C-FAR: What's New: Monthly Update

____________________________________________
MONTHLY UPDATE
News for C-FAR Members

Illinois Council on Food and Agricultural Research
October 2009

Fall greetings from C-FAR. Highlights of the past month include the following.

FY10 APPROPRIATION REINSTATEMENT: STATUS UPDATE
At the time of this update, I have no news regarding the potential of FY10 funding being reinstated. As we learn more in this regard, we will of course keep you apprised.

RECENT NEWS RELEASES
During the past month, there have been three very noteworthy developments regarding C-FAR and Illinois food and agricultural research. Due to the significance of these developments, they were deemed highly deserving of news releases being issued by our office. While most C-FAR members were provided these releases via email, if you are receiving this update by U.S. mail, copies of the releases are enclosed.

Let me briefly underscore the significance of these developments.

Illinois’ food and agricultural research rank
I appreciate the many responses indicating the value of this USDA issued information. As I have often stated, while the ranking itself may not be of direct significance, when Illinois today ranks last among Midwestern states and 25th nationally, there is certainly significance in terms of this ranking data reflecting our state’s depressed research capacity. This release can be revisited at http://www.ilcfar.org/news/press/staterank.html

MarketMaker continues to grow
There are several important attributes of this program worth underscoring. Per the MarketMaker research team, the initiative would never have launched had it not been for C-FAR; it is fulfilling consumer demand for locally grown foods; it is greatly expanding local networks for producer to consumer markets; and C-FAR’s investment has been tremendously leveraged infusing significant dollars into Illinois’ economy. The MarketMaker team and the C-FAR membership who saw the value in this proposed research a few years ago are to be commended. This release can be revisited at http://www.ilcfar.org/news/press/marketmaker09.html

USDA water quality research funding
I vividly recall when the C-FAR membership was strongly unified in recommending the launch of a strategic research initiative on water quality nutrient standards. While this initiative’s outcomes were significant in their own right, the national recognition and USDA funding announced last week are a further punctuation on the value of this C-FAR research. This most recently issued release has been posted at http://www.ilcfar.org/news/press/waterquality.html

C-FAR ORGANIZATION’S LEGAL ESTABLISHMENT
During this current period of uncertainty regarding the state’s appropriation for food and agricultural research, I’ve fielded several inquiries seeking clarification on how C-FAR was legally established. Let me provide the following in this regard:

C-FAR was established in 1993 as an Illinois not-for-profit corporation. Its establishment/incorporation was like that of most any association; meaning a stand-alone organization.
C-FAR was not established by State of Illinois statute or legislation.
The Food and Agriculture Research Act, the enabling legislation for Illinois’ research appropriation, was enacted in 1995 in response to the creation of C-FAR by industry partners two years prior.
The legislation names C-FAR as the entity that, in partnership with the Illinois Department of Agriculture, provides assistance with administrative oversight.
Because this state appropriation is often referred to as the “C-FAR appropriation,” it is possibly perceived by some that C-FAR was legislatively established. As noted above, it was not.
There is no line item in the State of Illinois budget entitled “C-FAR appropriation.” It is entitled “Institutional agricultural research grants to public universities authorized by the Food and Agriculture Research Act.”
The take-away message is that the C-FAR organization exists independent of a state appropriation. Of course, C-FAR’s role and purpose is severely limited should there be no state food and agricultural appropriation.

LIVESTOCK SRI FINAL REPORT
The Illinois Livestock Integrated Focus Teams (IL LIFT) Strategic Research Initiative (SRI) formally concluded recently. C-FAR launched IL LIFT in 2004 to address a number of issues important to the vibrancy of our state’s livestock and complimentary industries. While components of the initiative continue, its C-FAR funding and reporting has now concluded.

Due to its maturity, the research team has submitted a final report. It is available at http://www.ilcfar.org/research/pdfs/ilift-fp.pdf or a hard copy is available upon request from our office.

