IowaIndependentCropConsultantsAssociation
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In this issue... 2001-2003 IICCA Executive Board |
President's Message Shannon
Gomes As
the new President of IICCA I want to take this opportunity to introduce
myself and outline a vision for our organization.
I don’t need to elaborate on the current state of Agriculture and
its impact on our business, for I am sure you are all keenly aware of the
low commodity prices. At the same time, I see this as an opportunity for
crop consultants to the lead the way. Our
clients look to us as information resources and problem solvers.
In the past, most of us have concentrated on being expert in crop
production and the associated skills of crop scouting, fertility, and
pesticide and hybrid/variety recommendations.
Our competition has also become skilled at doing these same things
offering scouting services for free or below cost. Our challenge is to differentiate ourselves from our
competition so that we are not viewed upon as just another scouting or
soil testing service. The vision I would like to put forth for IICCA members is one of promoting Iowa Independent Crop Consultants as being THE one stop shop for crop production resources for their clients. These resources would not only encompass traditional agronomic services (scouting, fertility, pesticide and hybrid recommendations) but would also include technology (precision farming, computing and Internet), remote sensing, marketing, conservation planning and enterprise analysis. That being said, none of us are expert in all areas and as such, we need to have a framework within IICCA where by consultants can receive needed help and resources to assist his clients. In short we need to work together. We are in the process of developing a distinctive website for IICCA that will allow members to advertise their business along with having links to important resource websites. In addition, we plan to have a discussion page allowing members to post questions or responses concerning a particular agronomy topic. The old cliché “United we stand, divided we fall” has never been more important than in today’s’ agricultural crisis. I encourage all members to become active in our association. If you have any ideas please email me (cbcc@sbt.net) or call 319 352-1227. (Click here to return to beginning of Newsletter) Scholarship Rudy Van Mersbergen and Emily Rottinghaus are the recipients of the 2001 IICCA Scholarships presented to ag students at Iowa State University. Both recipients came with high marks from the ISU selection committee, as well as IICCA members. Each will apply the $600 scholarships towards their fall 2001 tuition bill. Both have sent a thank you note to the IICCA, printed below. ***** Dear IICCA Members: As a recipient of the IICCA scholarship for another
year, I would like to thank you yet again for offering this scholarship.
To refresh your memory, I am a Junior in Agronomy this year. Because I hope to return to the family farm hear Cedar, Iowa,
after I graduate, I have not chosen a specific minor. Instead, I have been taking a variety of marketing, animal
science and agronomic classes that I feel will help me on our grain and
swine operation. Although I want to farm, I
would also like to do some crop consulting after graduation.
I enjoyed working for Crop Tech Services, Inc. and Agriliance as a
crop scout and Crop Production Specialist.
Although both companies have offered me a full-time job, I do not yet
know if I will be connected with either after I graduate. Until then, I will focus on
my time remaining at ISU. I am heavily involved in the Fellowship of Christian Athletes
and ISU Intramurals – claiming two Ultimate Frisbee Championships.
One of my favorite activities is singing in a male a capella quartet
that I started, and I have a lot of fun with my four roommates as well. Thank you once again for your
generosity concerning this scholarship, and I look forward to meeting you
again at the IICCA annual meeting next fall. Sincerely, Rudy Van Mersbergen ***** Dear IICCA Members: I would like to take this
opportunity to thank you for awarding me with the Iowa Independent Crop
Consultants Association Scholarship.
This scholarship means a great deal to me.
I really enjoyed myself and learned a great deal about agriculture
this past summer working as a crop scout for Smidt Crop Management in
Greene, Iowa. As a result I can
truly appreciate what this scholarship means. As the daughter of a full-time
farmer from Charles City, the current farming situation has definitely had
an impact on my family’s financial situation.
This scholarship will really help out next year when I’m a junior
working towards my goal of graduation with a degree in agronomy and a minor
in biological and premedical illustration.
I hope to one day help farmers at a personal level as a agronomist or
perhaps link the love I have for both agriculture and drawing my working as
an illustrator in the agriculture industry.
Thank you, once again.
Sincerely, Emily R. Rottinghaus
Shannon Gomes in the SpotlightA new addition to the IICCA newsletter is the Member Profile section. Here, one of the IICCA members will be showcased, including their current crop consulting business as well as a glimpse into their background and personal life. Because most of us only have the opportunity to run into one another a couple times a year, this should provide a means for the membership to better acquaint themselves with fellow IICCA members. The first member to be featured is Shannon Gomes, newly elected President of the IICCA. Shannon Gomes, President, Cedar Basin Crop Consulting 101 East Bremer Ave ~ Waverly, IA.
