentioned that the NACAA AM/PIC was going to be in Oregon in 2009 which may cause a problem for next year’s winners in attending the meeting given the travel expense. Eddie indicated that since David Lanclos had resigned from the AgCenter, he has requested clarification of his eligibility to be an AA winner from the NACAAA. In addition, he has asked for clarification if his new job prevents him from attending the national meeting. While he is still waiting on clarification, he asked the board that if David Lanclos can’t receive the award, do we bring up the runner-up, if possible, or do we just send one AA winner to the national meeting. The general consensus of the board was that if possible, we would bring up the runner-up if necessary. If the runner-up can not go to the meeting, the third ranked candidate could be asked to attend. It was agreed that we would not drop below the third ranked candidate.

Miles Brashier then made a motion that if David Lanclos is ruled ineligible then a replacement would be sent if possible. The motion was seconded by Glen Daniels. The motion passed unanimously . A question was then brought up regarding whether or not DSA and AA winners would be voting delegates at the national meeting. Eddie Eskew said that he would contact the winners to see if they would be willing to be voting delegates. It was mentioned that they would be provided some additional travel assistance from the association if they were voting delegates. At that time, James Devillier mentioned that with the increase in membership, the state would get 5 voting delegates in 2008. Search for Excellence in Crop Production: Myrl Sistrunk indicated that there were two submissions from Louisiana for this program. He and Tara Smith had submitted some of their work and Denise Cummins had as well. There was also mention of another potential poster that would be submitted. Ed Twidwell indicated that he needed to get a list of all LCAAA members that had submitted presentations and/or posters to the national meeting so that he could pass that information on to Dr. Coreil to see if he would be willing to provide some travel funds as he had done in the past. Communications Award: Ed Twidwell indicated that John Chaney could not attend the meeting today. However, it was mentioned that he had several submissions from one agent for the communications award but that the application was not complete and that he was never able to get a complete application to forward on to the national committee. Faculty Council Update: Miles Brashier said that the biggest issue that the Faculty Council had been involved with was the faculty survey it conducted. The Council has summarized the results of the survey and made those available. He mentioned that the three biggest issues that came out of the survey were: 1) A general lack of morale throughout the AgCenter, 2) a general feeling of unfair pay practices, and 3) a general lack of trust of administration. The summary of the survey results have been provided to the Chancellor. Other issues being discussed by the Faculty Council are the upcoming budget, the firing freeze, and the Ombudsman position. The Chancellor has indicated that as it stands now, the budget looks to be flat. There are increases to cover increases in mandated costs (i.e. insurance expected to increase 6% to 8%) but currently has no money for pay raises. The AgCenter requested 108 positions be allowed to be filled when the hiring freeze was put into place. Those positions have been granted and the AgCenter is submitting a second request to be allowed to fill additional needed positions. The Ombudsman position seems to be a dead issue at this point. Given the budget situation, this position is not a priority for the AgCenter at this time and therefore the chances for this position to move forward seem slim.

LCAAA Handbook Update: Ed Twidwell indicated that Bill Branch is currently working with Charles Overstreet on pulling together historic information/reports/statistics regarding LCAAA. They are currently looking for information from 1953. The hope is that they would have an updated handbook by the LCAAA AM/PIC in June. New Business: JCEP & PILD Conferences: Ed Twidwell indicated that he and Brian Chandler attended the JCEP meeting in Orlando this year. The JCEP meeting was conducted in combination with the Northern region this year. Both seemed to enjoy the meeting and thought it was beneficial. Next year’s meeting will once again be in Orlando. Miles Brashier indicated that he will be attending the PILD meeting in Washington DC. He has met with Dr. Coreil and Mr. Landreneau about the meeting and has also been able to speak with the lobbyists that represent the LSU System. He said they have set up for him to meet with 6 of the representatives from Louisiana during his visit. Scholarship Report: Stan Dutile indicated that the scholarship information had been mailed out to the membership. The scholarship applications will be due on May 1. Last year, there were 6 applications for the 4-H scholarship but no applications for the membership scholarship. The top two applicants were awarded scholarships given the success of the auction. Since the board agreed that providing two scholarships would be contingent on the type of funds raised by the auction, Stan and the review committee would rank the applications in case two scholarships would be given again this year. Finally, Stan indicated that the two winners from the previous year had met all the requirements and were sent their money. 2008 LCAAA AM/PIC: Ed Twidwell passed out a draft program for the annual meeting. The draft program presented was as follows:

2008 LCAAA Annual Meeting Baton Rouge, Louisiana

Meeting Dates: June 1 – 4, 2008 Meeting Location: University Inn & Conference Center (Soon to be the Red Lion Inn) 2445 S. Acadian Thruway Baton Rouge, LA Room Rates: $72 per night (This is a great rate for Baton Rouge!)

TENTATIVE SCHEDULE Sunday, June 1: Board supper in the evening at Miles Brashier’s office in New Roads. Would include a boat trip on the False River and then meal near the

office Monday, June 2: Board meeting in a.m. at motel

Professional tour in p.m. – Pointe Coupee Area Tentative stops include: plastic manufacturing plant, master gardener

plots, Big Cajun coal-fired plant, pecan orchard. Have meal and auction at the 911 building in Morganza. Tuesday, June 3: Professional development program in a.m. at motel (Include Dept.

Heads) Spouses tour & lunch (Burden and LaHouse are potential tour areas) AgCenter administrators & regional NACAA representatives in p.m. Committee reports President’s reception and social Kids pizza party & swimming Awards banquet Wednesday, June 4: Memorial breakfast 1 or 2 professional presentations Business meeting Adjourn by 11:00 – 11:30 a.m.

Ed indicated that plans were continuing to move along for the meeting. The one area that there was some concern was with regard to sponsors. To this point, only a small percentage of the sponsors that were contacted had responded. Ed asked if anyone knew of potential sponsors that could be contacted. Allen Hogan suggested that Ed contact Dr. Coreil to see if he would be willing to provide some assistance for the meeting. 2008 NACAA AM/PIC: Ed Twidwell stated that the national meeting was going to be in North Carolina on July 13 – 18, 2008u. Ed mentioned that a minivan and a station wagon had been reserved for people going to the national meeting. Ed also mentioned again that he needed to have the information regarding who from Louisiana was making presentations or posters for the meeting so that he could contact Dr. Coreil to see about his willingness to provide travel funds. NACAAA Director’s Report: At this time, James Devillier was available to give his report. James said that he had contact someone from the NACAAA and asked about the ability for David Lanclos to be an AA winner. James indicated that his information was that as long as David paid his dues for 2008 and as long as the state bylaws did not preclude him from being a member, then he was okay from the national perspective. James then mentioned that there was a national board meeting next week and that there had been monthly conference calls. He also mentioned that NACAAA was the host of the recent JCEP meeting. One of the issues that came up from the JCEP meetings was that of some communication awards. Apparently, there is some opportunity for members, for example, to get graphic design professionals to develop a template for a newsletter which the agent then puts up for an award. The question was does having a professional graphics person developing a newsletter template undermine the intent of these communications awards.

