March 7, 2007

Longtime Members Honored and 2007 Leadership Elected at C-FAR Annual Meeting

SPRINGFIELD--The Illinois Council on Food and Agricultural Research (C-FAR) held its 2007 Annual Meeting of the Membership on February 20 in Springfield. During the meeting, a special celebration honored C-FAR's Organizational members who have been engaged in C-FAR for 10 or more years. Thirty-eight (38) of C-FAR's 60 Organizational members were honored, including 23 charter members who have been engaged since C-FAR was established in 1993. "C-FAR, the entire food and agricultural industry, and indeed the State of Illinois are all grateful for the commitment these members have demonstrated to the imperative need for a sound Illinois research program," said Larry Fischer, membership chair.

Also during the meeting, the C-FAR membership elected four individuals to serve on the seven-person 2007 board of directors. Re-elected to serve on the board are Nels Kasey (Paris) and Karen Little (Pleasant Plains). Newly-elected are Jim Charlesworth (Bloomington) and Jerry Hicks (Springfield). They join Alan Puzey (Fairmount), Larry Fischer (Quincy), and Steve Scates (Shawneetown). The board subsequently met and elected officers and appointed committee chairs: Alan Puzey, chairman; Nels Kasey, vice chair and research chair; Karen Little, secretary/treasurer; Steve Scates, legislative chair; Jim Charlesworth, membership chair; and Jerry Hicks, research vice chair. Additional committee chairs and committee members will be appointed by the board at a later date. Terry Wolf, a former chairman of the board and current nominating committee chair, said, "I don't recall ever seeing so much interest in C-FAR leadership positions. It is a terrific testimonial to the critical mission of this organization."

The C-FAR working groups elected chairs and vice chairs to serve in 2007 and 2008. The working group leadership includes

Expanding Agricultural Markets:
Heather Hampton+Knodle (Fillmore), chair and John Huston (Chicago), vice chair

Rural Economic Development:
Kae Hankes (Galesburg), chair and Norbert Soltwedel (Shumway), vice chair

Agricultural Production Systems:
Molly Ann Godar (Rochester), chair and Anne Builta Crider (Arrowsmith), vice chair

Human Nutrition and Food Safety:
Jeanne Harland (Lafayette), chair and Jim Fraley (Bloomington), vice chair

Natural Resources and Environment:
Byford Wood (Breese), chair and Dennis Godar (Rochester), vice chair

The annual meeting also included presentations by C-FAR-funded researchers on the development of biomass energy crops, challenges and opportunities facing Illinois' livestock industry, water quality with a focus on nutrient standards, the farmdoc website (www.farmdoc.uiuc.edu), the Illinois Center for Soy Foods, and new technologies in livestock manure management. "The significance of these initiatives are indicative of how Illinois can remain a national and international leader in food and agricultural arenas," said Nels Kasey, research chair.

For more information on C-FAR and its research programs, visit www.ilcfar.org, send email to cfar@aces.uiuc.edu or call 217.244.4232.

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