PRESIDENT’S COLUMN

By Orvin BontragerNAICC2010 President

OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE NATIONAL ALLIANCE OF INDEPENDENT CROP CONSULTANTS

Asyoureadthetitleofthisarticle,youprobablywonderwhywriteaboutthiswhenthemembersofNAICCarealreadyprofes-sionalconsultants,researchersandqualityassurancepersonnel.Ibelieveperiodicallyweneedtostepbackandcontemplateonwhyweareinourvocations.

Icandistinctlyrememberspring1977,walkingbackfromtheTexasA&Magronomy/rangescienceofficecarryingthegraduatestudentmailforthebuildingthatmygraduateofficewaslocated.Ihap-penedtoleafthroughtheAgri-Fieldmanmagazineatthattime.IrecognizedseveralKansasStateUniversityacquaintanceswhowereworkingascropconsultantsforthecompanyIamcurrentlyemployed.Beinginrangesciencecurriculum,Iwasn’tawareofthistypeofemploymentevenbeingavail-able. Afterseveralphoneinquiries,Iinter-viewedandwashiredtostartassoonasIcouldaftercompletingcourseworkandtheresearchformygraduatedegree.Withthehelpofnumerousfellowcolleagues,IwasabletostumblethroughthefirstfewyearsandgetmyfeetundermeandstartfeelingcomfortableasaconsultantinKansas. MalcolmGladwellintherecentbook,Outliers:TheStoryofSuccess,saysittakes

10,000hoursofconcentratedefforttobecomegoodatwhatoneisdoing.Ibelieveittakesatleastthatmuch.After32yearsofconsulting,therearestillmanyquestionsandconcernsthattaxmyabilities.Manyofyou,andmeincluded,havebeentemptedtoleaveconsultingandtakeonpossiblymorelucrativeand“easier”employ-mentwithshorterworkhours. AfterjoiningNAICCin1995,IwasabletointeractwithmanyverycapablecropconsultantsfromthroughouttheUSandeveninternationally.Ivisitedwitholderconsultantswhowerecontinuingtopursuetheprofessionthatwassupposedlya“youngman’s”vocation.Theinteractionwithotherswasveryencouragingtome.As“cropscouts”weweren’tsupposedtokeepupintheharshgrowingenvironmentswhereweworkedlonghoursduringthesummer.Manyofusthoughtthatwesurelycouldn’tdothisforanother20-30years.Notso.Weadapt.

Why Am I a Crop Consultant?

Mega Trends of Agriculture: A Few Notes from Dr. David M. Kohl

WewerehonoredtohaveDr.DavidM.Kohl,ProfessorEmeritus,AgriculturalandAppliedEconomics,VirginiaTech,asourkeynotespeakerattherecent2010AnnualMeeting.Someoftheinsightshesharedfollow;wewisheveryonereadingthiscouldhavebenefitedfirsthandfromhisspeech,titledWhat’sAroundtheCorner&DowntheRoad. Dr.Kohlfirsttouchedonthe“craziness”oftheeconomicenvironmentplanningforecast,citinganextendedperiodofeconomicmoderationworldwideandpredicting: •volatilityatextremes-cost&revenue •reprioritizationofbusinessdecisions •reprioritizationofpersonalandfamily decisions •cash&liquiditywillbeKing •theneedtobeinnovative,resourceful, &selective.

SomefastfactsaboutAmericanAgriculturethathesharedincluded: •70percentofNorthAmericanfarm groundwillchangehandsby2025 •local,naturalorganicscouldbe20 percentoftheconsumermarketplace •specialinterestgroupsandconsumers willdrivebusinessmodels •80percentofAmericansaretwo generationsawayfromthefarmand/ orranch •controlofassetratherthanownership withnewlandlords •watercouldreplaceoilasthelimited resource •womenandminoritieswillbecome majordecisionmakers •strategicallythinkgloballybutactand executelocally.

