We had a very Merry Christmas at the Hutton house and I hope that you and your family did as well. It was wonderful to celebrate the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ and to reflect upon the magnificent impact his birth has had on the world.

2011 was a challenging year on so many fronts. Our national economy put pressure on so many people. Many regions of the country experienced disasters brought on by acts of nature. And yet, we persevered and as a result we have the opportunity to experience the better times that I know the future holds.

At the ITLA, 2011 presented us both challenges and opportunities. We overcame the challenges and took advantage of the opportunities. The state of the economy and the drought in the Southwest affected our members and as a result put financial pressure on the Association. But, we took the measures necessary to absorb these impacts and remain financially healthy. We created new revenue streams by contracting to administer the Watusi Association registrations and transfers. We eliminated the losses from our print magazine by launching this highly acclaimed E-Drover Online publication. And even with the effects of the economy and the drought we presented a wonderful experience at our 2011 Convention and Championship Show--with a profit!

In addition, we closed out the year with a cooperation agreement with the TLMA that has the potential to bring us great benefit in 2012 and beyond. We are already pursuing three aspects of that agreement.

First, the February issue of the Texas Longhorn Journal, will include articles and information relative to the ITLA. Those of you who are not also TLMA members will receive courtesy copies of the Journal for three months and at the end of that period you will have the opportunity to continue receiving the Journal by exercising a special promotional TLMA membership for $69.00 annually. So, this is your opportunity to receive the premier print publication in the Texas Longhorn industry, which will now include content specific to ITLA.

Second, we agreed to jointly evaluate conducting the TLMA's Longhorn World Championship (LWC), its annual horn measurement and sale, and our ITLA Convention and Championship Show at the same location in 2012. We are currently coordinating with the TLMA in evaluating potential sites and I expect to be able to communicate the final choice to you in our February E-Drover.

Lastly, we presented current ITLA members and  TLMA members who would join ITLA, the opportunity to take advantage of reduced registration and transfer prices. This promotion increased our registrations by five fold over the level experienced in December 2011. Because we did not make these available to TLMA members until mid-December, we have extended the promotion through the end of February.

So we are moving forward aggressively to maximize the benefit of the ITLA/TLMA Cooperation agreement for all of you. I will keep you posted on our progress.

In 2011 we presented a very successful Marketing Seminar in Branson, Missouri. As a result we have had tremendous interest expressed in having another seminar in 2012. Preliminary planning is underway for a seminar in the eastern part of the country in early summer. So, stay tuned for more as this develops.

Let me close by thanking all of you who make up the ITLA for your continued support of your Association. Wonderful opportunities lay before us in 2012, let's be bold and take advantage of them.

Warm Regards,

Roger Hutton