James also indicated that the national board are implementing a by-law change that will allow the board to conduct business electronically. Also, he mentioned that still on the PILD committee and that several national officer positions will be open. The office of secretary will be open and is open nationwide. The office of Vice-President will be open but must come from the North Central Region. Finally, James indicated that registration for the NACAA AM/PIC should be available on-line by April 1st. Oklahoma Funding Request: Ed Twidwell stated that he had been contacted from Greg Highfill from Oklahoma regarding a sponsorship for the 2010 NACAA AM/PIC in Tulsa. We were given three options for sponsorship. The first is co-sponsoring an ice cream social with Arkansas. The total budget for the social is $7,000 – Arkansas has committed to providing $3,500 and we would provide $3,500. The second was being a break sponsor. The break sponsorships are $2,500. The third option would be to sponsor the Wednesday morning breakfast. This is expected to be roughly $4,000. Brian Chandler made a motion that the board choose option 1 (co-sponsoring the ice cream social) and that this issue be discussed by the whole membership at the June meeting. Allen Hogan seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously. 4-H Centennial Funding: Ed Twidwell indicated that at the winter meeting, the membership voted to support this event at the level of $2,000. Ed asked how and when should we pay this amount. R.L. Frazier made a motion that the $2,000 being taken out of savings and that it should be paid now. Allen Hogan seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously. Other Business: Ed Twidwell indicated that he would send letters to new members to encourage them to attend the LCAAA AM/PIC. He also mentioned that the retirees were meeting in April and that he would attend that meeting to invite them to the annual meeting as well. Finally, Ed mentioned that everyone would be welcomed to assist with Ag Magic. Ed mentioned that there is always room for more help. Brian Chandler asked if it would be beneficial for Ed to send a letter to Dr. Coreil listing all the LACAA members that were assisting with Ag Magic. Ed said that if he could get a list of all members working, that he would compile a letter to Dr. Coreil. Ed mentioned that three board members from the state office would be coming off of the board this year. He asked that everyone be thinking of who we might put in their place. Ed mentioned that the next board meeting would be at the annual meeting on June 2. With that, the board watched a video supplied by North Carolina advertising the NACAA AM/PIC. At the end of the video, Kurt Guidry moved that we adjourn. It was seconded by Brian Chandler. The motion passed unanimously and the meeting was adjourned.

2008 LCAAA Membership

Northern District Southeast District Myrl Sistrunk Kelly Camp Glen Daniels Brian Chandler Odis Hill Barton Joffrion Robin Bridges Ben Legendre Carol Pinnell-Alison Renee Castro Jason Holmes Brent Jeansonne R.L. Frazier Ronnie Bardwell Gary Wilson Jamie Templett Denyse Cummins Deborah Cross Rafash Brew Annie Coco Boyd Padgett Bobby Fletcher Ron Robbins Shaney Hill Jim McCann David Bourgeois Richard Letlow Karen Blackburn Chuck Griffin Albert Orgeron Keith Collins Henry Harrison John LeVasseur James Devillier Ricky Kilpatrick Terrence Marshall James Hendrix Rick Louque Terry Erwin Rusty Batty Tara Smith Kenny Sharpe Robert Hutchinson Don Reed Amanda Sewell Andre Brock Cliff Watts Alan Vaughn Johnnie Whitmire Sandra Benjamin John Pyzner Desiree Dorest Steven Hotard Louis Lirette Joshua Wilhite Rene Schmit Donna Lee Mike Hebert Glenn Dixon Stefen Givens J.B. Anders Dawn Mellon-Patin Allen Owings Central-Southwest State Office Allen Hogan Ron Strahan Alfred Guidry Dale Pollet Richard Johnson II Charles McCown Keith Hawkins Paul Coreil Jerry Whatley Bobby Soileau

Terry Washington Ed Twidwell Matt Martin Bob Souvestre Ernest Girouard Dwight Landreneau Gary Wicke Natalie Hummel Blair Hebert Bill Carney Silas Cecil Todd Shupe Sheena Grote-Cecil Charles Overstreet Ernest Freeman David Bankston John Bartnett Robert Richard Mike Lavergne Mary Grodner Robert Turley Charles Clement Chris Robichaux Stephen Crnko Mark Shirley Clint Depew Stuart Gauthier Jack Baldwin Kim Landry Lynn Hannaman Barry Crain Christine Navarre Eddie Eskew Kurt Guidry Tommy Shields Mike Dunn Johnny Saichuk Don Ferrin Rob Ferguson Carrie Castille David Lanclos David Morrison Carlos Smith Jason Rowntree Keith Normand Paul Humes Gerald Roberts Tim Page Ronald Nicholas Steve Linscombe Stephen Borel John Chaney Donna Morgan Stan Dutile Miles Brashier Jimmy Flanagan Barrett Courville Andrew Granger Ronnie Levy Keith Fontenot Sandy Stewart

April 4, 2008

To: LCAAA Membership Re: 62nd Annual Meeting “Louisiana Agriculture: Challenges and Opportunities” is the theme for the 62nd annual meeting of the Louisiana County Agricultural Agents Association. This will be an excellent program for your professional improvement and personal enjoyment. The annual meeting planning committee has been hard at work to make this year’s event an informative and educational experience. The meeting will be held in Baton Rouge, LA on June 1-4, 2008. Included in this email registration packet are a registration form which should be mailed to Kurt Guidry and a scholarship auction form which should be mailed to Stan Dutile. The registration form and fee must be received by May 9 to avoid a $15 late fee. This year’s annual meeting and professional improvement conference will be held at the Red Lion Hotel, 2445 S. Acadian Thruway, Baton Rouge, LA 70808. This hotel

is located at the Acadian Thruway exit, off of I-10 in Baton Rouge. The Red Lion is on the north side of I-10, next to the LaQuinta Inn. It used to be known as the University Inn. The Red Lion has a unique orange, red and yellow exterior color. A block of rooms has been reserved for LCAAA members at a very special meeting rate of $72 per night. The deadline to receive this meeting rate is May 1. Instructions on how to make your reservation can be found on the next page. The program for the conference is included in this registration packet. The meetings, banquet, and memorial breakfast will be held at the Red Lion hotel. The professional tour on Monday will include several stops in Pointe Coupee parish. The tour will conclude with a meal and the scholarship auction at the West Baton Rouge Parish Extension Office in Port Allen. The programs on Tuesday and Wednesday morning will feature individuals and leaders in the agricultural industry. The new Commissioner of Agriculture, Mike Strain, will address the group on Tuesday afternoon. Family activities for the spouses, life members and children are also included in the program. We also invite you to prepare a poster for this meeting. Prizes will be awarded to the winning entries. Details on how to enter a poster can be found in the registration information. As you can see we are planning an excellent annual conference and professional improvement conference for the LCAAA members and their families. We are looking forward to seeing everyone in Baton Rouge in June. Sincerely, Ed Twidwell, LCAAA President

April 4, 2008 Dear LCAAA Member:

President President-Elect Vice-President Secretary Treasurer Ed Twidwell Miles Brashier Brian Chandler Kurt Guidry Keith Normand School of Plant, Environmental, 180 East Main Street, Idlewild Research Station Dept. of Agricultural 1065 Highway 749, And Soil Sciences, LSU 1st Floor 4419 Idlewild Road Economics, LSU Suite A Baton Rouge, LA 70803 New Roads, LA 70760 Clinton, LA 70722 Baton Rouge, LA 70803 Opelousas, LA 70570

