Board of Agriculture Meeting Minutes, November 1, 2017
Buchanan Alumni House, Orono, Maine
Present:
Board of Agriculture Members: R. Bangs; D. Bell; S. Belle, S. Erich; T. Hobbs; J. Jordan; B. Malay; E. Mallory; M. Meyerhans; J. Rebar; J. Smith; H. Spalding, L. Titus
University of Maine Representatives: R. Brzozowski; J. Dill; S. Hunter; E. Miller; F. Servello; K. Varahramyan
Guests: C. Granger; M. Kilkelly; N. McBrady; F. Morton; C. Rector; K. Woltemath
Staff: J. Dieffenbacher-Krall, M. Rochefort
Call to order and introductions – David Bell, Chair
David Bell called the meeting to order, and he thanked everyone for making the time and coming to the meeting. He asked board members filling seats with terms scheduled to expire during the first quarter of 2018 to work with their respective organizations to appoint a person to a new term and to notify the staff. Dave addressed the elected leadership of the Board of Agriculture. He reminded the group that he had previously announced that 2016-2017 would be his last term as chair. He also announced Don Marean was unable to attend today’s meeting but he had agreed to stand for election as vice-chair. Dave also asked board members to consider electing a co-vice-chair.
Approval of March 30, 2017 Minutes – David Bell, Chair
Motion: Recommended approving the draft minutes of March 30, 2017 as revised. Minutes of the March 30, 2017 meeting were unanimously approved.
Final Discussion/Recommendation on Adjustments to Key Faculty Capacity Needs – David Bell, Chair
Board members discussed the desirability of having an agricultural engineer with master’s level education based in Cooperative Extension who would work in the field with farmers. A suggestion was made to consider a fee-for-service model that could generate additional income to support the engineering assistance, possibly for a technician. John Rebar said Cooperative Extension could develop a questionnaire focused on assessing specific agricultural engineering needs. He also stated he would talk to Dean Dana Humphrey about what College of Engineering assistance may be available to aid the agricultural community. John committed to send out the results of the questionnaire prior to the next BOA meeting.
Review of Board 4-Year Focus — David Bell, Chair
Dave Bell reviewed with the group the 4-year analysis of positions detailed in the document “Agriculture, Aquaculture and Food Related Faculty Positions Commitments to Fill Since June 2014.”
College of Natural Sciences, Forestry and Agriculture and Maine Agricultural and Forest Experiment Station Update — Dr. Fred Servello, Dean and Director
Fred Servello announced his interest in speaking at the initial 2018 BOA meeting about his College of Natural Sciences, Forestry, and Agriculture Roadmap initiative.
Dr. Kody Varahramyan, Vice President for Research and Dean of the Graduate School
Fred Servello introduced Vice President and Dean Varahramyan to the group. VP and Dean Varahramyan described his background before starting his current position in the summer of 2017. He stated one of his highest priorities will be to increase external funding for research. A hallmark word for his tenure will be growth broken down as growth in research and growth in graduate studies. He touted the new Coordinated Operating Research Entities (CORE) designed to unite as many research entities as possible under one umbrella.
University of Maine Update — President Hunter
President Hunter commented on her long, positive association with the Board of Agriculture interacting with it in a number of different roles. She cited many recent positive developments at the University of Maine including the record-breaking entering class of August 2017. President Hunter stated Signature Areas of Excellence and enrollment are primary drivers of the university decision-making process.
University of Maine Cooperative Extension Update – John Rebar, Executive Director
John Rebar reported the positive news that Cooperative Extension received no budget cut in FY 2018. The positive fiscal situation prompted him to do some hiring, primarily boosting 4-H. John mentioned the new hires of Colt Knight, Assistant Professor of Extension, State Livestock Specialist, Alicyn Smart, Assistant Extension Professor & Extension Plant Pathologist, and Sukhwinder Bali, Assistant Extension Professor & Assistant Professor of Sustainable Agriculture. He also reported on searches to fill the position formerly held by Lois Stack, the ornamental horticulture specialist, and the extension blueberry specialist held by David Yarborough.
John reported on the University of Maine System commitment to source a minimum percentage of its food purchases from Maine sources. At the end of FY 2017, the percentage of Maine-produced food purchased by the University of Maine System stood at 18.5%. The first quarter of FY 2018 saw the percentage increase to 21.5%.
Election of Chair and Vice Chair
Motion: Recommend electing Marilyn Meyerhans chair and Don Marean vice-chair. The motion passed unanimously.
Next Meeting Date
The initial meeting of 2018 will be scheduled for the late winter/spring.
Recess and Depart for Development Tour of the Plant, Animal and Insect Diagnostic Lab, 17 Godfrey Drive, Orono — John Rebar
Many board members and guests participated in the tour of the Plant, Animal and Insect Diagnostic Lab nearing completion and scheduled to open in 2018.
Adjourned from Plant, Animal and Insect Diagnostic Lab – approximately 3:15 PM