SomefastfactsonagassharedbyDr.Kohl: •TheUnitedStates’percentageofthe world’sGDPforthelast500yearshas been22 •AndGDPgrowthfortheU.S.in2009 wasanegative2.5,whileIndia’swas nearly8percentandChina’snearly9 •Withgasolineat$3.50to$4pergallon, consumershavebeenshutdown,noted Dr.Kohl,addingthat80percentoffarm expensesarelinkedtooil! •America’saglandvaluesdeclined3.4 percentin2009alone

EconomicissuesDr.Kohlanticipatesfor2010intheshortruninclude: •worldstimulusprograms-G20nations •equitymarketsrebound •earningsreport/costcutting

www.naicc.org MARCH 2010

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Laura Donkervoort, Ecologistics Research Services

January19thstartedlikeanyotherwinterdayinCanada.Iawoketopullonmybootsandbrushthesnowfrommycarbeforeventuringoutforthemorningcommute.However,todayIwasn’theadedtotheoffice;IwasheadedtomyfirstNAICCannualmeeting.Afewhoursandalargetemperaturechangelater,IwasabouttoembarkoncomprehensiveGLPtrain-ingandIwasalittlestressed.However,Iwasquicklywelcomedbyabunchofreallyfriendlyfolks.LittledidIknoweveryoneatthismeetingwasgoingtobeaswelcomingasthosefirstpeopleImet! AsIcontinuedtoattendvariouseventsIwasamazedbythevarietyandqualityoftrainingsessions.Attendingthenewmem-bers’luncheonwasreallytheturningpointformeandiswhatinspiredmetowritethisarticle.Irealizedthatthisorganizationisnotlikemanyothers;theexecutivesarecompletelyaccessibleandwanttohelpyougetinvolvedrightaway,nomatterwhatyourbackgroundorexperiencelevel. Acoupleofinsightfulideasreallystuckwithmefromthisluncheon.Thefirstistherealizationthatattendingthisconferencecanbeequatedtoveryeffectivemarketing.Itcanbeverydifficulttoadvertiseinthisindustryandthisconferenceoffersagreatdealofqualityexposure.Thesecondwasthestrangefeelingofexcitementandanticipa-tionaboutreturningtowork.Afteralongfieldseasoneveryoneisreadytorelax.Thisconferenceactsasagreatspringboardbackintotheworkseasonwithamoreeducatedoutlookandpositiveattitude.ThisisthefirstholidaywhereinIamactuallyexcited

toreturntowork,especiallyafterspendingaweekinFlorida! ThekeynoteaddressbyDr.DavidKohlwasanotherinspiringandencouragingevent.Dr.Kohlemphasizedtheimportanceofinnovationandpreparationforfuturetrends.TheNAICCmirrorstheseviewsandisanorganizationconstantlyfocusedonadaptingtobestserveitsmemberswithconstantconsiderationforfuturetrendsandchallenges.OnechallengetheNAICChasidentifiediscritical:howdowegetyoungpeopleinvolvedinagriculture?AsDr.Kohlcorrectlypointsoutthattheaveragepersonistwogenerationsremovedfromagriculture.Currently,theNAICCisdoinganexcellentjobofembracingyoungnewmemberssuchasmewithapositiveattitudeandsomegreatevents.TheoverallfeelingofbeingacceptedintoanewindustrywasoutstandingandthepeopleImetwerealwayswillingtosharetheirknowledge. Iwasalsoveryimpressedwiththedepthandbreadthofattendees.Thiskindofmembershipfosterstheultimateenviron-mentforcollaborationandeducationinaveryefficientway.Asafirsttimeattendee,Iquicklyrealizedthisconferenceoffersacomprehensiveandcompleteviewoftheindustryandgiveseveryonefromcontactorstocompetitorsachancetointeract. Again,Icannotsayenoughforthenetworkingopportunitiesavailableatthismeeting,whetheritisattheExhibitHallExtravaganzaoradrinkatGatorville.IknowtheNAICCwillcontinuetodeliverexcellentprogramsthatbringtheindustrytogetherforthebenefitofindividualmem-bersandagricultureaswhole.Seeyounextyear!

