MIDWEST HIGHLAND CATTLE ASSOCIATION

The 2001 annual meeting of the Midwest Highland Cattle Association (MWHCA) was held at the Potawatomi Inn in Pokagon State Park near Angola, Indiana, on February 18. Coffee and social hour at 11 am was followed by a brunch upstairs in the Inn’s dining room. The business meeting followed lunch downstairs in front of a blazing fireplace in the Wigwam Room, which had ample tables set up in an efficient U-shape.

President-Elect Bill Pruitt called the meeting to order at 1 p.m., in the absence of Association President Larry Schmahl. Members from 14 farms were present.

The meeting started with an invitation for members to stand and introduce themselves. Next, Bill announced that MWHCA member John and Sue Caraffino, members from Cedarville, Michigan, would be dispersing their herd of 23 Highland Cattle. John had a stroke last August and will not continue farming. Bill invited everyone to check with them if interested in acquiring any of these fine cattle.

Mary Van Antwerp, Secretary/Treasurer, read the minutes from the year 2000 annual meeting. There being no additions, corrections or discussion, the minutes stood approved as read.

Association President Larry Schmahl, unable to attend the meeting, sent his President’s Report in a statement read to the members by President-Elect Bill Pruitt. Larry thanked the members for their assistance and support of the organization during his tenure as President, commended the members on their active involvement in promoting Highland Cattle, and gave his best wishes for the Association’s future success as he concluded his term and turned over the Presidency to Bill Pruitt.

The AHCA report was presented by Larry Alber, who attended the national association’s meeting in Denver in January 2001. Referring members to the Bagpipe magazine for a complete report, Larry gave a brief summary of AHCA activities:

1. Updating registration records is a priority for AHCA. The association wants to follow up with owners of registered animals to determine the present status of animals that were registered in past years and document claims made on the Highland breed.
2. There are two bull tests underway this year – one in New York State and one in Wyoming. While not officially sanctioned by AHCA, the national association is following these two bull tests with interest in the data collected. The tests will be followed by an auction of the top bulls. The Midwest is well represented in both shows.
3. The National Western Stock Show is the largest livestock show in the United States. This year the show had 198 Highland entries and quite a few new breeders. Sale prices seemed a bit softer this year, but animals still sold at good prices.
4. At the National Western Stock Show there were several problems where tattoos were not legible, or the paperwork did not match the tattoo. Members were reminded that whether showing or for TB tests, the legibility of tattoos and the accuracy of papers should be double-checked well in advance so corrections can be made if necessary. Pat White indicated that it was important to re-tattoo in a different location and have paperwork reflect the change by contacting AHCA.
5. AHCA convened a committee to investigate allegations of misconduct against an AHCA member who lives in Minnesota. After listening to the conclusions of the committee, the AHCA board declined to take any action against the member.
6. AHCA’s national meeting for the year 2001 is scheduled to be held the first week in May in Pennsylvania. Larry suggested checking the Bagpipe magazine for exact dates and details.

The Treasurer’s report for the year ended 12/31/00 was given by Secretary / Treasurer Mary Van Antwerp. A copy is appended to these minutes.

As a matter of old business, Dave Van Antwerp gave a progress report on the MWHCA web site. At the time of the meeting, the web site’s navigational structure had been constructed and a considerable amount of information is on display. The site has yet to be stylized with graphic design, and much more member information is being gathered. The web host being used is Apollo Hosting out of Texas and the site address is midwesthighlands.org. Domain registration has been paid for 2 years

Each MWHCA member has a page to display photos and provide farm information if they choose to send it in. A diagram of the navigational structure was presented, along with a glossary of commonly used web terms and several pages of basic information about how the web works.

Also as a matter of old business, Dean Dykstra reported on the Junior Association. Dean summarized events in which the Juniors had participated and explained their financial statement. A costume class was added in 2000. Some of the things purchased from Scotland listed under "fundraising items" were actually used as prizes for participants and gifts for Judges and ring stewards, and some still remain as inventory for the coming year’s events. Attendance is currently at about 10 consistent participants.

Dean especially thanked Eddie Mackay for donating expensive aluminum cattle equipment to be sold in the silent auction, and thanked Jim and Suzanne Pugh for donating $300 in cash prizes for the Junior Show at Cambridge. Eddie will donate more equipment this year, and a couple of members indicated they would consider donating a calf for the raffle.

