The best site on the web for Scottish Highland Cattle pictures, classified ads with photos, information, breeder directory, tips and tools, coming events, and a membership invitation to Highland Cattle breeders in Ohio, Michigan, Indiana and Illinois. |
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2004 Annual Meeting Midwest
Highland Cattle Association Call to Order Acting President Eddie Mackay called the meeting to order at 11:45 am. Prior to conducting association business, Eddie Mackay invited each person to introduce himself or herself. Agenda There were no additions/changes to the agenda Minutes Secretary/Treasurer Mary Van Antwerp read the minutes from the 2003 MWHCA annual membership meeting. There being no suggested changes from members present, a motion was made by Valerie See and supported by Tom Snyder to accept the minutes as read. Motion carried. President’s Report President Eddie Mackay gave a quick review of 2004’s upcoming opportunities. The Beef Expo is scheduled for the first week of April, a good opportunity to promote Highland Cattle alongside other unique breeds, and also compare the market to these other breeds. Although the participation has dropped off due to the TB scare, traffic still remains good. An open house at the large animal clinic is available at the same time. The MAHA show will be in early May, just across the border in Mercer, PA. Centreville had the largest turnout ever with 47 entrants showing. This year’s goal is to reach at least 50 animals – It’s a wonderful opportunity to work with other’s animals, visit, compare your animals to other breeders and other breeds, share and learn where we can improve. Highlands were the 3rd largest breed this year at the fair. We certainly gain a lot of attention with the Highlands at Centreville. Luncheon Acting President Eddie Mackay called a recess of the business meeting at 12:15 pm. Members enjoyed a buffet luncheon in the hotel dining room. This was an excellent opportunity to get acquainted with members from various corners of the Association’s service area. Eddie Mackay reconvened the business meeting at 1:30 pm. Treasurer’s Report Secretary/Treasurer Mary Van Antwerp gave the Treasurer’s report. As of December 31, 2003, the Midwest Highland Cattle Association had a bank balance of $6,470.12 Revenues for the year totaled $2,202.67 while expenses totaled $1.131.78. Motion was made by Richard Muntz to approve Treasurer’s report, seconded by Larry Alber. Motion carried. AHCA Report AHCA Representative Larry Alber gave a report to the members from his attendance at the American Highland Cattle Association board meeting in Denver in January. He reported that AHCA expense was exceeding income, so steps needed to be taken to increase revenue. Registrations and transfers were increased in January 2004, but it’s still too early to see effect of the new rate to know if deficit will be reduced. Calls were being made to those members not renewing membership to make sure that needs were being met, but nothing out of the ordinary was indicated. Most either sold their cattle or simply forgot to renew. The 2004 Convention will be in June in Fort Collins, Colorado. It will be oriented around Colorado State University’s beef program. The AHCA website was a major topic of discussion, as it needs improvement. Gary Hart will be developing the new site this year. AHCA disbanded the Breed Characteristic Committee when it was decided that no additional clarification was needed. The Bagpipe permanent edition is also being re-written with Pat White’s assistance. Abby Snyder presented her marketing study to the AHCA board. She was complimented on her hard work. Larry will be stepping down from the position of AHCA representative as AHCA encourages a limited term to be held by the same person from a regional association. The representative must be willing to attend the Western Stock Show and National Show. Tom Snyder has volunteered to assume the position. Motion was made by Dave Van Antwerp the Midwest Highland Cattle Association appoint Tom Snyder to be the AHCA representative. Second was made by Dean Dykstra. Motion carried. Web Site Report Dave Van Antwerp introduced Tyler Verkade, who Dave has been paying to assist in maintaining the MWHCA web site. The size of the web site has grown dramatically since its inception three years ago, and so has the work required to enter breeder information and classified ads. Tyler reported that approximately 1,500 different visitors a month are viewing the pages. The most frequently accessed files are photographs, followed by classified ads. Dean Dykstra made a motion to continue Tyler Verkade to help keep the website updated. Richard Muntz seconded the motion. Motion passed unanimously. Dave Van Antwerp is to propose an appropriate method to show appreciation to Tyler for his time spent on the web site. Motion made by Dean Dykstra to expire the classified ads on the website after 3 months unless renewed. Motion seconded by Pat White. Motion carried. Dave Van Antwerp was directed to place an ad in the Hobby Farmer Magazine sending interested persons to the MWHCA web site for contact information. Other magazines may also be selected for placement of similar ads. Election of Officers Two officers are up for election in 2004: Director, currently held by Richard Muntz. The ballot listed one nominee, incumbent Richard Muntz . There were no additional nominations in the absentee ballots. Nominations were invited from the floor, but there were none. Secretary/Treasurer, the position currently held by Mary Van Antwerp. The ballot listed one nominee, Tom Allan of Sault Ste Marie, Michigan. There were no additional nominations in the absentee ballots. Nominations were invited from the floor, but there were none. A motion to unanimously elect the two candidates by acclamation was made by Dean Dykstra with support by Margie Schmahl. Motion carried. Presentations Tom Snyder gave the presentation of Successful Marketing of Highland Cattle by Abby Snyder in her absence. Abby completed the project for her High School Freshman Science Fair Project integrating the science fair, 4H, and FFA projects. The orientation of the project is food technology and sales. This is to be the first year of a 3 year project. Abby may request help from the association and from individual breeders to supply a large number of beef samples for research. The Association indicated its support and will send a letter to Tom Snyder and Abby Snyder. Richard Hebron gave a presentation on Marketing Grass Fed Beef. He discussed his successful marketing approach using a diverse array of products and setting up metropolitan buying clubs. The demand for his beef is far exceeding his ability to produce the product, and Richard encouraged other breeders to contact him for marketing their beef. New Business: Centreville Show Valerie See, Margie Schmahl, and Michele Dykstra were appointed as this year’s show committee. They will be establishing a procedure for proper recording and reporting of the Centreville show results to comply with the AHCA requirements. Valerie reported that camping at Centreville will now be first come first serve, avoiding some previous issues with inaccessible camping areas. Registrations will need to be verified prior to the show this year. The fair board will require animals to be clean and groomed prior to entering the show tent. The tent also must be maintained on a regular basis. Fees are going up this year, due to budget constraints. The cost per animal will be $8.00, up from $6.00 last year. Summer Barbecues Barbecues for the upcoming season are tentatively as follows: Sault Ste Marie –Allans Kingston, Ohio –Snyders South Haven, MI – DeWitts Times will be determined later with the hosts, but attempts will be made to avoid conflicts with the National meeting. 2005 Annual Membership Meeting Citing the central location of the Potawatomi Inn and the excellent facilities offered there, the members decided to return for the 2005 annual meeting. It was decided to set the meeting date to February 19, 2005. Concluding Remarks President Eddie Mackay expressed enthusiasm in looking ahead to the future of Highland Cattle and the future of the Midwest Highland Cattle Association. Adjournment President Mackay adjourned the meeting promptly at 4 pm.
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