www.naicc.org MARCH 2010

NAICC 2010 Annual Meeting: A New Member’s Perspective •lowinterestrates

•savingsandconsumptiongrowth-- inflectionpoint •commercialrealestate--smalland midsizedbanks •housing/realestate--foreclosurecrisis •increasedtaxation–capandtrade Andinthelongrunheanticipatesasissues: •unemployment--consumerand businessconfidence •governmentdebt •inflation •healthcare •socialsecurity Forclientsinagriculture,Dr.Kohlsaidheanticipatesconsultantswillcontinuetofactorinthesphereofinfluenceclos-esttopartner/spouse/peer.Heexpectsthatpartners,suchasconsultants,willbeadvantageousasrelationshipmanagerswillbelookedupontoprovidemorethanproductsandservices.They’llbenecessarytounderstandindustries,businessmodelsandbusinesses’uniquepositionswithinindustries. Specificexampleshecitedincludedtheabilityto: •graspinterconnectednessofagricultural valuechains •understandpeopleandaskquestions •Wherehaveproducersbeen? •Whereareproducerstoday? •Whereareproducersheaded? •providecontexttoinformation,adding meaningandrelevanceto‘numbersand noise’ •focusonwhatmakeslong-termsense. Further,Dr.Kohlsaidthatinthenextfiveyearsconsultantswillneedtofocuson: •planning,strategy&execution •organizational&timemanagement •mixtureoftechnology&facetoface •problem/solutions/workout •businessopportunities&management Andlast,ourkeynotespeaker’stop10quotes… •“threeprongriskmanagementprogram” •“paradigmsshift–principalsdon’t” •“Becarefulofpeopleinsilksuits” •“40-20-40peoplerule” •“wideninggapofloanpricingbased uponmanagement” •“edu-marketing-the15%rule” •“Don’tallowyouremployeestoputyou onprobation” •“Youbuildyourbestbusinessintough times” •“Youbuildyourcareerduringtough times” •“Don’tforgetyourgoodcustomers” Manythanksforyourinsights,Dr.Kohl–weappreciatethetimeandknowledgeyousharedwithusinFlorida!

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Inanefforttoprovidegreatervisibilityandhelpfulonlinetoolstoaffiliates,NAICCcontinuestoofferitsaffiliatestheirownWebpage.

HostedbyourWebserver,theNAICCiscollaboratingwiththeCenterforInte-gratedPestManagementtoprovidethis

NAICC Affiliates Can Now Increase Visibility Through NAICC.org!

onlinecommunicationstool,whichcouldincludeamembershipdatabase,discussionboard,calendarofevents,etc.Visithttp://www.naicc.org/Affiliates/invitation.cfmformoreinformationaboutthiscosteffective,easy-to-implementopportunity.

www.naicc.org MARCH 2010

Review of Suit Regarding Key EPA Water Pesticide Permits Declined ThismonthNAICC’sBoardwasvisibleintheNation’sCapitol,discussingarecentdecisionbytheSupremeCourttodeclinereviewofacourtrulingsubjectingpesticidesprayingtoCleanWaterAct(CWA)per-mittingrequirements. AlliancemembersmetwithCropLife,AgRetailersAssociationandgovernmentofficialsregardingthedecision,whichcouldboostEPAeffortstoexpandthescopeofsourcessubjecttowaterpermitrequire-ments. InaFebruary22orderwithoutcom-ment,thehighcourtdeniedacertioraripetitiontoreviewU.S.CourtofAppealsforthe6thCircuit’sdecisioninNational Cotton Council, et al. v. EPA, et al. SomebelievethereviewcouldhaveposedamajorchallengeforEPAandenvironmentalistsinregulatingreleasesfromthousandsofsourcesgenerallyex-emptfromwaterpermitrequirements(i.e.fertilizerapplications).ConcernsincludedcurtailedeffortsofCWApermitexpansion,whichmanyenvironmentalistsconsidercrucialtolimitingpollutionfromstormwaterrunoffandothernonpointsources. The6thCircuit’sJanuary2009rulinginNationalCottonCouncilvacatedEPA’s

2006ruleexemptingagriculturalpesticideusers,statepestcontrollersandotherswhospraypesticidesonornearwaterfromhavingtoobtainaNationalPollutantDischargeEliminationSystem(NPDES)permit. Theexemptionwasdeemedunlaw-fulbecauseitwasdeterminedthatsomepesticidesprayingamountstoadischargeofapollutantfromapointsourceunderthewateractandisthereforesubjecttopermitrequirements. WhileCropLifeAmerica,SenateAgri-culture,Nutrition&ForestryCommitteeChairBlancheLincoln(D-AR)and36otherlawmakersandindustryrepresenta-tivesandNAICCpushedforreview,EPAurgedthecourtnottoreviewtheruling.Theagencystatedthatwhilethe6thCircuitmayhavebeenwrongindecliningtogranttheagencyChevrondeferencetoupholdtheregulation,itonlyappliestoanarrowrangeofpesticidesprayingactivities. Thatnarrowrangecouldapplytosome5.6millionannualpesticideapplicationsfor365,000applicators,accordingtoEPA.TheagencyiscurrentlydevelopinganNPDESgeneralpermittocoversprayingactivities,butstateofficialssayitmaynotensure