The meeting entered the New Business portion of the agenda, and President-Elect Bill Pruitt officially took office as President of the Association.

Bill noted that the bylaws were revised by a vote of the members at the year 2000 annual meeting. He also noted that at the 2000 meeting it was stated a copy of the revised bylaws would be mailed to each member. Instead, to save printing and mailing costs, the bylaws were posted to the MWHCA web site for everyone to download, but a copy will be mailed to any member on request to the Secretary.

Preparatory to electing officers for the coming term, there was discussion about the intent of a bylaw provision that board members can be elected to only two consecutive terms, the question being when a President-Elect succeeds to the office of President, does that constitute a separate term, or is that simply an extension of the same term to which that person was elected? After some discussion, it was noted that if the term as President were interpreted to be separate from the term as President-Elect, no sitting board member could be elected President – and that is unlikely to be the intent of the bylaw provision. There being no opposition, it was declared the intent of the MWHCA bylaws that the two-year term of President is an automatic extension of the two-year term of President-Elect, and that the bylaw provision limiting a board member to two elected terms does not preclude a first-term board member from being elected President-Elect and then serving as President.

Dave Van Antwerp introduced candidates for election to the board placed on the ballot by the nominating committee. Nominated to stand for election to the office of President-Elect were Larry Alber, Eddie Mackay, and Dean Dykstra. Nominated to stand for election to the office of Director were Tom Snyder and Richard Muntz. The floor was then opened for additional nominations by association members. Having no further nominations, a motion to close nominations was made by Pat White and seconded by Evelyn Pruitt. Ballots were distributed, marked by members, collected and combined with absentee ballots, and then counted by Mary Van Antwerp and Brian Erler. Ballots were included from a total of 25 farms, 14 present and 11 absentee ballots.

After counting and recounting the ballots, Mary Van Antwerp and Brian Erler announced an extremely close election in both positions. Larry Alber and Eddie Mackay tied in the number of votes for President-Elect. President Bill Pruitt stated that the bylaws do not provide a means for breaking a tie, so invited the members present to decide on a method. After a brief discussion, the suggestion was made to toss a coin. Larry Alber asked Eddie Mackay to make the call. While the coin was in the air, Eddie called tails, and the coin landed tails. Eddie Mackay was certified as the next President-Elect of the MWHCA.

Mary Van Antwerp announced that the results of the election for Director were also close, but that Tom Snyder had edged out Rich Muntz in total vote count. Tom Snyder was certified as winning the election for Director. Bill Pruitt asked the board members to meet briefly at the conclusion of the meeting to select a member to fill the remainder of Eddie’s term as Director.

Pat White outlined current state requirements for TB testing of cattle transported on public roadways in Ohio, Indiana, Illinois and Michigan. She emphasized that TB is not an epidemic, and not even a substantial health risk. The intent of strict rules is to ensure it doesn’t become an epidemic. Pat also outlined Federal guidelines for an accredited TB-free herd. Pat made the recommendation that for Michigan farms at least, every animal be tested every year, regardless of age. She urged members to test early because the state is backlogged on doing retests, and if a retest were found necessary, there is a likelihood that it would not be completed in time for to attend a scheduled show.

Eddie Mackay said there is an excellent Internet Web site that gives good information on TB testing.

Leann Anderson gave an excellent talk on weaning and training a calf, explaining the importance of timing, describing which kinds of halters work best in which situations, and summarizing which particular behaviors calves need to be trained in. Leann gave insight into why calves act the way they do, and training methods to accomplish certain behaviors. Leann stressed rewards, penalties and timing as the three critical elements of training.

President Bill Pruitt called for discussion about the merits of setting up a Web Site Committee to help Dave Van Antwerp keep the web site up-to-date and responsive to members’ needs. With enthusiastic support from the members, he appointed Dean Dykstra, Tom Snyder, Eddie Mackay, and if she agrees, Peggy Taylor. The Web Site Committee was directed to give a report at next year’s meeting.

President Bill Pruitt presented gifts on behalf of the association to members who had gone above and beyond the call of duty in their work on behalf of the association. To Pat Cashman, for hosting the MWHCA points show at his beautiful farm in August, the association presented a Dalvey Flask from Scotland inscribed with his initials and the MWHCA logo. To Eddie Mackay, for setting up the MWHCA point show at Centreville and doing chores all week for those who exhibited but couldn’t attend all week, the association presented a Dalvey Business Card Case inscribed with his initials and the MWHCA logo, as well as a clock from Scotland featuring the Mackay family tartan and shield. To Larry Schmahl, for his years of dedication as President, as Director, and as MWHCA show coordinator, the association presented a Dalvey Hunter Pocket Watch inscribed with his initials and the MWHCA logo. Dalvey is the name of a village in the Highlands of Scotland famous for the shop that produced these items.

