Meeting Minutes November 16, 2020

November 16, 2020 Meeting Minutes | Zoom

The State Board of Agricultural Research and Education met for a regular meeting on November 16, 2020 via Zoom platform. Present: Jim Bahm, Mark Birdsall, Dean Bresciani, John Dhuyvetter, Larry Hoffmann, Jerry Klein, Greg Lardy, Brian Leier, Sarah Lovas, Dean Wehri and Julie Zikmund. Tom Bodine attended on behalf of Doug Goehring. Absent: Doug Bichler, Tracy Boe and Lance Gulleson.

Chair Birdsall called the meeting to order at 11:00 a.m. He welcomed the newest member, John Dhuyvetter as well as everyone in attendance, and asked those attending online to make introductions.

Social Media Training by Becky Koch, NDSU Ag Communication Director

Becky offered tips and tricks to practice professional social media to avoid crises. Think about your role and motivation for sharing. Before posting to social media, as yourself if you followed THINK.

THINK

T – Is it thoughtful?
H – Is it helpful?
I – is it inspiring?
N – Is it necessary?
K – Is it kind?

The key message was reiterating how very public social media is; different people see you in different roles; social media needs to reflect positively on you personally, SBARE and NDSU.

Administrative Updates from Dean Bresciani, President of North Dakota State University

President Bresciani noted that students seem to fair quite well during the pandemic. There are some struggles and challenges, but internally NDSU is doing quite well. He is proud of the NDSU community for pushing ahead.

Administrative Updates from Greg Lardy, VP for Agricultural Affairs, Dean, Director, Director

Dr. Lardy welcomed Melissa Schwengler, administrative assistant in the ND Agricultural Experiment Station, and Lynette Flage, Associate Director, NDSU Extension. He advised that Becky Koch is retiring effective November 20 and the search process has started with hopes to fill the position by the first of the year.

Dr. Lardy discussed the budget and provided an update of the 2019 general fund initiatives. The NDSU Foundation Development officers continue to work on fundraising. The COVID pandemic has caused challenges for them as they are not able to meet with donors; however, they are doing their best to reach out. Dr. Lardy expressed thanks to ND legislators for their work on securing funds from the emergency Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economics Security (CARES) Act. The Williston Greenhouse REC is expected to be complete in 2021. The pandemic is affecting the way we normally do work; however, the staff have really stepped up.

Administrative Updates from Lynette Flage, Associate Director of NDSU Extension

Dr. Flage provided an update on virtual NDSU Extension listening sessions, which are done every five years. They have shared highlights and discussed updates with state legislators and county commissioners. Brad Cogdill, 4-H Director, retires at the end of November. An internal search will be conducted to fill this position as well as the Assistant Director, Family and Community Wellness, position. Lynette provided an update on the enhanced web presence, which will integrate multimedia and social media, and give a modern and consistent look and feel to the sites. The sites will be listed by topic, and will also be mobile friendly. It is hoped that the new site will be completed by June 30, 2021.

Tom Bodine, Deputy Commissioner, provided an update from the North Dakota Agriculture Department.

Comments from Mark Birdsall, SBARE Chair

Chair Birdsall provided an update on activities. These included a strategy review meeting, virtual REC field days, submission of a status report to the legislature, ND Ag Coalition meeting on July 16, ND Wheat Commission meeting, and other meetings. Several meetings with legislators were held in October and November.

Recognition

Richard Roland was recognized for his time and service to SBARE. He served on the board from 2012- 2020.

Approval of June 5, 2020 Meeting Minutes

MOTION: Senator Klein moved to accept the June 5, 2020 meeting minutes as presented; seconded by Larry Hoffmann. Motion passed.

Approval of Agricultural Research Fund Granting Committee List

MOTION: Sarah Lovas moved to accept the Ag Research Funding granting committee list as presented; seconded by Jim Bahm. Motion passed.

Chair Birdsall provided a recap of the October 14 Office of Management and Budget meeting.

Budget Update

Discussion was held on Governor Burgum’s budget guidelines for budget reductions in state agencies. The North Dakota Agricultural Experiment Station and NDSU Extension were among the agencies asked to submit a 15% reduction; the Research Extension Centers were classified at the 5% reduction tier. Emphasize the impact and return on investment that the departments have throughout the state of ND.

The Board discussed legislative strategy and the priority sheets for NDAES and NDSU Extension. Top priority is still to request restoration of the 15% budget cut and then move forward with the top two priorities from NDAES and NDSU Extension. The Governor’s budget is typically released the 1st week in December. Plans for future meetings with legislators will be made.

MOTION: Sarah Lovas made a motion to adjourn the meeting; seconded by Senator Klein. Motion carried.

Meeting adjourned at 3:37 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,
Melissa Schwengler