The headquarters for the 62nd annual meeting of the Louisiana County Agricultural Agents Association will be the Red Lion Hotel of Baton Rouge. A block of rooms has been reserved until May 1, 2008 at a rate of $72 per night. Reservations should be made prior to May1 as the hotel cannot guarantee this rate after that date. Contact information for the Red Lion Hotel is: Red Lion Hotel 2445 S. Acadian Thruway Baton Rouge, LA 70808 The reservation procedures are as follows: Reservations for sleeping rooms will be made by individual attendees. Attendees may call the Red Lion Hotel direct at 225-236-4000 or 888-368-7578 for reservations. You should mention that you will be attending the “Louisiana County Agricultural Agents Association Meeting”. The group code is lcaaa08 (if needed). If you have any problems with the registration process, contact Naomi Fahrenholtz or Jan Douglas with the Red Lion Hotel at 225-236-4000. Thank You

LOUISIANA 4-H SCHOLARSHIP AUCTION ITEMS

Just a reminder for you to begin collecting items for the 4-H Scholarship Auction. This year’s auction will be held on Monday, June 2, 2008 at the West Baton Rouge Parish Extension Office in Port Allen, LA. Please mark each item with the donors name and address in order to follow up with a thank you note. All items can be brought to either the Red Lion Hotel on Monday morning or to the West Baton Rouge Parish Extension Office following the Monday tour. Please see Stan Dutile prior to the event if necessary.

Louisiana 4-H Scholarship Auction Donation Form

Donor :

Address :

Item :

Collected by :

Parish :

Please return this form to Stan Dutile by Wednesday, May 28, 2008. Stan’s contact information is:

Stan Dutile, County Agent Lafayette Parish Cooperative Extension Service Parish Government Building 1010 Lafayette Street, Suite 325 Lafayette, Louisiana 70501-6884 Office Phone: 337 – 291 – 7090 Office Fax: 337 - 291 – 7099 Email: SDutile@agcenter.lsu.edu

LCAAA 62nd Annual Meeting “Louisiana Agriculture: Challenges and Opportunities”

Red Lion Hotel Baton Rouge, Louisiana

June 1 - 4, 2008

Name : Spouse Name : Children’s Name(s) :

(If Attending)

Address : Phone :

Arrival Date : Departure Date :

Registration: Fee includes the board dinner, the auction dinner, tours, activities,

memorial breakfast, and awards banquet.

Indicate The Number Attending Each Activity

Listed Below Number of

Adults Number of Children

Total Number

Sunday, June 1, 2008

Number Attending Board Dinner

Monday, June 2, 2008

Number Attending Tour

Number Attending Scholarship Auction Dinner

Tuesday June, 3, 2008

Number Attending Spouse, Children, & Retirees Tour

Number Attending Awards Banquet

Number Attending Children’s Pizza Party

Wednesday, June 4, 2008

Number Attending Memorial Breakfast

Make check payable to “LCAAA” and return this form to Kurt Guidry, LSU AgCenter, Department of Agricultural Economics & Agribusiness, 101 Agricultural Administration Bldg., Baton Rouge, LA, 70803. Please send completed form along with registration fee on or before May 9, 2008.

Member (active or life) ………………………………………. No. @ $50.00 = $

Spouse or Guest ……………………………………………….. No. @ $25.00 = $

Children (under 12 free) ……………………………………. No. @ $10.00 = $

* Awards Banquet Only ………………………..……………. No. @ $25.00 = $

* One Day Registration (Banquet Not Included) …..... No. @ $25.00 = $

* Late Fee (Registration After May 9, 2008) ..………….. No. @ $15.00 = $

2008-2009 LCAAA Dues ……………………………..……...... @ $60.00 = $ Total $

Louisiana County Agricultural Agents Association 62nd Annual Meeting

“Louisiana Agriculture: Challenges and Opportunities”

June 1 – 4, 2008

Red Lion Hotel 2445 S. Acadian Thruway

Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70808

Tentative Agenda

Sunday, June 1, 2008 4:00 pm Vans depart Red Lion for Board Supper 5:30 pm Board Supper and Social – Pointe Coupee Parish Extension Office 7:30 pm Vans depart Pointe Coupee Extension Office to return to Red Lion Monday, June 2, 2008 9:00 am - Noon Registration 9:00 am - 11:00 am Board Meeting 12:00 pm Pick up box lunches and leave for tour – Tour stops include: - Fluker’s Worm and Cricket Farm – Port Allen - Morgan Vosberg’s Pecan Orchad – New Roads - Big Cajun II Coal Fire Plant – New Roads - Bergeron’s Pecan Plant, New Roads - Junior Master Gardener Project, Valverda - Tomato Garden Demonstration, Morganza 6:00 pm Dinner, Recognition of Sponsors, and Auction – West Baton Rouge Parish

Extension Office Tuesday, June 3, 2008

8:25 am Welcome and Introductions Ed Twidwell, LCAAA President 8:30 am Zoning Issues in South Louisiana Gordon Burgess 9:00 am Redstick Farmers Market Jimmy Boudreaux and Copper Alveraze 9:30 am Tiger Stadium Operations Todd Jeansonne

LCAAA 62nd Annual Meeting

Tentative Agenda (Continued)

Tuesday, June 3, 2008 10:00 am Break 10:30 am Sunbelt Ag Expo Chip Blalock 10:45 am Role of Extension in Academic Departments and Regions Tim Schowalter Dan Thomas Dept. of Entomology Biological & Ag Engineering Dept. Freddie Martin John Barnett School of PESS Central Region Noon Lunch 1:15 pm Comments from Dr. William Richardson Chancellor, LSU AgCenter 2:00 pm Comments from Mike Strain Louisiana Commissioner of Agriculture

2:30 pm Break 2:45 pm The Louisiana Beekeeping Industry Alva Stuard 3:15 pm How to Make Powerpoint Poster Presentations Mia Lewis, LSU AgCenter 3:45 pm Committee Reports 4:15 pm Adjourn 6:00 pm President’s Reception and Kids Pizza Party 7:00 pm Awards Banquet Wednesday, June 4, 2008 7:00 am Memorial breakfast 8:30 am Comments from Dr. Paul Coreil Vice Chancellor, LSU AgCenter

LCAAA 62nd Annual Meeting

Tentative Agenda (Continued)

Wednesday, June 4, 2008

9:15 am Comments from Dr. David Boethel Vice Chancellor, LSU AgCenter 9:30 am Ag and Internal Leadership Programs Bobby Soileau, LSU AgCenter 9:45 am NACAA Vice Director’s Report Dirk Webb, Oklahoma 10:15 am LCAAA Business Meeting 11:30 am Adjourn

LCAAA 62nd Annual Meeting

Spouses, Life Members, and Children’s Tour

Tentative Agenda Tuesday, June 3, 2008 9:00 am Load vans at Red Lion 9: 15 am Arrive at Burden Research Center and tour the horticultural gardens and test plots 10:30 am Load vans and depart for LaHouse 11:00 am Tour of LaHouse Noon Depart and have lunch at Portobello’s restaurant 1:30 pm Optional shopping at the Mall of Louisiana or return to Red Lion 4:00 pm Depart from Mall of Louisiana and return to Red Lion

CALL FOR PAPERS FOR THE POSTER SESSION

PURPOSE To showcase the work of LCAAA members by giving them the opportunity to present posters at the Annual Meeting/Professional Improvement Conference. Posters can showcase work that was done in either Extension Education or Applied Research. ELIGIBILITY The poster presenter must be an LCAAA member. Poster size must be no larger than 44” x 44”. JUDGING Poster judging will be based on the following criteria: 1. Scientific/Educational Merit ……………………………… 60% 2. Poster Presentation ………………………………………. . 30% 3. Follow instructions for presentation/mounting ………. 10% AWARDS Awards for the best posters will be presented at the LCAAA Awards Banquet on June 3. The number of awards presented will be determined by the Poster Committee. ENTRY To enter a poster into the LCAAA Poster Contest, an abstract needs to be written and submitted to Ron Strahan, Poster Chairman, at rstrahan@agcenter.lsu.edu by Friday, May 23, 2008. The format for writing the abstract and an example abstract can be found at the end of this document.