FYI… C-FAR’s SRI focused on biomass energy crops was granted a no-cost extension this past year to continue its work. We anticipate a final report for this initiative being submitted next year. This is the SRI that led to the $100 million grant from BP for the establishment of the Energy Biosciences Institute at UIUC.

FINAL 1/4 PAYMENT RECEIVED
This summer, seventy-five percent of the FY09 C-FAR appropriation was received from the State of Illinois. We are pleased to report the final one-quarter payment was received during late September. The receipt of this final payment is highly important in meeting a variety of commitments and we are grateful to a number of State of Illinois officials who nurtured these payments being made.

As we look ahead to November, we find...

HICKS TO BE HONORED BY ILLINOIS 4-H
Jerry Hicks, C-FAR Chairman of the Board and President of Extension Partners, has been named the 2009 Friend of 4-H Award recipient. This high honor is bestowed upon one individual each year in Illinois. Jerry, a 10-year member of 4-H from Lee County, has since been an ardent supporter and volunteer for the advancement of its programs. A very deserving recipient, Jerry will be recognized on November 13 at a 4-H awards reception. Congratulations Jerry!

FARM ECONOMICS SUMMIT
The University of Illinois-based farmdoc team has announced its 2009 Illinois Farm Economics Summit schedule as follows:

December 14: Champaign, I Hotel
December 15: Bloomington, Interstate Center
December 16: Galesburg, Best Western Prairie Inn
December 17: Rochelle, Hickory Grove
December 18: Mt. Vernon, Holiday Inn

If you have not been to one of these summits in the past, they are a comprehensive update on current and future Illinois agricultural financial/economic topics.

Summit details are currently being finalized, so please check the farmdoc website at http://www.farmdoc.illinois.edu/ for registration and additional information in the near future.

FYI… farmdoc was launched in 2000 as a result of C-FAR’s SRI on Information Systems and Technology. It is a highly comprehensive website for farm decision-making (for both producers and other professionals engaged in the agricultural industry). It continues to expand its offerings and in 2008 alone, the farmdoc website received more than 5.4 million hits and had greater than 1 million visitors. It has received prominent state and national recognition.

C-FAR BOARD OF DIRECTORS TO MEET
The C-FAR Board of Directors meet on November 11 for a regular scheduled meeting. At this time, the meeting’s agenda is fluid, as it will largely be set per considerations presented by knowing the FY10 appropriation’s reinstatement status. As we draw closer to this meeting’s date, if you would like to know highlights of the agenda, please let me know.

We do know, however, the Board will be addressing the following two important matters.

Continuation of an audit for membership-dues accounts. Due to relatively new nationally-enacted accounting standards, auditing firms are spending more time auditing an organization’s accounts and practices. This, in turn, is causing audit fees to increase, and in many cases, by a significant percentage. C-FAR, like presumably every association, is realizing these increased costs.

While the C-FAR Board of Directors visited this topic one year ago, they will be doing so again at their November meeting. It is a delicate balance of being prudent with expenses and realizing the verification of sound accounting practices afforded by such an audit.

University percentages review. Every three years, per the Food and Agriculture Research Act (the enabling C-FAR appropriation legislation), the funding allocation percentages to the four university partners are reviewed. This review includes preliminary information provided by the four universities. The Board will be considering this information with an eye towards making a recommendation to the Director of the Illinois Department of Agriculture. The Director is vested with the authority to set these percentages every three years and reports his determination to the Illinois General Assembly.

Let us hope November’s weather is conducive for our state’s producers being able to significantly advance fall harvest!

All our best to you and yours.

Kraig

_______________________________________________
Kraig A. Wagenecht, Executive Administrator
Illinois Council on Food & Agricultural Research (C-FAR)
1101 W. Peabody Drive · Urbana, IL 61801
Tel: 217.244.4232 · Fax: 217.244.8594
email: wagenech@illinois.edu