The continuation of the rapid spread of the coronavirus and its variants has had a major impact on the mental health of adults and children and how the country and the economy operate. The virus, combined with the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol, has altered how we as an industry work and interact with our federal leaders. Over the Christmas holiday, I took time to study the phenomenon we are currently living through to better understand it and navigate our people and industry through it. What I found was fascinating and if you are interested, read the book “Life is in the Transitions…Mastering Change at Any Age” by Bruce Feiler.
There are 52 different disruptors (conflict, upheaval, stress) that people face. Some are voluntary and some are involuntary. Some come at our time of choosing (graduation, marriage, children, employment) and others come when we least expect them (accidents, health, deaths, economic losses, etc.). Some disruptors are easy to manage, and others are devastating that take years to work through. The average person will experience about three dozen significant disruptors in their adult life which means we spend about half of our lives responding to them and in some sort of state of transition.
Our politics are seemingly a continuous stream of disruptions. Fringe members in both parties prize disruption over legislating. Washington swings from left to right, with less and less being completed in the middle. Congressional redistricting will bring new disruptions and impact the 2022 election cycle. We’ve seen members retiring out of age, frustration, fatigue, personal and family security, or the brutality of a long and difficult election. The upcoming election will bring new faces to Congress that must be educated ahead of the 2023 farm bill. There is much work to be done.
Within ASGA there are disruptions and transitions. A huge thank you to ASGA President Dan Younggren, who has led us over the last two years through tremendous challenges. He has termed out of office and now heads towards a much-deserved retirement. The industry also owes a great debt of gratitude to our retiring board members: Big Horn Basin’s (Wyoming) Paul Wambeke; Michigan Sugar’s Clay Crumbaugh, Adam Hereford, and Tom Wadsworth; Minn-Dak Farmers Cooperative’s Pat Freese; Montana-Dakota’s Don Steinbeisser Jr.; NEBCO’s Aaron Worley; Nyssa(Oregon)/Nampa’s (Idaho) Norma Burbank (Executive Secretary); Red River Valley’s Kelly Erickson, David Mueller, and Rod Olson; and Southern Minnesota’s Chris Long.
Another transition comes from our vice president and general counsel, Scott Herndon, who announced on Jan. 10 that he was leaving our association to become president of Field to Market, an organization which links agriculture to major food processors and retailers that measures and advances sustainability objectives tied to climate issues. He has worked on sustainability issues with other agriculture stakeholders for the past several years, and these issues will grow in importance in the years ahead.
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Scott has gained important knowledge, experience, and confidence during his five years at ASGA. It creates a solid foundation for his success in the years ahead. He has been an exemplary employee and highly respected by his colleagues. He will be deeply missed by our board and staff. Know that we are excited to see the important role he will play on key issues in the years ahead for American agriculture. A special thanks to Scott for his service to our industry.
Rest assured that our director of government relations, Zack Clark, is outstanding in managing our work with Congress and the administration. Together we will work through our staff transition as we prepare for our upcoming virtual fly-in and the 2023 Farm Bill. With new association officers and many new board members, our disruption will be short-lived and we look forward to a successful transition. This is a great industry to work for and we will recruit great talent as we have in the past. It’s going to be a great year!
Luther Markwart is the executive vice president of the American Sugarbeet Growers Association.
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Dealing with disruptions doesn't stop American Sugarbeet Growers Association from working for growers - Agweek
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