CONTENT Do not prepare a poster as if it were a manuscript. Primarily use tables and figures and limit verbage. Make sure that the selected typeface is easy to read. No more than two different typefaces should be used on the poster. Lettering for text and illustrations should range in size between 24 and 48 point type. ABSTRACT In order to be eligible for the LCAAA Poster Contest, an abstract must be submitted to Ron Strahan by May 23, 2008. The text should be about 150-250 words, in the font size of 12. A sample abstract is shown below. Please try to write your abstract in the format as shown in this sample abstract. Exact guidelines for preparing your abstract can be found on page 13 of the January 2008 edition of The County Agent publication. EVALUATION OF THE EFFECTIVENESS OF BIO-FUNGICIDES IN THE PRODUCTION OF FRESH MARKET ORGANIC TOMATOES Blevins,* P.K.1 , Straw,R.A. 2 1Extension Agent, Virginia Cooperative Extension, Washington County, Abingdon, Virginia 24210 2Extension Specialist, Virginia Cooperative Extension-Southwest Virginia AREC, Glade Springs, Virginia 24340 Disease control in fresh market tomatoes is a major factor limiting the adoption of organic production methods by growers in Southwest, Virginia. Six bio-fungicides were compared to a conventional standard [Bravo (3 pts/acre) alternated with Manzate (2 lbs/acre) plus Tanos (8 oz/acre) plus BCS Copper (64 oz/acre) for the first four weekly sprays, and Bravo alone thereafter] and an untreated check (UTC) for relative effectiveness in controlling diseases such as early blight. The biological materials and rates applied were, Storox (1% solution), Biophos (2% solution), Prophyte ( 4 pts/acre), Serenade Max (3 lbs/acre), BCS Copper (2 qts/acre), and Serenade Max (3 lbs/acre) plus BCS Copper (2 qts/acre). All treatments were made on a weekly basis. The tomato variety ‘Mountain Fresh Plus’ was used in a drip irrigated, trellised, plasti-culture system. Fruit was harvested and graded and placed into one of the following grades: Jumbo, Extra Large, Large, Medium, Small, No. 2, or Cull. Yield data and disease ratings were analyzed using ANOVA techniques and means were separated using Duncan’s Multiple Range Test. There were no statistical differences in yield of total marketable fruit. The UTC plot produced the greatest number of Jumbo fruit, while the Serenade/BCS Copper produced the lowest. Storox has been a material that local organic growers have relied on for disease control. In terms of disease control, all treatments including the UTC were better statistically than Storox, which had leaf area damage ratings in excess of 40%. This study suggests that there are differences in the relative

effectiveness of these bio-fungicides for disease control. However, in this case it did not significantly impact total marketable yield. If harvest had continued, yield differences would have been expected due to defoliation by early blight. QUESTIONS If you have any questions about this LCAAA poster contest, contact Ron Strahan at 225-578-4070 or via email at rstrahan@agcenter.lsu.edu.

Sponsors The Louisiana County Agricultural Agents Association would like

to thank the following sponsors for their gracious and generous support of this conference.

Ag Fax Media Mockler Beverage Co. AGRO Distribution (Roanoke) Monsanto Company AGSouth Genetics Pennington Seed, Inc. Alma Plantation, LLC Sunbelt Ag Expo American Sugarcane League Swisher International A. Wibertsons, LLC. Syngenta BASF Corp. Tarver Sales Corp. Baton Rouge Coca-Cola Terral Seed, Inc. Bayer Crop Science The Wax Company, LLC Bellspray, Inc. Tri-Parish Co-op BP Amaco UAP - New Roads Bracy’s Nursery, LLC UAP Distribution, Inc. Cora Texas United Phosphorus, Inc. DEMCO Dow Agrosciences Dr. Paul Coreil Dupont Crop Protection Farmers Rice Milling Co. First South Farm Credit G & H Seed Company Helena Chemical – New Roads Irrigation-Mart, Inc. LA Federal Land Bank LA Forestry Association LA Nursery & Landscape Assn., Inc. LA Cattleman’s Assn. LA Cotton Producers LA Farm Bureau LA Forage & Grassland Council LA Rice Growers Assn.

LA Sweet Potato Growers Assn

62nd Annual Meeting Red Lion Hotel

Baton Rouge, Louisiana June 1 – 4, 2008

Conference Agenda

62nd Annual LCAAA AM/PIC Red Lion Hotel

Baton Rouge, Louisiana June 1 – 4, 2008

Sunday, June 1, 2008 4:00pm Vans depart for Board Supper- Hotel Lobby 5:30pm Board Supper and Social – Pt. Coupee Extension Office 7:30pm Vans depart for return to hotel Monday, June 2, 2008 9:00am- Noon Registration 9:00am Board Meeting – Tiger Den Noon Box lunch & leave for tour- Hotel Lobby Tour Stops: Fluker’s Worm & Cricket Farm – Port Allen Morgan Vosberg’s Pecan Orchard – New Roads Big Cajun II Coal Fire Plant – New Roads Bergeron’s Pecan Plant – New Roads Junior Master Gardner Project – Valverda 6:00pm Dinner, Sponsor Recognition, & Auction- WBR Extension Office Tuesday, June 3, 2008 9:00am Spouses & Children’s Tour – Hotel Lobby Morning Session - Tiger I Presiding: Dr. Ed Twidwell, LCAAA President 8:25am Welcome and Introductions 8:30am Zoning Issues in South Louisiana -

Mr. Gordon Burgess 9:00am Redstick Farmers Market –

Dr. Jimmy Boudreaux & Ms. Copper Alvarez 9:30am Tiger Stadium Operations –

Mr. Todd Jeansonne 10:00am Break 10:30am Sunbelt Ag Expo –

Mr. Chip Blalock 10:45am Panel Discussion: The Role of Extension in Academic

Departments and Regions Dr. Tim Schowalter, Head, Department of Entomology Dr. Dan Thomas, Head, Department of Biological and

Agricultural Engineering Dr. Freddie Martin, Head, School of Plant,

Environmental, & Soil Sciences Dr. John Barnett, Director, Central Region for Research and

Extension Noon Lunch – Tiger II Afternoon Session – Tiger I Presiding: Mr. Brian Chandler, LCAAA Vice-President 1:15pm Comments from Dr. William Richardson, Chancellor, LSU

AgCenter

2:00pm Comments from Dr. Mike Strain, Commissioner, LDAF 2:30pm Break 2:45pm The Louisiana Beekeeping Industry –

