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Chairman's
Message
2007 proved to be an exciting year. As all of us involved in production agriculture know, in order to survive and prosper, we must possess the ability to anticipate and quickly respond to change. In my opinion, this was never more important than over the past year. While regional differences exist, the food versus energy debate, extraordinary grain markets, erratically higher input costs - fuel, fertilizer, water, land rent, and labor - coupled with the accelerating globalization of the world economy have combined to present immense challenges and overwhelming opportunities for farmers and ranchers. Obviously, the
ability to respond to change is also a challenge faced by our commodity
and trade organizations including NLPA. While consistently focusing
on the association’s vision, mission statements, and strategic
plan, the NLPA staff and Board of Directors continued to explore
and develop new services to offer to member organizations and their
customers. To this end, “NLPA Advantage” was launched
as a vehicle to offer a menu of quality services to members at affordable
prices. The offering includes the following: Additionally, NLPA staff has continued to provide a respected national voice on issues of importance to animal agriculture, livestock marketing, and financing. In closing,
I would like to wish everyone the best for 2008. The coming year,
with the new Energy and Farm Bills and the presidential election
coupled with whatever Mother Nature has in store, should provide
ample opportunity for all of us to demonstrate our ability to respond
to change.
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Again,
it has been a honor to serve as Chairman of the National Livestock
Producers Association (NLPA) Board of Directors for 2007. It is
truly a pleasure to represent such a highly respected organization
with a proud history, dedicated and talented staff, and committed
board of directors.
