The board of directors welcomed a new chairman as well as a few new board members during the AAI Board meeting last week. 

Services Board Members Honored

Last Friday was also the final meeting of the AAI Services board which previously was responsible for building, maintenance, and association management services. The wholly owned subsidiary of AAI was a for-profit, taxable entity that had overseen a variety of enterprises over the history of the organization. The dissolution of the subsidiary streamlines structure, budgeting, and reporting processes.

AAI Services board members were recognized for their service. The board members were: Kevin Drury, Hedlin Ag Enterprises; José Laracuente, AgVision; Ed Miller, Eldon C. Stutsman; David Pieper, Junge Control; Diane Telfer, EBS/ Holmes Murphy; Joe Thelen, Midwest Laboratories; Max Smith, Smith Fertilizer & Grain; and Mike Maranell, retired AGP.  View board  THANK YOU photos here>>

Mark Morrissey (right), Current AAI Chair, awards Dave Tierney (left) an outgoing chairman plaque for his leadership as AAI Chair 2016-2017. 

Many of the AAI Services board members will continue to serve as part of the AAI Foundation Finance and Facilities Committee. AAI Foundation, a non-profit sister organization, owns the building that houses AAI staff.  

AgVantage FS, Waverly, IA 

Shelly Kruse became General Manager of the Waverly, IA headquarters in January 2015 and provides overall management that covers 30 counties in Iowa. She has been with GROWMARK since 1984. Shelly grew up on her grandfather's farm and is a originally from Princeton, IL. Received a BS in Business from Lewis University, Romeoville, IL, and a MBA from Northern Illinois University. Shelly and her husband Jim have four grown children and one son who is a senior in high school. 

José M. Laracuente | At-Large Director 

AgVision, Ankeny, IA
Jos é Laracuente is the CEO/Owner of AgVision in Ankeny, IA. José and his wife Shelley moved to Iowa in 1996 to lead AgVision. The son of a U.S. military officer, he was born and raised in Puerto Rico and lived in several other states. José has a BS in Business Administration from Indiana University, Bloomington, IN and an a MBA in international Business from George Mason University in Fairfax, VA. José has previously served on the AAI Services board and has been an active part of the association for over 20 years. José and his wife Shelley have two sons, Donald attends ISU and José Antonio attends the University of Iowa. 

by: TFI 

The 4R Advocate program recognizes agricultural retailers and their grower customers who are leading the way when it comes to implementing 4R Nutrient Stewardship on the farm. The selected group of 2018 4R Advocates will assist The Fertilizer Institute in raising awareness and adoption of 4R Nutrient Stewardship. Nominations will be accepted from August 2 through October 31, 2017.  Full Details Here

The location for the feed mill and grain complex will be on approximately 10 acres of university-owned land southwest of the intersection of Highway 30 and State Avenue in Ames. The land, managed by the  College of Agriculture and Life Sciences , has been the site of crop research, seed operations and crop yield performance trials for more than 50 years. Read More

by: BerganKDV

Late last week, the Texas Federal District Court Judge who entered the injunction in November that initially prevented the Department of Labor from enforcing the 2016 overtime rule dismissed the lawsuit which ruled that the Department of Labor overstepped intentions in determining who should be exempt from overtime pay. 

Judge Mazzant found the Obama administration's rule relied too heavily on salary without regard for job duties. As a reminder, the salary threshold proposed by the Department of Labor was to have increased from $23,660 to $47,476 annually. Read More

The STRIPS team invites you to the 10-year anniversary celebration at Neal Smith National Wildlife Refuge. View full agenda here .

Presentations will be made by STRIPS Farmer & Farmland Owners, a Lunch & Learn About Prairie Plants, Pollinators, Wildlife, Implementing Prairie Strips, Watershed Story Book & More! And the keynote speaker is Rudi Roeslein, Founder & CEO of Roeslein Alternative Energy. RSVP here.