Mr. Alva Stuard 3:15pm Making Powerpoint Poster Presentations –

Ms. Mia Lewis 3:45pm SARE Funding Opportunities –

Dr. Carl Motsenbocker 4:00pm ANR Retirement Survey Results –

Mr. Stuart Gauthier 4:15pm Committee Reports 6:00pm President’s Reception and Kids Pizza Party – LCAAA President’s

Suite 7:00pm Awards Banquet – Tiger II

Presiding: Mr. Miles Brashier, LCAAA President-Elect Wednesday, June 4, 2008 7:00am Memorial Breakfast – Tiger II

Presiding: Dr. Boyd Padgett, Plant Pathologist, LSU AgCenter Morning Session – Tiger I Presiding: Ed Twidwell, LCAAA President 8:30am Comments from Dr. Paul Coreil , Vice Chancellor & Director,

Louisiana Cooperative Extension Service 9:15am Comments from Dr. David Boethel, Vice Chancellor & Director,

Louisiana Agricultural Experiment Station 9:30am Ag and Internal Leadership Programs –

Mr. Bobby Soileau 9:45am NACAA Vice Director’s Report –

Mr. Dirk Webb 10:15am LCAAA Business Meeting 11:30am Adjourn

62nd Annual Meeting Red Lion Hotel

Baton Rouge, Louisiana June 1 – 4, 2008

Awards Banquet

Sponsors

The Louisiana County Agricultural Agents Association would like to thank the following sponsors for their gracious and generous

support of this conference.

Ag Fax Media Mockler Beverage Co. AGRO Distribution (Roanoke) Monsanto Company AGSouth Genetics Pennington Seed, Inc. Alma Plantation, LLC Sunbelt Ag Expo American Sugarcane League Swisher International A. Wilbertsons, LLC. Syngenta BASF Corp. Tarver Sales Corp. Baton Rouge Coca-Cola Terral Seed, Inc. Bayer Crop Science The Wax Company, LLC Bellspray, Inc. Tri-Parish Co-op BP Amaco UAP - New Roads Bracy’s Nursery, LLC UAP Distribution, Inc. Cora Texas United Phosphorus, Inc. DEMCO Dow Agrosciences Dr. Paul Coreil Dupont Crop Protection Farmers Rice Milling Co. First South Farm Credit G & H Seed Company Helena Chemical – New Roads Irrigation-Mart, Inc. LA Federal Land Bank LA Forestry Association LA Nursery & Landscape Assn., Inc. LA Cattleman’s Assn. LA Cotton Producers LA Farm Bureau LA Forage & Grassland Council LA Rice Growers Assn. LA Sweet Potato Growers Assn

2008 LCAAA AM/PIC Awards Banquet

Presiding: Mr. Miles Brashier, LCAAA President-Elect

7:00pm Call To Order and Introductions 7:15pm Banquet Supper & Awards Program Poster Contest Awards:

Dr. Ron Strahan Special Award Recognition:

Mr. Allen Hogan Achievement Award (AA) Winners:

Mr. Eddie Eskew Mr. David Bourgeois

Presenter: Mr. Barton Joffrion Dr. David Lanclos

Presenter: Dr. John Barnett Distinguished Service Award (DSA) Winners:

Mr. Eddie Eskew Dr. Boyd Padgett

Presenter: Dr. Bob Hutchinson Mr. Richard Letlow

Presenter: Dr. Bob Hutchinson Ms. Shaney Hill

Presenter: Mr. Barton Joffrion Closing Comments:

Dr. Ed Twidwell, LCAAA President

Louisiana County Agricultural Agents Association Memorial Breakfast

June 4, 2008 7:00 am

Boyd Padgett Chair

Invocation ..................................................... Boyd Padgett

Breakfast

Memorial Program

Hororee Speaker Jerry Sisk Boyd Padgett Herbert Thompson Stan Dutile

In Memoriam

Jerry Gene Sisk By Rene Schmit

Jerry Gene Sisk passed away at St. John’s Hospital in Springfield, Missouri, Thanksgiving morning, Thursday, November 22, 2007 at 1:41 a.m. at the age of 67. Jerry was born in Ft. Worth, Texas, December 15, 1940. The Sisk family moved to Kenner, LA in the early 50’s. Jerry held a Ph.D. from LSU in Vocational Education; a Master of Science from LSU with graduate hours in Horticulture; and a Bachelors degree from Southeastern Louisiana University in Animal Science with a minor in Biology. He worked for the LSU Cooperative Extension Service in the late 1970’s in Acadia Parish before moving to Oklahoma and working for OSU Cooperative Extension in Muskogee, McIntosh and Wagoner Counties. Jerry returned to the Greater New Orleans area in 1984. He worked for the LSU Cooperative Extension Service in St. Tammany Parish until 1990 and Jefferson Parish until 2000. Dr. Sisk went to work for Delgado Community College in 2000 where he developed the teaching curriculum for a new Horticulture Department. He taught there for five years as the Program Director. Jerry loved people! His presence always provided motivation to others. He realized the good qualities in each person and taught his students how to accomplish their goals and to live up to their potential. Jerry had two wonderful families! First and foremost, his wife and children who were the love of his life, and second, his students, who’s lives he all touched through his love. Jerry is survived by his wife, Judith Ann Sisk; his brother, James Keith Sisk; his children, Michelle Ann Higley, William Reece Sisk and Elen Leigh Carpenter; his granddaughters, Mycah Alexandra and Madison Aryn Higley and Christina Leigh Carpenter; his grandson, Samuel Reece Sisk and his nieces and nephews. We will always remember Jerry for his contribution as an outstanding educator and his special gifts as a loving husband and father.

Memories of Dr. Jerry Sisk

By Joe Baucum The Master Gardener Program was introduced into the Greater New Orleans area in 1998. The next year, 1999, Dr. Jerry Sisk (Horticultural Agent, Jefferson Parish LSU AgCenter) presented the initial Master Gardener class for Jefferson Parish residents. I, Joe Baucum, along with about 24 other amateur gardeners, applied for and was accepted into that class. Getting to know Dr. Sisk (or “Jerry” as he insisted on being called) was an extraordinary experience. From the very first contact, he was a cordial, no-nonsense, affable, yet very competent and professional individual. An-almost-constant curl of the lips (something between a smirk and a smile) gave away his jocular nature and allowed for an easy, informal relationship. He was quick to joke and tease, yet he held to the prepared agenda and insisted on teaching each student all that he knew about the subject under discussion. Jerry was skilled at bringing out the latent talent(s) of the individual student and gave one confidence in his or her accrued knowledge and developing expertise. He never failed to point out that “after this classroom experience and some practical work under my supervision, you are going to know a lot more than the average citizen about horticulture and gardening.” True to his words, I came out of the class with a bolstered respect for my knowledge and abilities --- and thereby encouraged to learn more and eager to share that information with my fellow citizens. Thanks to Jerry Sisk, I have remained an active Master Gardener for ten years. Although Jerry left the AgCenter within about two years of my Master Gardener class, I continued to interact with him in his role as Chairman of the Horticulture Department at Delgado College. He once called me about 10:00 pm and asked if I would teach a three-hour class on palms to his horticulture class “tomorrow afternoon”. It was so typically Jerry Sisk that I simply said “Yes” and set about trying to get my act together. The last time that I saw Jerry Sisk (and his wife Judy) was at their citrus farm near Port Sulphur in the fall of 2006. I had spent the past year trying to get in touch with Jerry and Judy, but Plaquemines Parish was so isolated and safeguarded following Hurricanes Katrina and Rita that it was almost impossible to communicate or to even drive to see someone beyond Belle Chasse. When I finally arrived at their property, I almost wished that I had not gone. Except for the upper floor of the house, the devastation to their citrus trees, their animals, and their property was ghastly and sickening. Jerry was his old self: joking, making spiritual references, talking positively about recovery and renovation, and assuring me that all would be well eventually. I had to turn away to keep from crying. Judy was a bit more subdued but still upbeat and eager to go forward. I think that the trauma of the storms ultimately killed Jerry Sisk, but I am told that, to the last days, he remained his affable and caring self. Jerry Sisk definitely marched to a different drum but was one of the most unforgettable characters I have ever met. I will admire him and love him --- and will try to be true to the standards that he set --- for the rest of my life.