compliancewithmanystates’narrativewaterqualitystandards. EPAisalsoconsideringexpandingthedefinitionofconcentratedanimalfeedingoperations(CAFOs)toregulatemorefarmsintheChesapeakeBayregion.WhileCAFOsarealreadysubjecttoregulationundertheCWA,legalexpertssayahighcourtrulingupendingCottonCouncilmightunderminetheagency’sauthorityonrelatedmatters. LastweekwhileinWashington,NAICCExecutiveBoardmembersOrvin Bontrager, Ron O’Hanlon, Blaine Viator, Stan WinslowandNAICCGovernmentalAffairsCommitteememberJoe TurnermetwithofficialsfromEPA’sOfficeofPesticidePrograms.Inthismeeting,welearnedthatagriculturaliscurrentlynotincludedintheseregulations.However,laterthatday,Gary CoukellandDonna Landisjoinedthegroupatmeetingswithrepresenta-tivesfromCropLife AmericaandtheAg Retailers Associationandthethreegroupsagreedwhileitmightappearthatagricultureis“exempt”frompermitregulations,theirexpectationsarethatagwillbedrawnineventually.

Green Bay “Focus on Precision” Meeting Was a SuccessBy Steve Hoffman, CPAg, Chair, NAICC Education Outreach Committee

TheNAICCEducationOutreachCommitteepartneredwiththeWisconsin Association of Professional Agricultural Consultantstoco-hostaqualityeduca-tionalconferenceheldinGreenBayMarch3rdand4th. TheconferencebeganwithakeynotepresentationonvariableratenitrogenbyDr.PeterScharffromtheUniversityofMissouri.Attendeeshadtheopportunitytolearnhowfellowconsultantsareusing

precisionagtechnologiesandGISintheirbusinesses.Therewereeightpresentationsbyconsultantsandseveralroundtableses-sions. Attendancewasjustover100people.TherewereattendeesfromNewYork,Pennsylvania,Iowa,Illinois,Minnesota,Tennessee,MichiganandCanadaaswellasWisconsin. Aspecialthankstoourexhibitorswhoturnedoutforthemeeting.Webenefited

greatlyfromtheinformationontheirprod-uctsandservicesaswellastheirsupportofthemeeting. ThisconferencewasagreatopportunityforNAICCtomeetsomepotentialnewmembersandtohighlightthe2011AnnualMeetinginFortWorth. PresentationsfromtheconferencecanbeviewedattheNAICCwebsite.

The Education Outreach Committee is currently looking for an opportunity to serve the membership of NAICC by helping to organize an educational session.An educational session could be part of a state or regional meeting, or could be added on to the front end of the NAICC annual meeting.

If you know of a specific need for this kind of session, please contact 2010 EOC chair - Steve Hoffman at shoffman@lakefield.net or at (920)-758-2988

www.naicc.org MARCH 2010

National Allianceof IndependentCrop Consultants

Allison Jones Executive Vice PresidentBrenda Weber Managing Editor 349 E. Nolley Drive / Collierville, TN 38017(901) 861-0511 / Fax: (901) 861-0512E-mail: JonesNAICC@aol.comwww.naicc.org

Orvin E. Bontrager, CPCC-I, CPAg, CCA President

Servi-Tech, Inc.1717 N. Street / Aurora, NE 68818(402) 694-9311 / Fax: (402) 694-5362E-mail: bontrager@hamilton.net

