Northeast Ag & Feed Alliance Meets In Albany – Thomas O’Connell Recognized

[EditorBob]

Northeast Ag & Feed Alliance Meets In Albany – Thomas O’Connell Recognized

The Northeast Ag & Feed Alliance’s 2010 Annual Meeting offered its members new ideas and a new location during the Feb. 8-9 event themed “Celebrate Our Past, Discover Our Future.”

The annual meeting was held in Albany for the first time, breaking an 85-year tradition of bringing Alliance members together in Boston.

Using Albany as the location, put the meeting in a site more central to NEAFA members, but also was the inspiration for a first-time opportunity to discuss important issues with state lawmakers, John Mitchell, NEAFA president said.

Another first: Inviting farmers to share their insights with the NEAFA membership, composed of industry manufacturers, dealers and suppliers from throughout the Northeast

New York Commissioner of Agriculture & Markets Patrick Hooker and Mark Pearson of Iowa, host of the popular PBS show “Market to Market,” were the keynote speakers of the event, attended by about 180 people.

Thomas O’Connell, co-founder of Feed Ingredient Trading Corp. and past president of the former New England Grain and Feed Council, was honored posthumously with the Alliance’s Distinguished Service Award. O’Connell, who lived in Loudonville, NY, died in November.

Three dairy farmers from distinctly different parts of the United States comprised the farmers panel, moderated by Dr. Gerald Poppy, director of North American Dairy Business for Diamond V Mills.

“The farmers provided a glimpse of what the dairy industry is likely to look life in the next 10 years,” said Rick Zimmerman, NEAFA executive director

The panelists:

- John Noble of Noblehurst Farms in Linwood, NY, a sixth-generation farm that works 2,500 acres of corn, alfalfa and wheat; milks 1,700 cows on the home dairy; and has investment in four other dairy operations. Additionally, Linwood Management Group currently manages six dairies in New York, with a combined total of 8,000 dairy cows.

- Erick Farmer of Yuma, CO, who milks 1,600 cows, with plans to expand to 2,000. He also owns two beef feedlots, St. Francis Feedyard in Kansas and Champion Feedyard in Colorado. He has marketed close to 1 million head of animals through his feedlots.

- Frank Boyce, vice president and general manager for Shamrock Farms Co. in Stanfield, AZ, the largest family-owned and -operated dairy in the Southwest, topping $2 billion in total sales as a company. Boyce, who has been with Shamrock for 30 years, manages its 9,200-cow conventional dairy operation as well as Shamrock's 800-cow organic facility, with a total operation of more than 10,000 milking cows.

“These three are very progressive farmers, managing cutting edge dairy operations,” Zimmerman said of the panelists.

“This was a unique opportunity to listen to these farmers in one room at one time,” he said, noting their assessment of the future of dairy farming was greatly appreciated by NEAFA members.

“Market to Market” host Pearson complemented the farmers’ presentation in his talk by giving the meeting an update on market trends of agriculture commodities.

“He brought the national and world economic situation into sharp focus for us,” Zimmerman said.

Much of the first day of the two-day event was spent with New York state lawmakers. NEAFA president John Mitchell said the conversations about NEAFA and legislative concerns were enlightening and productive. NEAFA participants met with members of the Agriculture Committees of the Senate and Assembly.

The next day, Ag & Markets Commissioner Hooker gave his perspective on the state and Northeast regional forces at play in the industry, discussing states’ budget deficits and national impacts on specific agriculture programs, Zimmerman said.

“He focused on regional solutions to the challenge of keeping Northeast agriculture viable and growing,” Zimmerman said. “His words were well-received.”

President Mitchell presented the Distinguished Service Award for Tom O’Connell to his family.

O’Connell, originally from Auburn, NY, was a 1959 graduate of Cornell University with a degree in agricultural economics. His feed industry career began with the Continental Grain Co. as a wheat buyer in the Kansas-Oklahoma-Missouri region. He migrated back to the Northeast, taking a position at the H.K. Webster Co., predecessor to Blue Seal Feeds, as a buyer of grain and feed ingredients.

O’Connell’s career then took him into the realm of feed ingredient merchandising, spending nearly 40 years in that role. He was co-founder and partner of Feed Ingredient Trading Corp. in Delmar, NY, with Rich Casler. He retired last year after 22 years of service.

O’Connell was a board member of the New England Grain and Feed Council, a predecessor to the Northeast Ag & Feed Alliance, serving as president in 1998 and 1999.

“Tom had a significant impact on the organization’s structure and growth over the time he was involved in the feed industry,” Mitchell said.

The Northeast Ag and Feed Alliance is a 300-member organization of feed manufacturers, dealers and suppliers throughout the Northeastern United States. This important sector of agribusiness provides the feed ingredients and products essential for a healthy, growing livestock industry.


NEAFA Photo 1

A highlight of the 2010 annual meeting of the Northeast Ag & Feed Alliance in Albany, NY, Feb. 8-9 was a panel discussion by a group of noted dairy farmers from across the United States. The panel spoke about the dairy industry of the future. The panel members, from the left: Erick Farmer of Yuma, CO; Frank Boyce of Stanfield, AZ; and John Noble of Linwood, NY. Dr. Gerald Poppy, far right, was the panel moderator.

NEAFA Photo 2

Northeast Ag & Feed Alliance President John Mitchell addresses the Alliance’s annual meeting Feb. 8-9 in Albany, NY. The theme of the meeting was “Discover Our Past, Celebrate Our Future.”