Herbert Thompson

By Stan Dutile Herbert Thompson was born on December 30, 1920 and grew up in Ville Platte, La. He was the son of the late L.O. and Armide Fontenot Thompson, and proudly served his country as a member of the United States Navy during World War II. Herb graduated

from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette (then Southwestern Louisiana Institute) in 1950 with a Bachelor of Science degree and then went on to LSU where he received a Masters Degree in 1953. He first went to work for the Extension Service in Mississippi, and then worked in both St. James Parish and Livingston Parish before moving to Lafayette Parish in 1958 where he spent the remainder of his Extension career and his life. While in Lafayette, Herb was instrumental in growing both the Horticulture and Agriculture educational programs, and he was especially well known for his horticultural expertise. He helped start the first Farmer’s Market in Lafayette Parish and played a key leadership role in the efforts of the parish “Agriculture Coordinating Committee”. Herb was a longtime member of both LCAAA and NACAA, was a past DSA Award winner, and eventually retired from Extension with nearly 40 years of service. Following his retirement, Herb worked as a consultant for both Marshal’s Nursery and the Diocese of Lafayette, and taught at both the Greenhouse Community Center and ULL. He loved gardening and growing citrus, doing yard work, and hunting and fishing. Herb was a recipient of the “Friend of 4-H” Award, and several of Herb’s children were active 4-H club members growing up. Survivors include one daughter, Patricia Arwood and her husband Roy of Lafayette; two sons, Michael W. Thompson and his wife Sophie of Youngsville and Manuel V. Calamia, Jr. of Lafayette; four grandchildren, Evan Thompson, Arianne Michele Ferguson-Efird and her husband Tom, Monica Calamia-Roger and her husband Stonie, and Manuel Victor Calamia, III; and one great grandchild, Tyler Albarado. He was preceded in death by his beloved wife, Lucille Rumfello Calamia Thompson; one brother, Clifford Thompson; and his parents. He was a loving father, grandfather, friend and co-worker to all who knew him.

LCAAA 2008 Meeting Summary Registration Information: 54 full registrations: $2,700.00 5 one-day registrations: 125.00 2 award banquet only: 50.00 10 late fee registrations: 150.00

23 spouse registrations: 575.00 2 kid (over 12) registrations: 20.00 Registration Income: $3620.00 Sponsor Information: 44 sponsors Sponsorship pledged: $10,523 plus in-kind donations & support Total income: $3620 + $10,523 = $14,143 Expenses: Red Lion Hotel: $6001.71 Postage & envelopes: 51.54 Reception & Banquet Supplies: 559.86 Spouses & kids gifts: 301.75 Tour box lunch & water: 446.36 BR Convention Bureau: 12.75 Spouse’s lunch: 255.26 Tour bus: 813.00 Poster awards: 225.00 Pizza party: 13.98 Miscellaneous expenses: 22.15 Gas for boats at board supper: 100.00 Total expenses: $8803.36 Revenue: $5339.64

LCAAA Summer Board Meeting Agenda June 2, 2008

Baton Rouge, Louisiana

1. Welcome/Call to Order Ed Twidwell 2. Minutes Kurt Guidry 3. Treasurer’s Report Keith Normand 4. Scholarship Report and Auction Stan Dutile 5. Recognition and Awards Eddie Eskew 6. Search for Excellence Awards Myrl Sistrunk 7. PILD Report Miles Brashier

8. Faculty Council Update Miles Brashier 9. LCAAA History and Handbook Update Bill Branch 10. Comments from Southern Regional Director Dirk Webb 11. 2008 LCAAA Annual Meeting Ed Twidwell/Kurt Guidry 12. 2008 NACAA AM/PIC Ed Twidwell 13. Oklahoma 2010 AM/PIC Funding Proposal Ed Twidwell 14. LSU Campus Region Board Appointments Ed Twidwell 15. New Business 16. Other Business 17. Adjourn

Those present at the meeting were:

Rusty Batty Stuart Gauthier Bill Branch Kurt Guidry Miles Brashier Allen Hogan Brian Chandler Natalie Hummel John Chaney Rick Louque Barry Crain Keith Normand Glen Daniels Dale Pollet James Devillier Kenny Sharpe Stan Dutile Myrl Sistrunk Jimmy Flanagan Ed Twidwell R.L. Frazier Dirk Webb, Southern Region Director

Call to Order: Ed Twidwell began the meeting by welcoming everyone and thanking everyone for attending. Ed also went on to thank Miles Brashier for setting up the Board Supper from the previous evening. He then introduced Mr. Dirk Webb who is the Southern Region Director from Oklahoma. Minutes for the previous board meeting were then passed out. Minutes: Once the minutes from the last board meeting were passed out, Ed mentioned that everyone should have received the minutes electronically. Ed then asked if anyone had any changes or additions to make to the minutes. At that time, Allen Hogan made a motion that the minutes be accepted. Miles Brashier seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously. Treasurer’s Report: Keith Normand was asked to provide his treasurer’s report. Keith passed out a report showing the balances on each of the association’s accounts as well as a detailed report of each of the transactions that had occurred in each account. As of May 20, 2008 the balances of the association’s accounts were:

Account Balance (5/20/08) Acct 1: Share Savings $4,210.37

Acct 2: Basic Checking $14,047.71 Acct 27: Special Share (Scholarship) $531.84 Acct 15: Certificate of Deposit $68,210.32

Keith went through each account showing the inflows and outflows of each account. For the share savings account, the two major inflows for the year were a $2,000 transfer from the interest earned on the CD account and $2,175.19 in excess revenues from the 2007 annual meeting. Major outflows of from this account were the donation (contribution) for the 2008 NACAA annual meeting ($1,600), the first installment of a donation (contribution) to 4-H Rock Eagle ($1,000), and a donation (contribution) to the 4-H Centennial Project ($2,000). The 4-H Centennial Project donation would be paid from the transfer from the CD account. The second installment of the donation (contribution) to 4-H Rock Eagle ($1,000) will be paid on July 1st. For the basic checking account, it was noted that the balance was higher than normal because the revenues and expenses for the 2008 annual meeting would be run through this account. For the scholarship account, it was noted that the scholarship checks to both of last year’s winners were paid and a decision on whether two scholarships would be given again this year would depend on the revenue generated at the scholarship auction. Finally, the proposed and actual budget for the 2007/2008 year was provided. In going over the proposed and actual budget for the year, it was mentioned that income was higher than anticipated. There were several reasons for the higher income level. First, we had an increase in total membership and therefore dues income was higher than projected. Interest earned on the CD account was significantly higher than originally projected. Finally, revenues from both the 2007 scholarship auction and the net revenue from the 2007 annual meeting was considerably higher than anticipated. Most of the expenditures were in line with projected levels. National dues were higher given the increase in membership. Because of the higher revenue generated by the scholarship auction, the board decided to award two scholarships. Therefore, expenditures for scholarships were $500.00 higher than projected. The decision to provide this additional scholarship will be made each year and will depend on the revenue generated by the annual scholarship auction.

