The Rural Voice, 1998-04, Page 65Sparling (phone 371-0175). Arts and
crafts co-ordinator is Jana Thompson
(794-2262).0
Poultry fanciers plan
swap day, Farmers'
Market in Seaforth
A Farmers Market featuring local
produce and meats will be added to
the second annual Buy, Sell, Trade
Day for backyard poultry and pet
fanciers in Seaforth, April 5 from
8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
The event was organized for the
first time last year after a group of
local poultry fanciers felt they
needed a local sale for their extra
birds. This year a new executive
made up of Barb Storey, Gerald
Groothuis, Barry Cleave, George
Townsend, and Fred Peel has
planned changes including an auction
at 11 a.m. conducted by Jim
Campbell.
The Farmers Market portion,
another new addition, will feature
fresh baking, maple syrup, beef, pork
and poultry from area farms.
There is free admission to the
event, which will be held at the
Seaforth Agriplex, with any proceeds
going to a local charity.0
Federation, Tourism
Association form
joint project
The first fruits of a new joint
marketing partnership between the
Huron County Federation of
Agriculture and the Huron Tourism
Association will be unveiled April 2
in Hensall.
A new poster image, designed by
Bayfield artist Jill Dyer for Huron
Tourism and Agri -Businesses will be
unveiled. Joint projects include new
highway signage for every region of
the county, advertising and
promotional programs focussing on
farm gate touring, and the Huron
Harvest Trail training programs for
small business owners on a
partnership between tourism industry
and agricultural businesses.
The Federation and Tourism
News
Association succeeded in winning a
$120,000 grant from the Agricultural
Adaptation Council (CanAdapt).
Assisting in the grant application
were the Huron County Planning and
Development Department, the Huron
Busincss Development Corporation,
the Zurich Chamber of Commerce
and the Hensall Economic
Development Committee.
Adv
Good meetings make
effective groups
By Alex Leith
OMAFRA Rural
Community Advisor
Many organizations traditionally
have their annual meetings this time of
year; a new executive, several new
committees, lots of new enthusiasm —
all spell "rejuvenation"! However,
given the fast paced society we live in,
there are also many more constraints
and demands of the "volunteer" hours
we have to offer — so efficiency
becomes imperative!
How do we do it? Quite singularly,
a well -thought-out agenda, pre -
circulated (with time frames attached)
will streamline any meeting and
surprise even the most avid skeptic.
Better still, send out the previous
minutes (along with the agenda) at
least a week to 10 days ahead of the
meeting. This agenda can also serve
as a wake up call — especially if there
is an absence of an item you would
like addressed.
A major contributing factor to the
demise of an otherwise active
organization is the punctuality
problem. Starting a meeting on time
(precisely) serves up notice — "we are
here to do business". Ending it on
time says — "we respect/appreciate
your involvement"! Letting the
meeting drift into "yawn" time will not
create any enthusiasm to attend the
next one.
The key to any organization is a
constitution. Who needs that? We all
do! Without a constitution, our goals,
objectives, guidelines can drift or
erode, and leave no rudder to hold us
on a firm course. A constitution
Preliminary results of a study
conducted by Dr. Harry Cummings
from the University of Guelph, show
there are 1200 businesses in Huron
that serve tourists and tourism
generates $225 million in direct sales
for the county. There are 1140 full-
time workers, 895 part-time and 1640
seasonal workers in the tourism
sector.0
ice
should be "revisited" or updated once
a year for some maintenance therapy.
Motions? Amendments to motions?
Confusing? Not any more.
Understanding a financial statement —
explanations are in laymen terms. Our
OMAFRA office has factshcets to
assist organizations in many of these
arcas.0
Speaker gives tips
on employee
management
The greatest opportunity for
capilization on farms is people,
according to Lorretta Leman, who is in
charge of employee relations with
Swine Graphics in Webster City, Iowa.
Speaking at the Stockmanship: The
Art of Swine Husbandry conference at
Shakespeare, March 11, Leman said
companies, no matter what their size,
have the same problems in dealing
with people. Her company is growing
rapidly since changing in 1992 from a
company that kept swine records for
other producers to becoming a primary
producer. Today the company has
15,000 sows in a SEW setup and 120
employees, growing from an original
eight. It expects to double production
and increase employment to 200 — a
move she says will still make the
company small potatoes in the U.S.
pork industry, ranking 40th.
Leman gave the 270 people present
at the meeting 10 tips for people
management. The first, she said, is to
understand your own impact as a
leader. As you are, so is your company
or department, she said. You set the
tone or culture. If you are a leader, the
people around you will probably also
be leaders, she said.
APRIL 1998 61