Summit Executive Committee
September 16, 1997 Omni Southpark Hotel Austin, TX

MINUTES

Members Present:
John Abernathy
D.V. Guerra, Jr.
Roddy Peeples
Jim Teer
John Anderson
Cullen Looney
L.G. Raun
Graddy Tunnell
Donnis Baggett
Wallace Migura
Bob Stallman
Ed Hiler
Pierce Miller
Jim Stewart

Others Present:
Jim Butler
Bob Merrifield
Henry Nemcik
Parr Rosson
Kayshia Clifton
John Mullet
Jessica Oman
Charlotte Watson
Gene Hall
Gene Nelson
John Penson
Robert Wood

Welcome and Introductions - Bob Stallman and Cullen Looney welcomed SEC members and guests and emphasized the importance of the meeting and the decisions that would be made. Jim Butler said this would be a day to both make decisions for the future of the Summit process and to celebrate and recognize the leadership and service provided to the Summit Initiative thus far. New members who were present were D.V. Guerra, Jr. and L.G. Raun and they were recognized. Other new SEC members are Coney Burgess and Wayne Martin; they were unable to attend the meeting.

Overview/Miscellaneous Items - Butler provided a report on the following items:

Minutes from Previous Meeting - The minutes from the previous meeting (see attachment) were reviewed.

Budget - Members were provided with a year-to-date Summit budget (see attachment). The budget currently has a positive net cash flow. The Summit Initiative is providing funds for the A&M Science Academy and will hire a student worker to keep the Summit Web Page updated.

A&M Science Academy - The Summit Initiative will provide financial support and volunteer assistance to the A&M Science Academy (see attachment regarding science academy). This program is currently in its pilot year at A&M Consolidated High School with the goal of eventually serving as a training ground for other Texas public schools. The program incorporates agriculture, leadership, science and English to demonstrate the integration between the disciplines. High school students are the targeted audience.

Officer Elections - The by-laws were referenced (see attachment), and Stallman called for nominations of officers. John Anderson nominated a slate of officers per the following: Donnis Baggett, Chair; Graddy Tunnell, Vice Chair; and James Stewart, Secretary. Cullen Looney moved that the nominated slate be elected by acclamation. Pierce Miller seconded the motion. The motion carried and the proposed slate of officers were elected.

Summit Display - A one-pager illustrating the Summit display was reviewed (see attachment). There is a possibility that the one-pager could also be used for fundraising purposes.

Fundraising Activities - Bob Merrifield said the Summit process has been developed and the SEC has set the pace of institutionalizing the Summit Initiative by adopting a set of by-laws. He said the next step is to secure a $2 million endowment to provide continuous financial support to the Initiative. The Agriculture Development Office at TAMU will provide staff support in accomplishing this goal, and proposals to foundations will be developed. L.G. Raun raised the question of what the vision of the Summit process would be -- how long will it be in operation? Baggett indicated that the process was indefinite based on recent discussions because issues and challenges in agriculture come and go, but they will always exist. There is a need to ensure a permanent funding base so that we are not always raising funds.

Future Summit Issues - As was called for in the previous meeting, presentations were made regarding the possibility of six Summits or Summit Conferences. Following is a summary of these presentations (see attachments):

Beef Issues - Jim Butler provided this presentation on behalf of Charles Long who was unable to attend. A Summit would provide the industry with the opportunity to bring representatives together from all phases of production to develop a plan to address and resolve these issues. The question was raised as to whether the Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association was supportive of such an activity. Butler said that the livestock organizations in Texas should be supportive, but had not been consulted regarding this activity. Trade activities with respect to the beef industry also were discussed and it was determined that they should be addressed in the activity. The possibility of holding a conference in conjunction with Beef Cattle Shortcourse was discussed, and concern was raised that results could be biased if held in conjunction with an activity that would have a majority of representatives from one phase of production.