2007-2008 LCAAA Proposed Budget June 6, 2007

Oak Grove, LA

Item Proposed Amount Actual Amount

Income Dues $7,560.00 $8,040.00 Interest (06/01/07 – 04/30/08)

Checking $10.00 $7.81 Savings $50.00 $77.45 CD $1,630.00 $3377.77 Scholarship Auction $1,100.00 $1,467.50A Annual Meeting $1,600.00 $2,175.19A Total Income $11,950.00 $15,145.72 Expenditures National Dues $6300.00 $6,700.00 Police Jury Convention $250.00 $250.00 NACAA Meeting DSA & AA Recipients $400.00 $400.00 Voting Delegates $500.00 $500.00 President $150.00 $150.00 President-Elect $150.00 $0.00 Vice-President $150.00 $0.00 Treasurer $150.00 $150.00 Secretary $150.00 $0.00 Awards $250.00 $201.70 Office Expenses $50.00 $51.83B JCEP Workshop $600.00 $600.00 PILD Meeting $600.00 $600.00 4-H U Luncheon $700.00 $705.98 LCAAA Professional Improvement Scholarship $1,000.00 Not Yet Spent

4-H Scholarship $500.00 $1,000.00C Lunch for New Agent Orientation $50.00 Not Yet Spent Total Expenditures $11,950.00 $11,309.51 A The scholarship auction and annual meeting incomes were both from 2007. B The office expense was for a plant purchased as a get well gift for Miles Brashier. C It was determined that given the success of the 2007 scholarship auction, that two scholarships would be given. Scholarship Report and Auction: Stan Dutile mentioned that they had 11 applications for the 4-H scholarship. He said his committee were going through the applications and would then make their recommendations. He did mention that there were no applications received for the member scholarship. It was then mentioned that the Scholarship auction would be that evening. A list of some of the items that would be auctioned were mentioned and that if anyone had additional items that were donated for the auction to get with Ed Twidwell. Ed will collect all of the items and see that they get to the West Baton Rouge Extension office. It was mentioned that Jerry Whatley would once again serve as auctioneer. Recognition and Awards: Ed Twidwell said that Eddie Eskew could not be at the meeting today. Ed mentioned that the DSA winners were Boyd Padgett, Shaney

Hill, and Richard Letlow. The AA winners are David Lanclos and David Bourgeois. It was mentioned that Shaney Hill, Richard Letlow, and David Bourgeois would serve as voting delegates at the NACAA AM/PIC in Greensboro, NC. Ed then mentioned that given that David Lanclos had recently left the AgCenter, that this issue of an award winner leaving the AgCenter prior to the state and national meetings should be addressed by the board. It was determined that the national association would recognize the person if the state association did. As such, at the spring board meeting it was decided that we would recognize David. However, David could not commit to attending the National meeting in North Carolina, so he will receive the Louisiana Achievement Award but will forfeit the National AA. However, Ed mentioned that now David has informed them that he would not be able to attend the state meeting. Therefore, Ed questioned if the policy regarding a DSA or AA winner who leaves the AgCenter should be reviewed. Ed asked Dirk Webb if he had any suggestions on the matter. Dirk stated that from the national level, the person must be present at the national meeting to receive the award. However, it is entirely up to the state to determine how it will proceeed. He mentioned that how states manage this issue varies greatly from state to state. Some suggested that if the person leaves the AgCenter that he/she would forfeit the award. However, some mentioned that this has happened before and that the person was indeed able to return to the state meeting. Brian Chandler then made a motion that the recognition and awards committee review the situation and bring back its recommendation on how to proceed to the board. Allen Hogan seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously. Search for Excellence Awards: Myrl Sistrunk indicated that there was nothing new to report for the committee. PILD Report: Miles Brashier commented that the PILD meeting was excellent. They heard from several speakers on the development of the Farm Bill. During the meetings, they were able to meet with 4 of Louisiana’s Congressional delegation (Landreneau, Boustany, Vitter, and Alexander). They also met with people with USDA and talked to them about formula funding and competitive grant issues. There is considerable pressure to move money away from formula funding and put it all into competitive grants. The others from the LSU AgCenter attending the meeting were Charles Hebert representing 4-H and Adrianne Vidrine representing FCS. No one was there representing Epsilon Sigma Phi. Brian Chandler is scheduled to attend next year’s PILD meeting. Faculty Council Update: Miles Brashier indicated that the biggest issue currently was the budget for the next fiscal year. As it stands currently, the Chancellor has indicated that the budget for the upcoming fiscal year was at a

standstill. If this situation were to remain, there would likely not be faculty pay raises. The administration is still trying to have $1 million added to the AgCenter’s budget but that it was not certain if it would happen. In other news, the Chancellor has indicated that he is starting to address the issues raised from the Faculty Council’s recent faculty survey. Also, the Chancellor has indicated they are trying to raise the start up salary for agents to $42,000. Finally, the Chancellor has indicated that they have been approved to fill 40 positions with many of these being on grant money. With the freeze on jobs, the administration has to seek permission to fill any positions, including those on grant funds. The ombudsman position that has been mentioned before still may be filled. After the original idea to create this position, it looked as if that this position would not move forward. However, there has been some recent time spent on this position and it looks like it may now move forward. Another position that has been mentioned is that of an event planner for the AgCenter. Miles mentioned that the Faculty Council will meet with the candidate to fill Dr. David Morrison’s position. The candidate is Dr. John Russin. Dr. Russin has been at Northern Illinois but was with the AgCenter at one time working in Plant Pathology. Also, Dr. Mike Martin has been named the new Chancellor of the main campus. His background is in Agricultural Economics. Dr. Richardson has mentioned that he has spoken with Dr. Martin and Dr. Lombardi, System President, and both have assured him that they have no interest in merging the AgCenter back with main campus. LCAAA History and Handbook Update: Bill Branch has undertaken the task of attempting to collect information on the history of the association. Bill indicated that this process all started with attempting to follow all the changes in the bylaws. Bill indicated that he has developed a spreadsheet that has a list of all of the officers, committees, annual meeting locations, etc. He has been going to old board minutes to collect this information. Bill mentioned that he does not have any information from prior to 1953 and asked that if anyone had old files that may have any of this older information to please send it to him. Bill indicated that he was hopeful to have everything pulled together and ready to present at the Fall board meeting. There was a question of whether or not the handbook was on the internet. Kenny Sharpe said that the handbook was on the association’s webpage but that it was on there in sections. Each section of the handbook was on the webpage, but there was not a single file that contained the entire handbook. Bill also mentioned that he had roughly 2/3 of the annual meeting reports that have been generated over the years. Bill also mentioned something regarding the Public Relations committee. He said that this committee has historically been involved with the Mass Communications awards. However, he said that none have been awarded since 2000. He asked if that perhaps the national committee would consider combining all of the different

