The AASV Board of Directors and Committee Chairpersons met in Perry, IA on October 5 for a strategic planning session followed by the fall board meeting on October 6.
Drs. Tara Donovan (Spring Green, Wisconsin) and George Charbonneau (Stratford, Ontario) were nominated to run for the office of AASV Vice President. Biographical information for the two candidates will appear in the Jan/Feb 2010 issue of the Journal of Swine Health and Production (JSHAP). Ballots will be mailed to voting members in January.
The year-to-date income statement and current balance sheet indicate the association continues to be on sound financial footing. The investments are recovering from the recent downturn in the stock market, and the Reserve Fund Management Committee met recently to review and make adjustments to the portfolio. The 2009 Annual Meeting in Dallas was the best attended and most profitable in the association’s history.
Veterinarian membership has been stable for the past four years and includes members from 46 countries. Total AASV membership increased to 1578 (compared to 1513 last year) on the strength of increased student memberships (285 compared to 222 last year). The Board approved printing an updated edition Membership Directory for 2010.
Dr. Derald Holtkamp reported that PADRAP’s Growing Pig module has been released, and its database is being populated with assessments. Approximately 250-300 assessments will be required before meaningful benchmarking can be performed. The Sow Herd assessment is being updated to adjust factor-weighting and incorporate recent changes in industry practices. Efforts are being made to position PADRAP as a valuable tool for regional/national PRRS elimination.
The AASV Board of Directors:
- Approved a motion to provide access to the Swine Information proceedings online content as a benefit to all AASV members.
- Approved a motion to discontinue production of the Swine Information CD ROM, and replace it with a USB flash drive that contains the complete Swine Information online content, for members to purchase if desired.
- Voted to hold the Summer Conference on an every-other-year schedule, with the next conference in 2011 at a location to be determined by the Summer Conference Committee.
- Voted to establish a summer intern position for 2010 to work on projects identified by AASV staff, pending the securing of funding from the AASV Foundation or other grant.
- Heard an update on the efforts of the recently-formed PRRS Eradication Working Group, and passed a motion to provide support for a face-to-face meeting of the AASV PRRS Task Force with the PRRS Eradication Working Group for the purpose of formulating, with the assistance of AASV staff, an infrastructure plan to further a PRRS Elimination program.
- Directed Dr. Burkgren to organize a media training opportunity for board members.
- Passed a motion directing the PADRAP Advisory Board to establish a base fee per assessment and a plan for sponsorship to present to the Board of Directors for consideration at the March AASV Board Meeting.
Dr. Randy Jones presented the Budget Committee’s recommendations and proposed budget for 2010. In light of the current economic hardships, the Board voted not to increase 2010 membership dues and Annual Meeting registration fees while providing additional membership value by providing access to the Swine Information proceedings online content as a benefit to all AASV members.
AASV Delegate to the AVMA Dr. Bill Hollis drew attention to the AVMA’s response to the PEW report, noting that it provided a good resource to quote when refuting the inaccuracies of the PEW report. He suggested AASV submit resolutions to the AVMA House of Delegates confirming AVMA support for efforts such as comprehensive swine disease surveillance, PQA+, and PRRS elimination.
The complete minutes of the Board of Director’s Fall Meeting are available in the members’ section of the AASV website.