August means that summer is winding down and fall will soon be upon us. In fact, here in the Mid-Atlantic, we are getting a bit of a ‘Fall Preview’ weather-wise this week. Temperatures are dropping down into the lower 50s at night, which is very unusual for this area in August. With fall comes harvest for many of our clients (and some of our own farming ventures as well). Fall is my personal favorite for seasons, not just because of the weather, but also because of the opportunity to ‘reap what we have sown’.
Since becoming a member of ASAC, I have discovered another reason to look forward to fall. It means that the ASAC Annual Conference is on its way. We typically hold the Annual Conference in early November, and this year is no different. The 2024 Annual Conference will be held on November 3-5 at the Crowne Plaza Ft. Myers Gulf Coast in sunny Fort Myers, Florida. We have an excellent agenda for the conference this year, with a diverse set of presenters, as well as a very interesting tour of agriculture in the Ft. Myers area. You do not want to miss this year’s Annual Conference! Read more about the conference and register today at: https://www.agconsultants.org/2024_annual_conference.php
While registering for the Annual Conference, don’t forget to get your hotel reservations locked down. Make sure that you follow the link on the ASAC website (see link above) to register online or mention the ASAC group code when registering by phone, to assure that you receive our group rate, as well as making sure that your room counts towards ASAC’s room block guarantee! You will not be disappointed with the hotel facilities for this year’s conference. We have an excellent venue, based on the firsthand reports from those who have visited the site.
Are you and/or your business interested in being an ASAC conference sponsor? There are recognition benefits to being a sponsor, including a reduction in meeting registration costs when sponsoring at the Platinum level. ASAC depends on sponsorships to keep our meeting costs low, while still providing a high-quality program. Please consider being a meeting sponsor. Likewise, do you work with companies in the agriculture industry that would be interested in sponsoring our conference? It will be an opportunity for them to show their support for the organization, while also introducing themselves to a potential new set of customers or strategic partners. Please look over and share the sponsorship flyer with folks that you work with here: https://www.agconsultants.org/docs/2024_Sponsorship_Program_Fillable_Form.pdf
Finally, we are depending on you, our members, to share ASAC with your peers in the Agricultural Consulting industry. If you are not already connected to ASAC through our social media platforms, please find us and like or follow us! You can find us on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram and X. If you are already a follower (or after you start), please make sure that you like and share our posts on social media and "tag" our speakers, so that your connections can share in all that ASAC has to offer.
I’m looking forward to seeing you in a few months in Sunny Florida!
Added benefits of coming to the conference:
MACS Academy is sponsoring CAC Course CNSLT 318, an in-person course, from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. (Eastern) time on November 3, before the start of the conference that evening. Check it out here.
MACS Academy is also providing a Florida Sugar Industry tour immediately following the conference on November 6. More details here.
Standing Committees:
Membership – Ron Rabou - raboufarms@gmail.com
Nominating – Pete Weisenberger - pete.weis0956@gmail.com
By-Laws – Abigail Byerly - majerus@snowymountaindevelopment.com
Ethics and Grievance – Ethan Robertson - ethan.robertson@farmcrediteast.com
Continuing Education – Scott Mickey - smickey@clemson.edu
Annual Meeting – David Mielnicki - david.mielnicki@nmrk.com
Finance – Keith Raynor - keith@trpsumner.com
Ad Hoc Committees
Marketing and Promotion – Chair Needed
Strategic Alliance – Norm Brown - norm@fbssystems.com
Keith Dickinson
President
Death Notice: We have just received notice that longtime ASAC member Michael Salisbury passed away on August 18. His obituary can be found here.