awards and programs that it currently directs into one Public Relations award program. Comments from Southern Regional Director: Ed Twidwell again introduced Dirk Webb and thanked him for attending. He then asked for Mr.Webb to make his comments. Mr. Webb stated that the national meeting would be in North Carolina and that it currently had 1,416 registrations, which was up from the previous year. He indicated that there would be 3 candidates to choose from for the national Vice President position and 1 candidate for the Secretary position. In addition to the officer’s positions mentioned, the voting delegates will vote on several issues, one of which is whether or not to allow the national board to do business electronically. Mr. Webb also mentioned that the 2009 JCEP meeting would be on February 10 -12, 2009 in Orlando, Florida. Mr. Webb mentioned that, as with everything else, the costs associated with attending this meeting would likely be higher than previous meetings. As for other future meetings, Mr. Webb indicated that the 2009 annual meeting would be in Portland, Oregon. There is some concern about potential participation in the Portland meeting given the likely high travel costs of getting to and from the meeting. Mr. Webb mentioned that the 2012 national meeting is scheduled to be hosted by the Southern Region. Virginia was going to be the host site but had to withdraw as a potential site. South Carolina subsequently placed a bid to host the 2012 meeting and the national board will vote on it at the 2008 meeting. James Devillier also mentioned that Alabama was looking to host the 2014 meeting and that given the 2015 meeting would be the 100th year of the NACAAA, there has been some support for having it in Chicago, the site of the first meeting. Mr. Webb mentioned other issues that would likely be discussed at the 2008 annual meeting. One is the revision of the State Officer handbook. The other was looking at the current committee structure to see if any changes are warranted. 2008 LCAAA Annual Meeting: Ed Twidwell went briefly through the events of the 2008 annual meeting. The tour would start at noon and end up with the Scholarship Auction later in the evening. The spouse’s tour would be in the morning. Tomorrow would be our educational sessions that would end up with the President’s reception tomorrow afternoon and the Awards Banquet tomorrow evening. The memorial breakfast would be on Wednesday morning followed by comments by the administrators and ending with our general membership meeting. Ed did mention that there were 5 posters submitted to the poster competition. Finally, Ed said that boxed lunches would be available to take you on the bus as we left for the tour. Allen Hogan thanked Ed Twidwell on behalf of the board for planning and running the annual meeting. Ed then thanked Miles Brashier for all his help in getting support for the meeting, particularly in hosting the board supper and getting the tour organized. Brain Chandler asked if a list of addresses for all of the meeting sponsors could be developed. Ed said that he would pull that list together and make it available.

2008 NACAA AM/PIC: Ed Twidwell mentioned that the meeting was going to be on July 13 – 18, 2008 in North Carolina. Ed mentioned that there were 2 mini-vans reserved that will be going to the national meeting. Brian Chandler will be handling those travel arrangements and currently has 4 people that have indicated they will ride. So, there is some room for probably 2 or so more people to ride in the mini-vans. Anyone interested should contact Brian Chandler. The vans are scheduled to leave on Saturday. Ed mentioned that the voting delegates for the annual meeting would be Brian Chandler, David Bourgeois, Miles Brashier, Shaney Hill, and Richard Letlow. Allen Hogan suggested that Ed send a list of everyone attending the national meeting to administration. Ed indicated that he had contacted Dr Coreil and that he was going to give $500 to those giving presentations to help pay travel expenses. Oklahoma 2010 AM/PIC Funding Proposal: Ed Twidwell indicated that LCAAA had been approached by Oklahoma to help sponsor some of the 2010 annual meeting. Three sponsorship options were provided. . The first is co-sponsoring an ice cream social with Arkansas. The total budget for the social is $7,000 – Arkansas has committed to providing $3,500 and we would provide $3,500. The second was being a break sponsor. The break sponsorships are $2,500. The third option would be to sponsor the Wednesday morning breakfast. This is expected to be roughly $4,000. Ed mentioned that at the spring board meeting, the board voted to choose (suggest) option 1 and to bring the issue for final vote to the whole membership. Ed then asked Dirk Webb when he thought that the Oklahoma group would want the money. Mr. Webb indicated that the biggest issue was to get the commitment and that he felt like they would be willing to take any pledge over installments. He did mention, however, that the Okalahoma group had set up an interest bearing account and that the sooner they got the money, the more money they could generate to help cover the costs of hosting the meeting. LSU Campus Region Board Appointments: Ed Twidwell mentioned that the board members from the LSU Campus were Ron Strahan, Earl Johnson and Bill Branch. However, both Earl Johnson and Bill Branch have retired so there is a need to elect new board members. Ed mentioned that he had spoken to potential board members. Ed said that Ron Strahan had agreed to serve a 1 year term, Natalie Hummel had agreed to serve a 2 year term, and Robert Soileau had agreed to serve a 3 year term. Ed said that these names would come through the nomination committee and would voted on at the general membership meeting. R.L. Frazier said that the nomination committee needed nominations for board members by Wednesday. Nominations for board members will be needed for the Southwest and Southeast regions. New Business: 4-H U Luncheon: James Devillier mentioned that he and Kenny Sharpe would again co-chair the 4-H U Luncheon. James indicated that he would need at least half a dozen volunteers to help with food preparation and serving. He asked what was the board’s feeling as to the number of people he should plan on for the next

luncheon. It was the general consensus of the board that he plan on the same number as last year. Finally, James said that if anyone had producers that may be willing to donate fruits and/or vegetables for the luncheon to please contact him. Electronic Journal: Allen Hogan said that the NACAA e-Journal Committee met by conference call on May 7, 2008. Chairman, Mickey Cummings, reported that 22 journal articles were submitted for review. Three articles were accepted with no revision, 12 were accepted with minor revision, 4 were accepted with major revision, and 3 were rejected for publication. LCAAA members Natalie Hummel and Allen Hogan were among those serving as reviewers for the Agronomy and Pest Management papers. The committee agreed to make the following recommendations to the NACAA Board at the AM/PIC:

1) Continue to offer members the opportunity to publish in the NACAA e-Journal in 2009 using the same procedure as in 2008 2) Ask the board to publish abstracts of the accepted papers in the proceedings of the 2008 AM/PIC

3) To offer training or orientation to journal reviewers for consistency of review.

4) After the 2009 AM/PIC, again evaluate the e-Journal procedures to

recommend any changes deemed as improvements. Agronomy and Pest Management Committee: Allen Hogan also mentioned that three LCAAA members had submitted oral presentations for the 2008 annual meeting. All three were accepted and will be presented on July 15, 2008. The three presentations are:

1) Boyd Padgett; An Assessment of Selected Fungicides On Disease Progress of Asian Soybean Rust and Other Diseases of Soybean In Louisiana.

2) Myrl Sistrunk; Best Management Practices in Sweet Potato Production in

Northeast Louisiana

3) Allen Hogan; Sweet Sorghum as a Potential Bio-Fuel in Southwest

Louisiana Other Business/Adjourn: Ed Twidwell asked if there was any other business that needed to come before the board. With no further business, Rusty Batty motioned that the meeting be adjourned. Rick Louque seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously and the meeting was adjourned.