March 3, 2008

C-FAR Honors Members and Consolidates 2008 Board of Directors at Annual Meeting

SPRINGFIELD--The Illinois Council on Food and Agricultural Research (C-FAR) celebrated its 15th Anniversary at the organization's 2008 Annual Meeting of the Membership held recently in Springfield. A special luncheon was held to recognize long-standing members of C-FAR. Organizational, Affiliate, and Individual members were recognized for their steadfast commitment to and support of C-FAR and its mission. "C-FAR proudly recognizes its 15th anniversary with its membership being at the heart of the organization's foundation," said Jim Charlesworth, membership chair. "The commitment of this organization's membership is truly phenomenal and is indicative of how important food and agricultural research is to Illinois."

During the meeting, the C-FAR membership elected three individuals to serve on the 2008 Board of Directors: Chuck Cawley (Rochelle), Wally Furrow (El Paso), and Steve Scates (Shawneetown). Cawley and Furrow are newly-elected directors and Scates was re-elected to continue his service on the board. They are joined by Jim Charlesworth (Bloomington), Jerry Hicks (Springfield), Nels Kasey (Paris), and Karen Little (Pleasant Plains). Alan Puzey (Fairmount) will continue on the board serving as past-chairman. The board subsequently met and elected officers: Nels Kasey, chairman; Jerry Hicks, vice chair; and Karen Little, secretary/treasurer. Committee chairs and members will be appointed by the chairman at a later date. "I am honored to have the opportunity to serve C-FAR as its chairman," said Kasey. "C-FAR's calling is the most notable I have been associated with, and I look forward to this organization continuing to be Illinois' catalyst for sound and forward-thinking research to propel our food, agricultural and related industries."

During the meetings of the working groups, members reviewed final reports for research projects that matured this past year, assessed the organization's current research portfolio, and discussed ongoing and potentially new research initiatives. C-FAR's five working groups are focused around the following research areas: expanding agricultural markets, rural economic development, agricultural production systems, food safety and human nutrition, and natural resources and environment. C-FAR's current research portfolio is available on the organization's website at http://www.ilcfar.org/research/pdfs/FY08_portfolio.pdf.

A highlight of the meeting was the presentation of the 2008 Donald A. Holt Achievement Award. The award recognizes a C-FAR-funded research team for outstanding and innovative team research and outreach. This year's award was presented to the Illinois Center for Soy Foods, which is located on the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign campus. The center was established in 2000 through funding from the C-FAR. Its mission is to create and promote healthy, economical and good-tasting food products from soybeans and soy-based ingredients, thereby providing benefits to growers, processors, and consumers in Illinois. For more information, see http://www.ilcfar.org/wnew/index.html#achievement.

Another highlight of the day included a presentation on the Institute for Genomic Biology located at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Harris Lewin, director of the Institute, provided an overview of the state-of-the-art research facility and its importance to biological and genomic research. The Institute opened in 2007 to advance life science research and stimulate bio-economic development in the state of Illinois.

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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