50677 ~ (319) 352-1227 ~ cbcc@sbt.net Cedar Basin Crop Consulting Shannon’s major responsibility is to provide agronomic consulting services to client farmers. Services include soil testing and fertility recommendations, weed, insect and disease management, hybrid and variety recommendations, scouting fields, crop enterprise analysis and precision farming applications. As a Soil Scientist, Shannon provides site investigations, environmental remediation and soil survey interpretations. Education: ·
B.S. Soil Science, California State Polytechnic University,
June 1971 ·
M.S. Soil Fertility, Iowa State University, July 1982 ·
M.S. Thesis: Delay
of nitrification of anhydrous ammonia with and without nitrapyrin as a
function of time-temperature interaction. Background: Shannon started Cedar Basin Crop Consulting in the fall of 1992. Prior to that Shannon was a Crop Consultant at C8MP in Cedar Falls,1988-1992. Before making the jump to the independent consulting realm, Shannon served as a Soil Scientist for the Soil Conservation Service in Charles City from 1982-1988. Shannon was a Captain in the 82nd Airborne Division, United States Army, 327th Engineer Battalion, at Ft. Bragg N.C. , from 1976-1979. Prior to that Shannon was a Lieutenant in the Berlin Brigade in the Federal Republic of Germany from 1971-1975. Memberships in Professional Societies & Offices Held: ·
American Society of Agronomy: o
Certified Professional Soil Scientist o
Certified Crop Advisor ·
President, Iowa Independent Crop Consultants Association (ICCA) ·
Precision Farming chairperson, IICCA, 1996-present. ·
Iowa Association of Realtors Agricultural Industry Advisory
Committee, Iowa State University, 1990-present. ·
National Alliance of Independent Crop Consultants (NAICC);
Education Committee. Personal Life: Shannon and his wife Jean, a special ed teacher, live just outside of Waverly overlooking the river valley. Shannon enjoys flying his ultra light plane, gardening, landscaping, cooking and is a champion Land Rover Enthusiast. And of course, Shannon adores spending time with his three grandchildren. (Click here to return
to beginning of Newsletter) Annual Meeting MinutesGary
Beeler March 2, 2001, IICCA Annual
Meeting Minutes President Hal Tucker called the
meeting to order at 8:03 A.M. Reading of the minutes from the last meeting was waived. Treasurer Dan
Eklund submitted the Treasurer’s Report. The association’s current
balance is $15,404. Dan reported that revenue from dues for the past year
had remained flat. The number of sustaining members has dropped slightly but
the increase in dues has nearly made up for this drop. We do have some money
to spend and we discussed many options to do this during the meeting. Jay
Johnson moved to accept the Treasurer’s Report as read, 2nd by Mark Raasch,
motion passed. Robin Pruisner
updated us about the scholarship how and the award process works at Iowa
State. In the past we have awarded the scholarship in the spring for use by
the winner during the fall semester. This doesn’t really fit with the
usual process at ISU were scholarships are promoted and awarded in the fall
and used by the winner during the spring semester. As a result we only had
one applicant this year and this applicant turned out to be ineligible. To
correct this, we have decided to fall in line with the routine scholarship
process and a scholarship will not be awarded this year. Chris Clark
explained to the group why he resigned from the board of directors. He has
sold is consulting business to concentrate full time on Iowa F.I.R.S.T. Kay
Connelly was appointed by the board to complete Chris’s term, as specified
in the association’s constitution. Robin
requested that a committee be formed to plan the summer meeting. Dan Eklund
and Tom Smidt volunteered! All members with ideas about this meeting should
contact one of these three people. There was much
discussion about how to increase membership and improve services for current
members. Robin opened the discussion by telling about a phone conversation
she had with a member that was unsatisfied with the level of support they
had received from the association. The following suggestions were made by
the group to increase the value of being a member. 1.
Increase the educational component so it would be easier for
consultants to obtain the continuing education units that are needed to
maintain CCA and ARCPACs certification. 2.
Improve the membership brochure and website so it will be easier for
potential customers to locate and contact an independent crop consultant. 3.
Include more business management information in the newsletter to
help members with these decisions. 4.
Work to improve communication between members including a regional
meeting that would give consultants the opportunity to learn from
consultants from surrounding states. Shannon Gomes
suggested that we develop a more formal educational session for the fall
meeting. Dan Eklund mentioned that it might be possible to offer these
programs with the cooperation of the Agribusiness Association of Iowa and
perhaps receive some sort of corporate sponsorship for these sessions. Dan
Eklund and Tom Smidt will pursue this idea. Jay Johnson
made the following motion: The membership endorses the development of a new
brochure as determined by the executive board. Tom Smidt seconded the
motion, motion passed. Hal Tucker
suggested that we establish a memorandum of understanding with the Natural
Resources Conservation Service of Iowa to become approved providers for
comprehensive nutrient management plans and other services. This should help
get our name out in front of more people. Hal agreed to look into this
process, Robin Pruiser, Gary Beeler and Mike McNeil agreed to help. Hal asked that
we form a committee to pursue the ideal of a regional meeting. He suggested
that the National Alliance of Independent Crop Consultants could help with
some ideas. Jay Johnson and Ellen Broesder volunteered to look into this. There was a
lot of discussion about how the newsletter, brochure and website should be
improved and developed to complement each other. There seemed to be some
consensus that while the brochure needed improvement, it should be
maintained in a brief, inexpensive handout format. The brochure would
promote a website address that would include the details of each member’s
business including a picture of the consultant and a summary of the services
offered. Most agreed that a good interactive website would be the best way
promote and maintain accurate information about professional crop consulting
in Iowa. Shannon Gomes suggested that we would have to register our name and
contract with a service provider to make this effort worthwhile. Shannon,
Mike McNeil and Gary Beeler volunteered to develop some ideas and report
back to the association. There was some
discussion about publishing a big brochure that would give every member
space for a picture and a summary about the services they provide. Please
call Robin or a board member and let us know which alternative you prefer. Shannon Gomes
made a motion to begin to distribute the newsletter by email, 2nd by Mike
McNiel. Robin thought this would by possible. There was some discussion that
an electronic newsletter would be more cost effective and that money saved
by using an email newsletter could be used to maintain the new and improved
website. The newsletter could be posted on the website as well as emailed to
members. The motion passed. We will make the transition to an electronic
newsletter during the upcoming year. Nominees for President:
Dan Eklund & Shannon Gomes The new president is Shannon
Gomes Nominees for Treasurer:
Dan Eklund & Wayne McClintock The new treasurer is Wayne
McClintock Nominees for Secretary:
Gary Beeler Gary wins by a landslide! Thanks to Dan Eklund for many
years of service to the association as Treasurer. Congratulations to the new
officers! Meeting adjourned 9:52 A.M. Respectfully
submitted, Gary Beeler, Secretary
(Click here to return to beginning of Newsletter) Treasurer's
Report
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