Summit Executive Committee
March 4, 1999 Omni Southpark Hotel Austin, Texas

MINUTES

Members Present:
John Abernathy
D.V. Guerra
Roddy Peeples
Charlotte Watson
John Anderson
Ed Hiler
Wayne Showers
Donnis Baggett
Kelly McMillan
Jim Stewart
Bruce Graham
Pierce Miller
Graddy Tunnell

Others in Attendance:
Joe Benningfield
Bill Harris
Ronnie Jackson
Gene Nelson
John Beverly
Stacy Hoefling
Shannon Murphy
Jessica Oman

Welcome/Introductions/Updates - Chair Donnis Baggett welcomed SEC members and guests at 10:08 AM. Gene Nelson was introduced as the new liaison to the SEC. He is replacing Dr. Butler, who will continue in his other responsibilities to the Office of External Affairs for the Agriculture Program. In addition, Joe Benningfield will be assuming the duties of Jessica Oman, who is getting married and moving to Hereford, TX. Shannon Murphy and Stacy Hoefling will be assisting with the logistics of the summits. Following introductions of all members and guests present, the minutes from the September 22, 1998 meeting were presented. Jim Stewart moved to accept the minutes as submitted. The motion was seconded and approved by unanimous voice vote.

Treasury Report - Jessica Oman reported that the Summit Initiative has about $30,000 in its account. It was discussed that no proposal had been sent to Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo last year. Wayne Showers moved that a proposal be sent to HLS&R this Spring, which was then seconded and passed.

Legislative Update - Ed Hiler reported that SB 705 - The Farm and Ranch Recovery Act - had been filed by Senator Steve Ogden. Senator Ogden chairs the Ag Subcommittee of the Senate Finance Committee, with Senators Duncan and Truan serving as members. This Legislative Session is moving faster than he's ever seen. Jim Butler is the Ag Program's man in Austin. He is working to have the legislature remember agriculture in hard times, as it did with the oil industry. Agriculture should do very well with David Swinford serving as Chair of the House Ag Committee. The new Agriculture Commissioner, Susan Combs, is very energetic and looks to have a good relationship with the Ag Program. Pierce Miller inquired about the article in the Wall Street Journal on 1998 farm income as a result of the drought. Gene Nelson and Donnis responded to that and the actions taken by the Department of Ag Economics, the Ag Program, and others in refuting the article's claim. There was discussion on support for agriculture from various state and national officials.

Drought Policy Task Force - Jessica reported that the Task Force presented their final report. They had met physically in September, and then by conference call. Dr. Roland Smith, Agricultural Economics, was heavily involved in this activity. The final report identifies state and federal issues that need to be targeted.

Cross Timbers Summit Workshop - Jessica passed out the final information from the breakout group sessions, including their recommended actions. This information was provided to all attendees from the August 1998 workshop.

Donnis spoke on the effectiveness of these two activities.

Membership of the SEC - Gene Nelson spoke about invitations extended to Steve Harper of HEB to get the retailing side of agriculture involved. It was mentioned that the SEC needs someone from the processing side of the industry. Jessica spoke on the extension of terms of some members. Discussion then moved to possibly having membership slots available for the Texas Agricultural Lifetime Leadership (TALL) program. Pierce Miller moved that the SEC accept each year's TALL alumni president for a three-year term, thus creating three new positions. The motion was seconded by Graddy Tunnell, and, after discussion, was passed unanimously. A poultry industry representative was discussed. A natural resource/environmental spot is open with the loss of James Teer. Jim Stewart was looking at the president of the Austin Audubon for that spot, but he is too busy now. Pierce Miller inquired about the need for a beef or meat processing representative.

Biotechnology Summit - Gene Nelson indicated that the Program Planning Committee (PPC) Chair, Dr. John Mullet, was a little frustrated by the increasing scope of the agenda for the summit, so a prospectus with a narrower focus for the Biotech Summit has been developed. Dr. Nelson passed out and outlined the prospectus, and opened the floor for comments on limiting the scope of this very broad Summit topic. Pierce Miller suggested that we use the patterns created by other states, such as California and Georgia, in addressing this topic. Dr. Hiler indicated that the problem faced by higher education is how to interact with big companies and still maintain independence. Graddy Tunnell expressed a desire to put together a world-class Summit to attract the biotech companies and investors. Discussion then focused on the name and location of the summit, the intended audience, and the structure of the PPC. John Anderson raised the question of inviting religious leaders to obtain education on the topic.

During the lunch, Donnis recognized those that have finished their terms and those that have agreed to stay on. He also thanked all members for devoting their time to the SEC.

Small Farms Commission - D.V. Guerra spoke of his role on the Small Farms Commission, which was created by Agriculture Secretary Dan Glickman to study the status of America's small farms. The Commission initially presented Sec. Glickman with a book entitled A Time to Act, which contained suggestions on how Glickman and the USDA could help small farms and farmers. One year later, the Commission prepared a report card for the USDA on several aspects. Overall, the agency ranked pretty low on their actions to the original report. Secretary Glickman had made some administrative changes, but those that required money haven't been acted upon. A small farmer is defined by the Commission as someone with less than $250,000 gross income and has a hand in the management of the operations. This includes 94.6% of Texas farmers, and 94% nationwide.

Farm Bill Follow-up and International Summits - Gene Nelson spoke on issues arising from two years under the 1996 Farm Bill. Crop prices are projected to decrease substantially before leveling off, due to faltering international markets. He suggested Spring 2000 for another Farm Bill Summit. The Committee decided to look at that again this fall. Discussion arose on a possible time for the summit, including February and December.

Nelson and Jessica then spoke on the International Summit. The summit will attempt to work with the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, and this will most likely occur in the Fall of 2000. The summit will seek to involve the volunteers that assist in putting on the International Livestock Congress that occurs in Houston in conjunction with their rodeo.

Agriculture 2020 - Gene Nelson spoke on Agriculture Program 2020, or a plan to develop the Ag Program's vision for the next century. This includes Texas A&M University's Vision 2020, the Summit Initiative, and the Texas Community Futures Forum providing input into the process. Gene indicated that the purpose of this process it to seek feedback and advice from the customers of the Agriculture Program. This will be done with a panel representing users of various services and programs within The Ag Program.

Following discussion on the Summit's involvement and the structure of the Texas Community Futures Forum, Jim Stewart moved to recognize Jessica Oman for her contributions to the Summit Executive Committee. The motion was seconded by Graddy Tunnell and passed unanimously.

It was moved and seconded to adjourn. Motion passed unanimously, and the meeting was adjourned at 1:02 PM.