Annual Meeting

2007 Annual Meeting Presentation

Agricultural Marketing & Management Program Work Team
Annual Meeting – Friday, November 16, 2007
1:00 pm – 2:30pm
Ithaca, NY

Minutes:
The 2007 Annual Meeting of the AMM PWT was held on Friday, November 16, 2007 from 1- 2:30pm during the CCE Ag and Food Systems Inservice Program.

Attendees: Todd Schmit, Lee Telega, Kris Park, Monika Roth, Alison DeMarree, Jim Bittner, Tatiana Stanton, Anita Deming, Becca Brier-Rosenfield, Brian Henehan, Tim Pezzolesi

Todd opened the meeting at 1:10pm. PWT administrative updates were presented, including web updates, membership lists, and member program listings. Todd urged people to review the updates and send him corrections, additions, or deletions. Todd also gave a report on the recently completed and successful Strategic Marketing Conference, held in Hyde Park on November 5th and 6th.

Tim Pezzolesi, Manager, Marketing & Promotion, Agricultural Protection and Development Services, in the New York Dept. of Ag and Markets spoke about current Pride of NY efforts and discussed in an open forum with PWT members how Pride of NY could better integrate with local and regional food initiatives in the state. One idea that has been discussed is providing assistance/funding for market pooling – linking producers together, with funding for ‘minimarket pools.’ Another idea from A&M is to expand the ‘Farm 2 School’ program to more institutions, more schools, or involve restaurants. New York MarketMaker was also discussed and its linkages with PoNY. Is there a way to compile ONE resource, taking advantage of both resources? How improve accuracy, QA/QC, filter/criteria needs, and up-to-date local and regional initiatives?

A general discussion was held on ways to improve the PWT and suggestions for new or different activities. These suggestions included:
1. We need to establish our Goals and Priorities for the next year.
a. Local foods – facilitating, collaborating with existing initiatives
b. Strategic Planning meeting, joint with ACED PWT and SFP
c. Web Site – define PWT, update membership, programs, and ext. stakeholders.
d. Strategic Planning – Involve Industry (Retail) more! K. Park, FIMP
e. Annual meeting – should we have it in the spring? With the strategic marketing conference? Leave as is?
f. Work with PoNY to create a listing/framework of people who can make the connections to local/regional efforts, be a continual resource tool.
As attendance was limited, Todd agreed to send out an email survey to the listserve asking people to comment on the above.

Todd distributed sign-ups for PWT Working Committees. These include:
1. Strategic Marketing Planning Committee
2. Annual Meeting / In-Service Planning Committee
3. Smart Marketing Planning Committee
4. Marketing and Communications Committee
Todd will distribute Committee signups via list serve as well. Each committee needs to assign a Committee chair who will report to PWT Co-Chairs regularly.

Todd also announced that Bob Weybright, current co-chair with Todd, will be stepping down this spring as co-chair. A new co-chair is needed. Todd is requesting two extenstion educators from 2 different areas of the state. Extension educators help keep the on campus to off campus balance, and two additional co chairs give us broader state coverage. Anyone interested should let Todd know ASAP.

Kris Park from FIMP and Brian Henehan from CEP each gave member program updates.
Meeting Adjourned 3:15pm.
Respectfully submitted,
Todd M. Schmit, Co-Chair
Agricultural Marketing and Management PWT
Department of Applied Economics and Management
Cornell University