The show calendar was established for the year 2001. We will again hold a show at Cashman Farms in Delaware, Ohio, on August 25, in conjunction with Cashman's Scottish Festival. We will also participate again in the St. Joseph County Grange Fair at Centreville, with cattle on display from September 16 – 23, with the actual judging being September 19. After some discussion, it was decided not to try for an AHCA super point show at the Michigan State Fair in Detroit in late August so breeders from other states would not have to meet Michigan’s TB requirements if they elected not to.

Bill Pruitt made a motion seconded by Dean Dykstra that a Show Committee be appointed to address questions that come up in regard to putting on MWHCA sponsored shows like the one at Cashman farms and participating in shows that are open to the public like the one at Centreville. Volunteers Eddie Mackay, Evelyn Pruitt, and Pat White we appointed. Bill Pruitt asked that Peggy Taylor and Larry Schmahl be invited to be on that committee if they would like to participate. After a brief discussion, there being no opposition, the motion was approved. Some issues to be addressed by the Show Committee – how to resolve points in a public fair when a breeder is involved in the show, but is not a member of AHCA, and how to resolve judging when classes are split, creating 2 champions in the same AHCA class.

Pat White brought the inventory of MWHCA logo items to the meeting so members could see what we have for sale at events. Pat said clothing with the logo and the words "Highland Cattle" are always in demand, with denim shirts being the most popular. They cost about $20 each, but sell for $35. Bill Pruitt made a motion seconded by Rich Muntz that Pat be authorized to spend $400 to purchase more denim shirts for resale. After a brief discussion, there being no opposition, the motion was approved.

Eddie Mackay is scheduled to exhibit at the MSU Pavilion’s Beef Expo again this year the last weekend of March. He asked for volunteers to help at the booth. Larry and Pat offered to help again this year. President Bill Pruitt directed the Secretary/Treasurer to print membership lists and send them to Eddie for distribution to Expo attendees who want to know where they can see Highland Cattle.

Eddie Mackay constructed a shipping box to protect the MWHCA display during storage and transportation, and received the thanks of the association. Bill Pruitt took the display to update the photographs and captions. The MWHCA display is available to anyone who would like to use it at a show or expo.

A summertime tradition with MWHCA members has been a summer picnic at a member’s farm. Pat White and Larry Alber extended an invitation to the entire membership to attend a picnic at their farm in Charlotte, MI on July 28 at noon. Although it was suggested that a potluck would be appropriate, Pat and Larry will provide all the food and beverages. Members just need to bring lawn chairs. An invitation with a map will be printed in the Midwest Musings newsletter.

The final item of new business was setting the place and date for the annual meeting of 2002. President Bill Pruitt asked for an evaluation of Pokagon State Park’s Potawatomi Inn and found that everyone in attendance really liked the location and the facility. Tobogganing was fun for those who stayed at the Inn, and the indoor swimming pool was available for kids during the meeting. There being no other suggestions, Dave Van Antwerp was directed to reserve Pokagon State Park for the next meeting, Saturday, February 16, 2002. Dean and Michele Dykstra offered to set up a youth activity for Friday night before the meeting or Saturday night after the meeting if members would like to have their young people participate.

President Bill Pruitt concluded the meeting with a statement affirming his enthusiasm about the bright future of the Midwest Highland Cattle Association and the caliber of volunteers who are making the association a valuable asset to Highland Cattle Breeders in the Midwest.

The meeting was adjourned at 4:15 p.m. on a motion by Eddie Mackay seconded by Brian Erler.

Appendix 1: The treasurer’s report is attached as a part of these minutes.

Appendix 2: Immediately following the regular meeting, the President called a special meeting of the Board of Directors met to make two appointments. Rich Muntz was appointed as Director to fill the remaining year of the term vacated by Eddie Mackay when he was elected President-Elect. Also, Larry Alber was appointed to continue as AHCA representative for MWHCA, since Larry normally attends both national meetings each year and already has a good relationship with AHCA representatives.

Respectfully submitted,

Mary Van Antwerp
Secretary / Treasurer

February 18, 2001