APPROVED MINUTES
Northeast Dairy Compact
Commission
January 3, 2001 - Centennial
Inn, Concord, NH
Chair
Mae Schmidle called the meeting to order at 10:10 am.
Commissioners in attendance:
CT: Bob Jacquier; Mae Schmidle; Bob
D'Allasandro; Gabe Moquin, as designee for Shirley Ferris
MA: Charley Arbing; Gordie Cook; Mary
Kelligrew Kassler; Jim Hines as designee for Jay Healy
ME: Fred Hardy; Colon Durrell; Stan Millay
NH: Deb Erb; Doug Morris
RI: Aaron Briggs; Ron Newman; Al Bettencourt;
Peter Petrone
VT: Jacques Couture; Andy Dykstra; Harold
Howrigan
Commission Staff in Attendance:
Dan Smith, Executive Director; Tom Lehner,
Staff Counsel; Carmen Ross, Regulations Administrator; Nancy Audette, Office
Manager; Abby Meyer, Intern
I. Public Participation
There was no public
participation during this period.
II. Introduction of Guests
Ray Christensen, New York
Department of Agriculture and Markets; Gail Christensen and Pat Green, Country
Folks; Lester Gibbs and Raymond Roberts, Vermont Grange; Erik Rasmussen, Market
Administrator; Carl Peterson and Bob Wellington, Agrimark, Inc.; Steve Watrous,
Allied Federated Cooperatives.
III. Consideration and
Approval of Minutes of the December 1, 2000 meeting
Motion
1/3/01-1 by Mr. Couture/Second by Mr. Newman
Moved
to approve the minutes of December 6, 2000 as presented.
MOTION PASSED 6 TO 0
IV. Consideration of
Communications
There were no communications
to consider.
V. Financial Report: Month Ending
November 30, 2000
Commissioner Durrell,
Treasurer, presented the financial statements for the
Administrative and Producer
Settlement Funds for the month ending November 30.
Motion
1/3/01-2 by Mr. Durrell on behalf of the Committee on Finance
Moved
to file the financial statements for the month ending November 30, 2000 for
audit
MOTION PASSED 6 TO 0
VI. Reports
A. Chair's Report
Commissioner Schmidle stated
that her Chair's Report would be incorporated into her report for the Committee
on Administration.
B.
Executive Director's Report
Mr.
Smith introduced Abby Meyer, Office Intern. He indicated that she was helping
him with the outline of the Compact Impact Report. Mr. Smith also explained
that he is working with research assistants and an economics professor at the
University of Vermont on the farm side of the Impact Report and that work on
the other elements of the Report was proceeding. He indicated that the Organic
Cow brief would be filed by January 16, and that the briefing should be
complete and the case prepared for oral argument sometime in March. Mr. Smith
also reported that the office staff ‑ Mr. Lehner, Mr. Ross and himself ‑
were preparing an informal/formal request for comment from interested persons
regarding implementation of the supply management program payouts, set to
commence this summer. He closed by indicating that the office move had occurred
smoothly, and that he had turned his primary attention to the recruitment and
hiring process for the two open positions.
C.
Committee on Administration
Commissioner
Schmidle reported that the Committee had reviewed scheduling and meeting
location issues, and the Chair's proposed committee assignments. She indicated
that the Committee would recommend that the Commission meet in Concord for the
February meeting, but then hold its March meeting, concurrent with the Annual
Meeting in Vermont, late in the month. She also stated the Committee would
recommend that the Commission travel throughout New England for the monthly
meetings beginning in May.
D.
Committee on Regulations and Rulemaking
Commissioner
Starr was absent in order to attend his swearing‑ in ceremony as a
Vermont State Legislator. In his absence and at his direction, Mr. Smith
reported that the Committee on Regulations would begin a discussion about the
price regulation and the propriety of amending the amount of the over‑order
obligation. Mr. Smith indicated that Mr. Starr had stressed that the
Committee's discussion was intended to be informative and preliminary.
VII. New Business
A. Recommendations of Committee on Administration
i. Motion 1/3/01-3 by Mr. Petrone
on behalf of the Committee on Administration
Moved
to approve the Chair's recommendations for committee appointments‑ (set
forth as an attachment to the minutes).
Discussion: Mr. Petrone indicated that
the Committee on Administration had reviewed and approved the Chair's
recommendations for Committee assignments and recommended their adoption by the
full Commission. Ms. Schmidle indicated that she had asked each state to submit
proposals for committee assignments for its delegation members. She indicated
that she had tried to accommodate the concerns of each state and still provide
the needed balance on each committee for each constituency represented.
Commissioner Erb indicated that the New Hampshire delegation had proposed
Commissioner Morris for the Committee on Regulation, in his capacity as an
economist, and Commissioner Cabot for the Committee on Nominations, rather than
the inverse as reflected in the Chair's recommendation. Further discussion
ensued.
Motion 1/3/01-4 by Ms.
Erb/Second by Mr. Bettencourt
Commissioner
Erb moved to amend the pending motion, to approve the Chairs proposed
appointments with the substitutions of Commissioner Morris on the Committee on
Regulations and Commissioner Cabot on the Committee on Nominations
MOTION TO AMEND PASSED 6 TO 0
PENDING MOTION, AS AMENDED,
PASSED 6 TO 0
ii. Motion 1/3/01-5 by Mr.
Petrone on behalf of the Committee on Administration
Moved
to schedule the March monthly meeting and the Annual Meeting at a date and time
to be scheduled by the Chair.
Discussion: Commissioner Petrone
explained again that the Committee on Administration recommended that the March
meeting be held in Montpelier, Vermont toward the end of March, to allow for
the potential attendance of the Vermont Congressional delegation at the Annual
Meeting. With regard to the monthly meeting date change, he indicated that the
Bylaws enabled and required the Commission to so authorize the change from the
first Wednesday of the month. With regard to the Annual Meeting date change, he
indicated that a Bylaws amendment is necessary for the Annual meeting to be
held on a date other than the first Wednesday of the month, and that the newly
constituted Bylaws Committee would be asked to review this issue.
MOTION PASSED 6 TO 0
The
Commission recessed briefly after this motion to allow the newly constituted
Committees on Bylaws and Finance to meet.
When
the Commission reconvened, Commissioner Millay reported that the Bylaws
Committee would recommend the bylaws change to allow the change in date for the
Annual Meeting. Mr. Lehner explained that the full Commission would receive
written notice of the proposed bylaws change relating to the scheduling of the
Annual Meeting in time for action at the February meeting.
B. Recommendation of Committee on Finance
Motion
1/3/01-6 by Mr. Durrell on behalf of the Committee on Finance
Commissioner
Durrell moved to that the Commission authorize payment of the litigation
attorney invoice relating to In re Organic Cow in the amount of $8,310.82
MOTION PASSED
6 TO 0
Ms.
Schmidle closed the new business portion of the meeting by indicating that the
Chairs for Standing Committees for 2000 needed to prepare their Annual reports
for submission at the Annual Meeting in March
VII. Opportunity for
Individual State Comments.
Commissioner Bettencourt
informed the Commission that the President would be making a series of
important appointments to the farmer service organizations in each of the
states, and that Commission members might wish to participate in the
appointment process. Commissioner Cook informed the Commission of a developing
problem with Johnes cattle disease.
VIII.
Additional Public Comment
There
was no public comment during this additional period.
The
meeting was adjourned at 11:43 am.
Respectfully submitted,
Douglas E. Morris, Secretary
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