2013 Final Wisconsin Farm Technology Days Report
Barron County
Executive Committee
Committee Overview
Describe your committee’s responsibilities (big picture).
The responsibility of the Executive Committee is to oversee the entire show and provide support to all committees and the Host Family.
Committee Responsibilities
List your Committee’s duties and the primary tasks.
The Executive Committee was responsible for the overseeing the entire show. Barron County set up our Executive Committee with 12 members including our Host Family. Each member was a liaison to a committee with some serving more than one committee. We strived to have our Committee Chairs make decisions relating to their committees and we were there as a resource and sounding board. This worked very well for us and was very evident leading up to the show – our Committee Chairs and Co-Chairs really stepped up and handled their areas of responsibility.
The Executive Committee, with input from the General Manager, set the guidelines and procedures for the show. We spent considerable time reviewing the contract between the state and county and the Host Farm agreement. Neither of these agreements had been updated for several years.
We also finalized the budget for our show. The Treasure and Ag Agent spent considerable time with each committee determining what areas they were responsible for and ensuring these areas were covered in the budget. As an Executive Comm. we also approved, upon recommendations from Committee chairs, any major expenditures and budget overruns.
Committee Structure
Describe how your committee was structured along with a description of the responsibilities of the committee members.
The Executive Committee elected officers at our 3rd meeting. These included a Chair, Vice-Chair, Treasurer and Secretary. During the course of the 3 years leading up to the show – we tried to allow all decisions to be made by the Executive Comm. and not by the officers. The Officers started meeting monthly 1-2 weeks prior to the meetings about 7 months prior to the show. This allowed us to deal with issues, provide guidance to Comm. Chairs, and keep this core group in communication with each other. There are many decisions (mostly minor) that are required to be made in the last 3-4 months. It was very helpful for the four of us to have a sounding board and keep everyone in the loop on the many things that were happening. We held these meeting at the Extension office but moved them to the Headquarters trailer as soon as it was on site.
We held our monthly meetings on the first Thursday morning of the month(or the Thurs following the first Wednesday of the month). Our meetings first started at 10:30 but gradually moved to 9:30 to get everything covered by noon. WIFTD General Manager – Ron Schuler- was in attendance at all of our meeting with Chuck and/or Anna Maener joining us in Sept, 2012. We kept our meeting format the same – approved agenda/minutes, GM report, Treasurer’s report, Committee updates from the liaisons. One year prior to the show we added an Executive Committee section to deal with any things that needed attention or approval.
We also felt it was very important to keep in contact with Committee chairs and co-chairs. We held quarterly meetings with the Executive Committee and the Committee chairs. This was a great way for this core leadership group of 40-50 people to get to know each other and develop an understanding of what each person was dealing with. We typically had each committee give an update on what they were working on but also provided an opportunity of them to ask questions of other committee chairs and answer questions from others. This built trust between the committees and an appreciation of what things they all were dealing with. These meeting were typically at night. Some of these meetings had food provided and some were just cookies and coffee. Early on two of these meetings were strictly focused on leadership training. One was an all-day (Saturday) event that was led by UW-Extension staff on personalities and traits of the different age groups. Another was an evening meeting with Rick Olson, a leadership trainer that helped us understand and build strategies for working with volunteers.
Budget
Outline the amount of money allocated to your committee and a general description of how the funds were spent. Provide as much detail as you can, keeping in mind the things that you wish previous host counties had shared with you.
The Executive Committee developed a budget based on previous year shows. As we reviewed the previous 4 years of budgets we noticed that there were things that were not included or not detailed and we tried to improve on those. We decided to include in our budget funds to procure a charter bus for the Multi-County meeting in Plover for all years. These meetings have been very helpful to us and we wanted to insure that our Committee Chairs had an easy way to attend these meetings. We also utilized the time on the bus ride home to discuss and share the info that was learned.
Timeline
Include a timeline of major activities of your committee and a brief description of each activity listed in the Timeline.
In 2009 Barron County was awarded the WFTD show for 2013. This was an outstanding opportunity for our county and was supported by many people involved in Agricultural. Tim Jergenson, County Extension, was responsible for finding volunteers to serve on the Executive Committee. He utilized the county Ag Committee and county staff to put a list of potential members together.
Our first meeting was held May 7, 2010. At our July 8 meeting we elected officers. At our August meeting we toured 7 farms representing 5 potential sites for the show. This all day tour of Barron County, along with eating 2 meals together, provided a wonderful opportunity to get to know each other and interview 7 farm families and learn what was important to them about agricultural in Barron County.
On September 19, 2010 we held our Media Day to announce our Host Farm and the dates for our show. We held this at the conference center at our local WITC Campus. The event started at 11 am and included a meal provided by the Food Service staff of WITC. The event was very well attended and allowed us the opportunity to make our Host Family announcements but also introduce the Executive Committee to the media outlets.
At our September meeting we created an Ad Hoc committee of 5 people to review suggestions for Committee Chairs and Co-Chairs. For the most part all of our Committee Chairs and Co-Chairs were in place by the Multi-County meeting in December. We had a very good group that attended the meeting.
2011
This was a very busy year of preparation for Barron County FTD 2103. All of our Committees became fully functional with regular meetings scheduled and core members on board. Here are some of the things we accomplished:
1. Signed the contract with the State FTD Board – no turning back now!
2. The Promotions/Marketing Committee designed and finalized our logo and started working with USAgnet to design our website. They also created a list of Farm Shows and events to attend to promote the show.