International Trade Issues - Parr Rosson provided a review of trade activities of the Texas agriculture industry. SEC members indicated that international trade issues are very important to Texas and a Summit would be merited. Stallman indicated that this could be a tremendous educational opportunity for all involved. Baggett said that because the issue is so broad by nature, it would need to be a full Summit. John Abernathy suggested that international trade representatives from other countries be brought in and asked what they want in the future. Hiler said that though this is a pervasive issue, we should not shy away from it. The possibility of pairing the conference with another event was discussed, including the Pan American Livestock Conference in Dallas and the International Livestock Congress in Houston.

Biotechnology Issues - John Mullet presented a summary of current biotechnology issues in Texas. The question of if biotechnology advancements were driven primarily by the private sector and if there was substantial pressure from the public sector. Mullet said that there is an $800-900 million public investment. The multinational investment is also high, but this could place Texas at a disadvantage. Baggett said that the moral and ethical issues associated with biotechnology would need to be addressed, and Stewart said that environmental implications also were important. Mullet said that science based national meetings had been held, but there had not been a true forum that included the economic issues associated with biotechnology.

Dairy - Gene Nelson provided a presentation on pressing dairy issues in Texas. He concluded with the recommendation that a dairy conference be postponed until the dairy industry is more stabilized -- there is too much change now. Baggett indicated a concern for the small family operations that were going out of business. Nelson said there was a training program that TAEX has developed for East Texas producers, so the educational aspect needed to prevent more operations from going out of business is in process. Various questions were raised regarding the prominence of the dairy industry in Texas and various aspects of the industry. The possibility of the Summit Initiative providing funding to enhance the educational aspect already in place was raised.

Forestry Issues - Bob Merrifield provided a proposal for a possible forestry conference. Stewart was concerned that the environmental and natural resource aspect should be emphasized more if such a conference were held. Teer indicated that the information provided was a representation of East Texas forestry activities and environmental and natural resource implications. Baggett raised the question of the fact that issues associated with the forestry industry have been in federal courts for over 20 years; can the Summit process help this situation? Stallman referenced Summit III and its positive effect on water issues that have also been tied up in federal courts. It was suggested to proceed with planning a forestry summit for the future.

Agricultural Finance and Banking Issues - John Penson reported on the status of finance and banking issues in Texas agriculture. Anderson reinforced the presentation, indicating that the Independent Bankers Association (IBA) requested the conference. He said that IBA was anxious for information and a mini summit would be appropriate. Penson said that IBA is greatly impacted due to the large amount of agricultural clients that they have. It was determined that bankers, farmers and regulators should all be involved in conference. Raun said that there was a need to fill a void to educate both bankers and farmers at risk.

Future Summit Discussion - It was determined to postpone a dairy summit. Raun suggested that an additional meeting be held to provide a follow-up to the passage of FAIR due to its implications in five years. This could possibly be tacked on to or discussed during the banking conference. Butler said that he would have each proposing party prepare a one-pager indicating information on possible dates, location, program planning committee, etc. These will be faxed to the SEC and ranked; a meeting will be held in November to determine when each conference will be held. A possible schedule for 1998 was proposed as follows: Banking - early ‘98; Biotechnology - mid ‘98, Trade - early ‘99, and Forestry - undecided.

Butler suggested that a brief program on the Summit process be provided to participants at the Beef Cattle Shortcourse in 1998. This would allow them to determine the issues and if there is a need to have a conference. Stewart suggested that a Summit similar to the first conference in 1993 be held in 2000. All members were in agreement with this suggestion.

During the lunch program, Charlotte Watson, Gene Hall and Robert Wood were recognized for providing leadership to the Summit Issue Resolution Task Forces. Those also recognized but not present included Guy Finstad and Wayne Wyatt. Bob Stallman and Cullen Looney were recognized for their outstanding leadership during the past year, and John Anderson was recognized for his service as the Chair of the first Texas Agricultural Summit and his service since that time

Following closing comments, Stallman moved to adjourn the meeting and Peeples seconded the motion. The meeting was adjourned by Chair Donnis Baggett at 3:30 p.m.