Texas Ag Co-Op Council Holds Annual Meeting

 
APRIL, 2004

Twenty-seven speakers from seven states, including one of the nation's top economists, the coordinator of the 2003 Columbia Space Shuttle disaster recovery, the chairman of the House Agriculture and Livestock Committee, several state agency resource point-people and a former New York Yankee World Series most valuable player, all appeared at the Joint Cooperative Meeting of the Texas Agricultural Cooperative Council and CoBank when the group met March 14-17, 2004 in Arlington, Texas.

The 2000 "Cooperative Ginner of the Year" award winner, LEE TILLER of Smith Gin Co-op in Odem, Texas, was elected president of the Austin-based Texas Agricultural Cooperative Council (TACC). He replaced retiring president JERRY MULTER of Wall Co-op in Wall, Texas. Other officers elected were: vice president ­ RON HARKEY of Farmers Cooperative Compress in Lubbock and secretary ­ JAMES DEATHERAGE of Producers Cooperative Association in Bryan.

Former Farmers Cooperative Compress Board Chairman R.D. MCCALLISTER of Slaton, Texas, was honored with the TACC "Cooperator of the Year" award. He has spent a total of over 107 years on cooperative boards. RANDY ARNOLD of Associated Cotton Growers in Crosbyton, Texas, won the coveted TACC "Cooperative Ginner of the Year" award. In addition, two individuals received the TACC "Distinguished Service Award." They were JACKIE DANE, president of Plains Employee Development in Amarillo and JACK NELSON, recently retired CEO of Rio Grande Valley Sugar Growers in Santa Rosa, Texas.

With the addition of 18 new directors during the meeting, the TACC board grew to 150 from all corners of the state. Top contributors to the state co-op political action committee, which was formed in the late 1970s by U.S. Congressman Charlie Stenholm, were also honored during the meeting. Nearly 20 members, associate members and friends helped sponsor the meeting, of which nearly 500 people attended. The 2005 meeting of the group will be held March 13-16 in Galveston.

TACC is a statewide industry association for agricultural, electric, telephone and farm credit cooperatives, which began in 1934. TOMMY ENGELKE serves as executive vice president of the organization.

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