Leadership in Agriculture: Case Studies for a New Generation

Chapter 6

92 case Studies 6. gathering of the Agricultural clan Situation Not infrequently, one aspect of agriculture cannot connect easily to another. This is especially true when either a natural or some other crisis leaves a void in the normal flow of information. Some states have found a way to expedite communications. A recent case involves Louisiana. outline The Agribusiness Council of Louisiana joined with the Louisiana commissioner of agriculture and forestry, Louisiana State University (LSU), and the US Department of Agriculture to organize summit forums , in which a wide range of agricultural professionals are invited to meet and address issues of recovery from hurricanes or downturns in the economy. Speakers include the commissioner of agriculture and forestry, chancellors at LSU, host institutions, experts in agricultural economics , employees in federal agencies that have helpful resources, bankers , legislators, transportation businesses, and international trade companies. Thus the forums include government (US and state) officials , members of academia, and professionals in various dimensions of agriculture (e.g., production, processing, distribution) and international trade. Representatives of organizations and individuals who focus on specific crops or livestock breeds, as well as financial advisors, extension service specialists, political leaders, agricultural researchers, and transportation and communication specialists have all been participants . In the summit forums, people who might not regularly interact are able to do so because of the assistance of the federal and the Louisiana state governments and the Agribusiness Council of Louisiana. Detailed minutes of the meetings are provided to each attendee after case Studies 93 the meeting and are also placed on the Agribusiness Council of Louisiana website. Generally, there are two summit forums each year, and each has a planning committee made up of federal, state, university, and Agribusiness Council members, plus industries as appropriate to the theme of the forum. Other dimensions of the meetings are surveys of priority issues, video recordings of the presentations, and invitational letters sent by e-mail to all interested parties. Each forum has about seventyfive attendees. The forums are held at various locations around the state, which also dictates the agenda or theme. The key issue in strengthening the agricultural economy of a relatively large area is how to bring resources together for which no one entity has specific authority. The results of the forums are actions that are executed by the appropriate organization or individual. Additionally, there are quarterly luncheon meetings of the Agribusiness Council to focus on specific matters. Case Study Following Hurricane Katrina, it was not difficult to attract such a wide group of agricultural people to see how they could help one another and contribute to the recovery effort. Following Katrina, two other hurricanes (Rita and Gustave) also hit the state. Added to these natural disasters was the enormous downturn of the nation’s economy in the fall of 2008. So a series of four summit forums was planned for the fall of 2008, both spring and fall of 2009, and June of 2010. The themes were as follows: Addressing Challenges for the Future Resilience and Recovery of Louisiana Agriculture from Recent Challenges Recent Trend Impacting Louisiana in Food and Agriculture How the Livestock Industry Is Meeting Economic Challenges 94 case Studies In the first forum, LSU conducted a survey of the agricultural community to identify problems and options for resolving them. Its objectives were the following: 1. Facilitate networking and communication among agribusiness leaders, higher education, and government agencies and officials. 2. Identify challenges facing the agribusiness industry and begin exploring ways to strengthen the existing infrastructure. 3. Explore the need for an agribusiness leadership institute to prepare future industry leaders. Subsequent programs built on this base, focusing especially on the available resources and how the agriculture and food community in the state can help itself. Each forum had an organizational format: each one began with a status report (20–30 minutes) by the commissioner of agriculture and forestry (Mike Strain, DVM), comments by one of the land-grant chancellors, and remarks by a USDA leader. A keynote address set the stage for the rest of the meeting and was followed by a panel of six or seven key figures in various aspects of agriculture , such as seafood, restaurants, major commodity areas, livestock , coastal resources, finance, transportation, international trade (including the port authorities), forestry, small farms, and farmers’ markets. The resulting efforts addressed seven major issues: How can we utilize commerce and online tools? How can agriculture become more diversified...