•inadequatenumberofpersonnel(to handlenewworkloads) •inadequatelytrainedpersonnel(new processesorprocedures) •newpersonnel(studyconduct; management,QAU) •significantchangeinthementalor physicalhealthofpersonnelorone’s familymemberorrelative(e.g.,sick- ness,injury,divorce,death,over-stressed, over-worked) •newtechnology(e.g.,biotechnology) anditssetofcomplianceregulations •newequipmenttypeormake/model thatisnotdescribedinyourSOP(e.g., computers,GPS,HPLC/MS/MS) •newresearchfarmfacilityornew laboratoryfacility(e.g.,updatesiteor floorplans) •newprotocolfeatures(e.g.,addnew typeofexperimentornewstudy directoratasponsor) •protocolamendmentordeviation •new/revisedanalyticalmethod •new/revisedSOPorSOPdeviation •new/revisedGLPregulationornew EPAinterpretation(e.g.,person printingemailmustsign/date-see EPAGLPAlert#6from2009 NAICCmgt)andthelistgoeson...

VIGILANCE to CHANGE Is One Focus of an Effective QAUBy Dr Stu Mertz, QA Representative on NAICC Newsletter Committee, & President, PEAK Quality Consulting, Inc, Cary, NC

EPAandsponsorinspectionresultsshowahistoryofouranalyticallabora-toryandfield-test-sitecontractresearchorganizationsdemonstratingahighlevelofGLPcompliance.Tomaintainthis,peri-odicfacilityre-inspectionsbyin-houseandsponsorQAarenecessary. Duringmy14yearsofexperienceinconductingfacilityinspections,thebiggestNemesisofComplianceisCHANGE!Lab&FieldResearchersaswellastheirin-houseQAUscansometimesbe“blind”tochange(e.g.,theymaybe“tooclose”tothesituationorpartofthesituation).ConsequentlyanexternalauditormakesaGLPFinding.SowhenIconductafacilityinspection,akeyelementistolearnwhathaschangedsincethelastGLPinspection. Toassistyourvigilance,pleasetrythefollowingchecklisttodeterminewhetheranyapplytoyourtestsite.Clearly,in-houseQAareinthebestpositiontoidentifytheseCHANGEagentsonanon-goingbasis,andtoalertmanagementinatimelyman-ner:

NAICC New Member Profile Thebestindicatorofamemberorgani-zation’scontinuedsuccessisitsgrowthinmembership,andNAICCclearlycontinuestobesuccessfulaswewelcomeyetanothernewmember–Laura Donkervoort. AResearchScientistforEcologisticsResearchServicesinThorndale,Ontario,Lauraprovidesawidearrayofservices: GLPstudies,magnitudeofresiduestudies,soildissipationstudies,varietytest-ing,efficacytesting,croptolerancestudies,aquaticdissipationstudies,biomonitoringprogramsanddemonstrationsites. Priortohercurrentemployment,LauraservedasaResearchScientistwiththeUniversityofWesternOntario.SheisversedinGLPtraining,ARManalysis,advancedmicrobiologicalskills(imaging,culturing,staining,biodiversityanalysis),GISandgeochemicalanalysis-fieldandlaboratory(ICP,IC,numericalmodeling,acid-baseaccounting,waterchemistry).Laura’sMasterofSciencedegreeisinGeologyandEnvironmentalScience. Sofar,LaurasaidherexperienceswithNAICChavebeenverypositiveandencouraging.“Ijoinedtheorganizationfortheeducationalandnetworkingopportuni-tiesitprovides,”shenoted. “IthinkNAICCcanbesthelpitsmembersbykeepingthemupdatedonthelatestindustrytrends,”continuedLaura.“NAICChasthemembershipbasetoallowthemtoactasavehicleforcom-municationandcooperationbetweenallindustrymembers,fromlargecorporationstosmallfarms.” Regardingthefutureinagresearch,Laurasaidsheanticipatestrialswillbe-comemuchmorecomplexwithrespecttotheregistrationprocess.“Biotechnologyispushingtheboundariesofagricultureandwhatweasasocietywillaccept.Testingthesetypesofproductswillrequiremoreadvancedtrainingandequipmentaswellasanunderstandingofhowtheseproductscanaffecttheenvironmentasawhole,”sheadded.

