This winter, the National Corn Growers Association will convene task force of state and national staff to examine ways in which the association can broaden membership and continually improve grassroots communications.
The group, assembled at the behest of NCGA’s Grower Services Action Team with input from state corn organizations, will report back to GSAT during its annual spring meeting.
“At NCGA, we recognize the incredible importance of both deepening grassroots engagement and broadening the community of those involved in corn farming that we reach,” said GSAT Chairwoman Patty Mann, a farmer from Ohio. “We recognize that many modern farms need many people to pitch in, be it by running the combine or keeping the books, in order to be successful. By finding innovative ways to expand our reach and inspire members to action, NCGA is taking a proactive approach to building the strong base we will need for a bright future.”
The Membership Task Force, which came about as a result of the most recent GSAT meeting, will explore issues including: extending full membership to farming spouses, expanding communications to interested parties beyond farmer members, potentially expanding membership categories, and identifying the tools necessary to track members’ and advocates’ preferred contact methods, social media handles and other alternate contact information.
Following the February meeting, GSAT will make recommendations to the Corn Board for consideration. Final discussion on recommended changes and possible further action will be taken during the State and National Staff Meeting held in April of 2016.