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Greetings and
Farewell Region 12 Members,
I would like
to thank all of you for giving me the opportunity to represent this
region for the past six years.
I ran for
this office back in 2002 for a few reasons. I loved this breed of
cattle, really wanted to learn as much as I could about them, and also
wanted to help make a difference. My term has been an interesting,
challenging, and most of all, enjoyable adventure. I have dealt with
everything from the simplest cattle questions from new members to
helping the ADCA rebuild after the split into two associations. As
the ADCA continues to grow, there will challenges. We need to work
together as a team, for the common good of the breed. When you take
your concerns to your new Director, Dan Butterfield, remember that he
will represent the wishes of the majority of Region 12 members. He has
a great passion for Dexters and will be a great spokesperson for our
region.
Our region is
growing by leaps and bounds. This is a testament to the breed and the
wonderful people of Region 12. The best part of this job was meeting so
many of you over the years. I am blessed to be able to call you
friends.
I still have
one big task to help complete – The 2009 AGM in Fort Dodge, IA. So, get
ready for my phone call to help “show off” Region 12 and our cattle.
I am going to rely on many of you to help welcome members from around
the country to Iowa this summer.
I’ll end by
wishing each and every one of you the best in health and happiness. I
will enjoy my retirement from the Board of Director’s but would be lying
to you if I said I won’t miss it….a little.
Rick Seydel
“Retired” Director of Region 12
December
Christmas Card Letter
Hello Region 12 Members!
First, I want to
wish each and every one of you a Merry Christmas and a Happy Holiday.
For those of you who don’t know me, my name is Dan Butterfield and
January 1st, I will be your new Regional Director. I want to
thank everyone who supported me. I also want to thank those of you who
supported Diane Mills-Frank and Diane herself. While other regions
can’t get anyone to run, there were two of us who were willing to step
up and represent this very spread out region. I also want to thank Rick
Seydel for being a fantastic director for the last 6 years!
The most important
thing that I need to let all of you know is that the National Show and
Sale is coming up, and we as Region 12 Members are going to be the
hosts! This is an incredible opportunity for you all. First, animals
and breeders from all over the country will be flooding into Fort Dodge,
Iowa June 25-28th 2009. This is a perfect opportunity to
show off your animals, sell animals, show your animals and meet people
of this wonderful breed. Below is a Map, so you can see where Fort
Dodge is in relation to you. Keep in mind, this is about as close as it
will ever be to us!
Currently the
sponsorship committee chaired by me, is looking for class sponsors. We
are going to be having a Youth Show and Open show. So if you would like
to help by sponsoring a youth class, or an open class please let me
know. The sooner you sponsor a class the more advertising you will get
from
www.dextercattle.org.
Advertising, Mark
Nurczyk (Chair), Diane Mills-Frank, Ethan Book & I can all four help
you out with Advertising. Again, this is an excellent opportunity to
have an ad, starting at $15 for a business card sized ad. This ad will
be in the show & Sale catalog. Let’s see if we can’t show what Region
12 is made of. No ads for other breed of cattle will be accepted, but,
if you sell other rare breed animals or have another business or
whatever, please help support the show & sale, and let people know about
you.
Book your hotel, I
am not sure how many are left, but I know they are filling right up. We
only reserved 40 rooms at our host hotel. It is fantastic to enjoy and
converse the event after a long day. It is fun to all be together in
one hotel. Makes car pooling and more a lot easier also. At least 1
member who lives close by has offered their facilities if people come
early or for some reason you need a place to offload. If you need their
info, please get in touch with me.
If you are able to
offer help for the AGM, both before with planning, during the event, or
after the event, please get in touch with Rick Seydel. He will help
find you a job to contribute, that you are comfortable with.
One last note on
the AGM – Some people don’t understand what this is. I sure didn’t when
my grandma and I got started, if it wasn’t for us talking to Rick we may
not have went. SO if you are asking yourself, why should I go to the
AGM? Here are some reasons. Meeting other breeders, seeing other
animals, you are able to add to your herd from all over the country, you
can network with other breeders. I have made a couple of my best
friends from attending AGM’s. This is not just a boring board meeting.
It is too early to share some of the things that will be happening as we
don’t have confirmation from many of the speakers yet, but realize there
will likely be breakout sessions where you can learn things from all
aspects of cattle management, such as milking, what to select for in
breeding stock or showing stock, AI services, animal health and much
more. There is a board meeting, the two shows, entertainment, the White
Dexter Sale, which simply is an auction similar to a white elephant
auction. People donate anything from cow dog toys, to Dexter shows,
halters, AI straws, and even some non-Dexter items. In fact in recent
history, pet rocks were one of the best sellers. Memories are made at
these events, and it is so important to attend this year.
Another concern
from some of the members is the fact that the ADCA is currently changing
what time of year the Membership Directory is put out. Because of this
transition, 2007 Membership Directories were handed out in 2007 and part
of 2008. Once they ran out, they have not been reprinted, because new
ones are just around the corner. Because of this, if you would like a
current membership list for our region, please contact me and I will
mail one out to you. My plan was to enclose it in this Christmas Card
but began thinking this letter to you may be tacky enough. So I am
happy to mail you one upon request.
Two members have
expressed interest in resuming our Region 12 Newsletter. I am happy to
go thru the motions and supporting that, but we need your help. We need
articles, events, pictures, and paid ads. If you can help with any of
that please let me know via email or by phone. I will also share the
events, articles, and pictures, so that we can add those things to
www.dextercattle.org.
Speaking of
www.dextercattle.org, please check it out, there have been many new
features, a photo archive setup, a news page, dexter articles, and many
other pages with information and should be even easier to navigate thru
for everyone.
I would also like
to set up a region 12 website, and a distribution list, not a discussion
group, but some way to get ahold of everyone quickly when needed. More
details on that in the future.
Let me know if I
can help you in any way.
Have a Great
Holiday Season!
Thanks
Region 12 ADCA
Director-Elect
Dan Butterfield
3722 Alice Road
Toddville, Iowa 52341
319-533-5059
email me |