3. The Fundraising Committee obtained commitments for $163,000 of cash and $57,000 in in-kind contributions.
4. Most Committees had developed their budgets and our Treasurer was working to finalize the overall budget.
5. The Coop #3 Tractor was chosen for our Commemorative Tractor. A contract was signed with Spec Cast in Iowa to produce 1000 tractors.
6. The Family Living Committee agreed to take on a cookbook project for FTD Barron County in addition to all their other responsibilities.
7. Barron County secured an AmeriCorps/VISTA volunteer that worked in the Extension office helping our FTD Committees.
8. The Executive Committee agreed to continue to meet during the morning but moved the meeting start time up by 30 minutes.
9. Decided to not go ahead with a Consumer Education Tent based on the recommendation of the General Manager. This was an idea that would have created a focus on drawing consumers (non-agricultural) as visitors to the show. The General Manager felt that this was in violation of the mission of FTD and we should focus our efforts on the target audience of farmers and farm employees. As part of this, we wanted to extend the hours into the evening on one day.
2012
1. Finalized and approved our show budget - projected $1.3 million in expenses.
2. Selected a local screen printing business to be our official vendor for clothing and promotional items.
3. Developed a quarterly newsletter that would be sent to all volunteers.
4. Finalized a Landmark Farms project that would encourage local farmers and ag businesses to support the show.
5. Held a Leadership Training sessions with all Committee Chairs and Co-Chairs. This was done by Rick Olson, a local resident.
6. Started holding quarterly Committee Chair meetings.
7. Finalized the official brochure.
8. Reviewed and provided input on the tent contract with Briggs.
9. Agreed to utilize local volunteer Fire Departments for night security in Tent City. We made a donation to the Fire Departments based upon hours worked. This saved us a tremendous amount of money when comparing it to hiring the Sheriff’s Department or a security company.
10. The Executive Committee approved a Payment Voucher to pay expenses or for reimbursement of expenses.
11. Helped the Fundraising/Hospitality Committee host the Exhibitor Lounge at the Outagamie County show. We also provided a coach bus that brought volunteers over to see what the show was like.
2013
1. Decided to have a fiber optic wireless internet service at our show. Mosaic telecom developed the system and handled the installation. They also provided technological support during the show. This was a big investment but the Executive Committee thought the show needed to have a reliable internet service.
2. Worked with Anna Maener on the Official Show Program and the extra services contracts for Exhibitors.
3. Provided guidance to the sub committees leading up to the show.
At the Show
Set Up: Describe when set up took place, individuals needed for set up, the amount of time required and any other set up concerns. Describe your committee’s cooperation and interaction with other committees.
Our committee members provided hands on support to their committees during the show and reported back during the recap meeting each night. The Treasurer was very busy during the show making sure the cash was handled in the morning and evening. The Executive Committee was expected to be available during the opening ceremonies on Tuesday and available for the Governor’s visit and message on Wednesday morning. Our Congressman, Sean Duffy, requested access on the Monday prior to the show to some EC members and the Host Family, due to scheduling conflicts in Washington DC.
Equipment Needed
Use this section to outline the items used at the show. This should include items requested from other committees. You may wish to provide a very brief description of how each item was used. Include your plan for disposal/sale or use of surplus supplies, merchandise, or food to decrease or eliminate loss of revenue.
The Executive Committee utilized golf carts, UTVs and radios during the show. Due to the number of requests that were made by our Committee Chairs, quite a few golf carts were given back to the committees and we shared and made do with what we had. For the most part, the show operated so smoothly, that most of us were able to walk or share transportation during the show.
Volunteers
Explain how your committee recruited volunteers, the time for recruiting and when they were needed (before, during, and after the show). Include methods of communication with volunteers to keep them updated. How many volunteers worked in your area and how many were assigned to each job or task?
We were fortunate to have an Americorp/VISTA volunteer for a 12 month period in 2011 & 2102. He attended lots of committee meetings and did research for the committees relating to responsibilities and previous costs. In 2012, the Executive Comm. authorized a Volunteer Coordinator position. We struggled to find a person that was the right fit for this part-time position. We finally found someone in early June – about 30 days prior to the show. This did negatively impact some of our committees. If this person would have been hired in January, 2013 they could have helped with communication and volunteer recruitment. For future counties, I would suggest that this person be responsible for all things relating to volunteers – t-shirts, admission passes, newsletters, etc.
Additional thoughts for a successful Farm Technology Days show
Please list any ideas/tips/thoughts that would be helpful to know for future FTD volunteer leaders.
Duplication -It appears that there is a lot of duplication done every year with every county. I realize that the WI FDT does not want to take on any other areas but there is a lot of time spent by volunteers researching and organizing things that is unnecessary.
a. Logo/Theme - Why does every county need to have a logo and theme? There are lots of unwritten rules about what you can and can’t do regarding the logo for each show. This was a challenge for our Promotions/Marketing Committee. They collected theme ideas from the public and had a business donate time to design a logo to match only to have the State say most of it was not allowed. This put a lot of undue stress on that committee and the Executive Comm. and used up a good chunk of donated expertise from a local company that could have been better utilized.
b. Safety Training – Safety Training should be handled by the insurance company for the show. Tent City and Grounds Committees spend time researching content and requirements of safety training. I do not believe that we should pay extra for this service from them. This is a way to limit accidents and insure that past issues are dealt with via training. This could consist of videos, handouts, minimum requirements to cover, hearing & eye protection, etc.