Asaprofessionalintheconsultantbusiness,yourindependenceisextremelyvaluable.BycertifyingitthroughtheNAICCyourstatureandmarketabilityasanindependentcropconsultantareenhanced. TheNAICCCertifiedProfessionalCropConsultant(CPCC)Programoffersalltheadvantagesofagindustrycertificationplusacertificationcategorythatwillidentifyyouasanindependentcontractor.Theprogramappliestoindependentcropconsultants,agronomistsandindividualswhodocon-tractresearch. Withthisprogram,clientsaresecureintheknowledgethattheircontractorsarenottiedtoproductsinawarehouse. ThethreecategoriesofNAICCCertifi-cationinclude: 1.CPCC:ageneralcategoryforall ProfessionalAgronomists.

Clients Trust Independence 2.CPCC-I:professionalagronomists independentofproductsaleswho deriveincomeonlyfromservicesor throughemploymentbyafirmthatonly sellsservices. 3.CPCC-R:anewcategoryforpro- fessionalswhodoContractResearch.

Why Certify •TheCPCCcertificationprogram hasbeenenthusiasticallyreceivedby Washington,DCpolicymakers becauseoftherigorousstandardsfor CPCCs. •Beingacertifiedprofessionalfurther enhancesmarketability. FormoreinformationaboutNAICC’scertificationopportunitiesorapplicationformsvisitNAICC.orgorcontactAllisonJonesat901-861-0511orJonesNAICC@aol.com.

QA Corner

NAICC 2010 Annual Meeting Photos

Many thanks to Michelle Hoffman and Tammy Case who volunteered all week at the registration desk.

Just a few of the 60 attendees at the New Member’s Boot Camp.

Michael Voss presents Ag Leader’s Emerging Technology during the Thursday afternoon session. Voss also gave a presentation during the Focus on Precision Conference in Green Bay, WI the following month.

Loarn Bucl welcomes first timer Camille Holladay at the New Members’ and First Timers’ reception.

Allen Scobie (AICC-UK) visits with exhibitor Luanne Anderson at the ICMS booth during the AG PRO EXPO.

Visitors to the Ag Renaissance booth get hands on experience with their new Field Recon software.

Greg Dahl with Winfield Solutions reviews new products and services offered by his company.

Phil Cochran and Jane Feagans welcome first time exhibitor and Emerging Technology presenter Jason O’Flanagan from AGCO Corpo-ration.

AG PRO EXPO

Orvin Bontrager and volunteer Theresa Wyatt coordinate with Farm Press representatives Dick Wright and Glenn Luedke as they prepare to draw the winning card for the Exhibit Hall Extravaganza.

…and the winner is Tim Case! Dick Wright hands the prize to the lucky winner.

NAICC President Stan Winslow presides over the NAICC Business Meeting.

Retiring 2009 Board Member Paul Groneberg gives the Certification Board report also during the Business Meeting.

2010 NAICC President Orvin Bontrager presents Ken Trammel with the NAICC Service to Agriculture Award.

AMVAC’s Paul Vaculin introduces the new training video that is part of the Ray Young Leadership program sponsored by AMVAC.

2010 NAICC Executive Board 2010 FEAE Board (from left) Don Jameson, Past President; Hylon Kaufmann, Vice President and Treasurer; Kathy Richards, Secretary; Rick Kesler, Board Member; Lee West, Board Member; Bill Peele, Presi-dent and Glenn Luedke, Board Member.

Awards Ceremony

NAICC Business Meeting

Awards Ceremony, continued

Rick Chamblee with BASF presents the Consultant of the Year Awards to Kevin Hollands and Amy Beth Dowdy. BASF and NAICC jointly sponsor the award each year.

Congratulations to our state and national Top Recruiters (from left) 2009 President Stan Winslow, Brent Wright (Canada), Phil Cochran (IL), Charlie Mellinger (FL), Marla Siruta (IA), overall top recruiter Fred Vaughn and Sue Bellman (WI), 2010 President Orvin Bontrager.

Patrick Stephens from the UK comes prepared to the NAICC Beach Party!

Now Patrick shows his real moves!

Friday Night Beach Party!

Our loyal attendees, friends and exhibitors from AGVISE!

Sheryl and Bruce Niederhauser Our lovely spouses and faithful volunteers.

Friday Night Beach Party , continued

Don and Hazel Harlan

The Mosers – enough said!

Rick Kesler with FMC sets the tone for the evening of fun, good food and networking! Thanks to FMC for sponsoring the Beach Party!

One last group outing before heading home.

Can’t wait for next year!