GW from the corner office
My Final Corner Office
B
eef breed associations carry a unique responsibility of serving the beef industry as a scientific arm for the development of selection tools that are used to describe the cattle in the pedigree record of each breed. That very responsibility is intricate due to the diversity of goals among the cattle breeders that makes up a membership of any one association. The American Gelbvieh Association (AGA) has a strategic plan (Meeting Modern Industry Demands) in place that aligns the responsibility of providing services and tools that are beneficial for both the AGA membership as well as their commercial customers.
The continued evolution of the AGA purpose is dependent on association leadership directing that growth and progress as well as the staff talent available to execute the game plan under the direction of the AGA board. The nominating committee has done the diligence necessary to identify candidates for the AGA Board of Directors for the entire membership to elect skilled individuals capable of guiding this organization. The current AGA board is populated with 15 individuals that have vast experience in business administration, technical knowledge of animal breeding, cattle feeding and commercial cowcalf operations. The skill and talent of the AGA board makes AGA well equipped to capitalize on the strong marketable position that the Gelbvieh and Balancer® breed possesses in order to serve the beef industry well. As the leader of the staff team, I am more than pleased with the capabilities and dedication of the current AGA staff. The ability of this staff to function as a cohesive unit proves operational stability for the association. This combined with the breed’s ability to competitively offer superior genetics provides opportunity for profitability to AGA stakeholders. Together, a focused board of directors and the adept staff is a solid foundation for the future of the AGA. The confirmation of the advancement of Gelbvieh and Balancer genetics is in organizational growth. The AGA has experienced growth in the most recent three years. As was reported at the AGA National
8 | MARCH 2018
Convention held in Wichita, Kansas, in December 2017, the AGA has experienced an increase in cowherd inventory, registrations of progeny from those cows, bulls transferred to non-AGA members, and finally a large increase in the AGA membership recorded at the end of the most recent fiscal year of nearly 10 percent. Gelbvieh is growing with the assistance of a strategic plan that is directionally sound. I consider it a rare privilege to have served as the executive director of the AGA for the last nearly four years. I have relished in the Gelbvieh experience and have had the opportunity to build many lifelong relationships in that time with the membership, customers, staff, and industry partners. With that said, I will have completed my last day at the AGA on February 28, 2018, and will be embarking on a new challenge that allows me to continue to grow those relationships with hopes of benefitting the entire beef industry. I am thankful for the opportunity to have served the AGA. I will close with a common quote that is familiar to those that have read my articles and heard me speak before, “Out of suffering have emerged the strongest souls; the most massive characters are seared with scars,” Khalil Gibran. I encourage the AGA to cultivate the experiences gained from past scars, embrace challenges that lie ahead, and follow the Meeting Modern Industry Demands Strategic Plan toward the continuation of growing and strengthening Gelbvieh. Sincerely,
Myron G. Edelman