Presidents Letter….
I am honored to take the responsibility of the president’s role once again and will give it all I have. If anyone was wondering, I’m not sure my wife Shelli voted for me. She was the one with the shirt that said; don’t vote for Jeff, I have chores for him to do at the farm. Just kidding, she is very supportive and it is a team effort around my house, that’s for sure. She puts in countless hours, as most of the boards spouse’s do also. This Devon thing is a family effort and that is evident in every farm visit or field day I attend
The board of directors really is a fine group of professionals and that makes the job much easier. After the Select Sale in Tampico we had a short board meeting to select officers and everyone was eager to get started with the business at hand which is fulfilling the membership’s wishes. Every board member, new and old alike took on every task that was put before them so I’m anticipation a fruitful and exciting year.
When one agrees to be on a board like this you know going in you will do a lot of work and spend numerous hours to support the cause. The reason you do it is because you believe in the mission of the organization. It can be quite enjoyable and you make some long lasting friendships with people you have the pleasure to serve with. It need not be unpleasant or arduous otherwise members will find somewhere else to sacrifice time. So her we go for more Devon excitement.
I want to thank David Shoumacher for all the hard work and sacrifice he has put forth on the website and NADA. This organization has benefited from his strengths since the beginning and his contribution has been above and beyond the call. His training as a reporter showed thru in all that he wrote and very few can pen a phrase like he. David and I have enjoyed many a predawn email discussion before the east coast time zone awakes and he is passionate about Devon that’s for sure.
Just so everyone is clear, David was not asked to stop with the website only to submit materials to the oversight committee for approval before posting. He made the decision he was not willing to continue in that capacity. It was the wisdom of not having one set of opinions or eyes deciding what the Association’s presentation to the world should be that carried this request. This website carries our important image of Devon Cattle and NADA to the world.
During the recent conference in Illinois, many of the items displayed on our website were openly discussed in a very informal but well needed discussion of the facts. There was a lot of confusion to the facts on numerous issues that needed some plain honest dialog. All members were encouraged to ask any questions of the board they wished so they could know the truth on every subject. There were numerous votes, or in our case “straw polls”, taken to help guide the board in decisions as we move forward. The membership in attendance made itself quite clear that they wanted to move forward with the election as scheduled and they wanted a website that would continue to display all the great things that are happening with Devon Cattle and this organization. That a committee be appointed to help guide the display of our “portal to the world”. The membership also asked for a members only section of our site that be just for the paying members of NADA to get information and discussion of “inside the family” type of news. This section will be more than just a place where you can see all the latest board minutes. It will be a section that will hopefully add some value to being a member of NADA. More to come on that soon, it is under development with the webmaster now.
Other wishes the membership made clear at the meeting:
- Rewriting the bylaws to give more membership control of major decisions.
- A predetermined election procedure that is made part of the bylaws.
- More action on discussions of a merger between ADCA and NADA.
- Consideration for members who don’t use computers and would prefer to get notification of association activities by mail.
The newly elected board has taken all these tasks and more as action items to be completed as quickly as possible.
The Devon breed has it all, and is well positioned for positive input into the world’s needs. The future of Devon cattle and their important place in this country’s progress toward healthy land, healthy people, and profitability in the cattle industry looks bright. We have a very strong organization and a great opportunity in the months and years ahead, we just need to grasp it.
Blessings on ya
Jeff Moore
President
