FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Answer: There is no doubt that it has taken us longer than we ever expected to get to where we are today. Immediately following the consortium’s business meeting held in Cincinnati, OH, Chuck, Fred, and Mike Barry met with Dr. Dave Mertens and the development of the strategy of analysis for the consortium’s feed samples was under way. After a month and a half of writing and revisions, FeedAC (with the leadership of Dr. Mertens and help from Chuck, Mike and Fred) released the "Strategy of Analysis for Samples" to the Founding and Charter Members. During this time the consortium continued to receive feed samples and actively pursued feed testing labs to become members and conduct feed analysis.
Meanwhile, as the consortium continued to grow, it became clear that RFAC was becoming a creation too large for a single principal investigator (PI), with too many members involved, for the limited capabilities offered to us through the various university offices (e.g., office of sponsored research, business services, etc.). The daily stressors and challenges associated with interacting with these and other offices were quickly draining the momentum the consortium had garnered from the support of its Founding and early Charter Members.
Thus, it was proposed over a year ago that RFAC incorporate as a non-profit organization and that the administration services for the consortium be moved off-campus. In addition RFAC was being encouraged by some associated with the swine and poultry industry to broaden its activities and take into account the interests of all animal species. Thus, the Feed Analysis Consortium, Inc. (FeedAC) was formed. While it sounds like an easy enough process, many months were put into the incorporation process. Initial efforts using our own manpower with local lawyers were not fruitful. Discussions then began between with Dr. Jerry Baker (CEO, FASS) as to the services that would be needed by the consortium if it were decided to out-source all administrative duties. Dr. Baker outlined the various needs of an organization like FeedAC. Dr. Baker also provided the leadership direction needed to get the wheels of the incorporation process rolling by referring us to a law firm based out of Chicago, IL that specializes in the creation of non-profit organizations. Once in contact with the lawyers, the next logical step was the establishment of a Board of Directors. Careful considerations went into these selections. It was important that first-ever FeedAC Board be as balanced as possible with respect to specie of interest (ruminant & non-ruminant), geographic location [United States (east & west) & Canada], and industry association (company & academia). Once the Board was selected, the process of incorporation continued with the creation of all of the needed documents (Articles of Incorporation, Statement of Activities, Statement of Purpose, etc.). With only one full time employee (Fred), most of the Consortium activities, including sample collection and analysis had to be put on hold.
In hind-sight, it was a huge blessing that consortium is not further along in the feed analysis process than it currently is. As it turns out, much to our surprise, it would have created a legal quagmire between the consortium and the university. There are still a few issues to resolve between UNH and FeedAC that will officially cease the existence of RFAC and its association to the university, but believe me, it has been a long and stressful process.
The next step for FeedAC was to strategically align itself with an organization that could provide administrative, accounting, and membership services. The Federation of Animal Science Societies (FASS) became a logical choice and the FeedAC Board agreed with that proposal. A memorandum of understanding (MOU) was established between FeedAC and FASS on March 6, 2006, with the following services to be provided:
- Membership maintenance
- Meeting planning and support
- Technology resources and support activities (including support and staff)
- Publications support
- General administrative and governance support
- Bookkeeping and other related financial services
- Maintenance of corporate history and archival support services
- Other general staff support as need to assist FeedAC in its daily business
In addition to providing the services mentioned, FASS also offers website support and maintenance. Thus, after much discussion with FASS, it became clear that it would be in the best long term interests of FeedAC to move the website from AgModels, LLC to FASS, sooner rather than later. Again, the Board of Directors agreed and it was a unanimous decision at the board meeting in Detroit, MI (April 4th and 5th) to transfer all of website responsibilities to FASS, as well.
As you may know, Mike Barry of AgModels, LLC created and maintained the original website (ruminantfeeds.org). Much effort went into building the website as a communication tool. As indicated in our last newsletter, Fred and I are very grateful for the many contributions of Mike, and it was not easy to ask someone who had given so much to the consortium to relinquish that responsibility. However, Mike is totally committed to FeedAC and maybe more than anyone else has the best vision of what FeedAC can become to not only North America but to the rest of the world. So he fully understands the many reasons why doing this was important to FeedAC, not the least of which is to get the website on a server maintained by an organization that provides similar services for other organizations and to realize the cost benefits of stream-lining the majority of the consortiums day-to-day activities through the website. Please know that Mike has agreed to continue to play a key role in FeedAC’s activities; he will continue to serve as the data/technical consultant and will take the lead on constructing the databases for the feed information system.
Fred is now in daily contact with FASS regarding all aspects of FeedAC activities. Every day FASS is becoming more and more acquainted and involved in FeedAC’s daily management. As in any transition, this has been a slow and time-consuming task but Fred is now seeing the light at the end of the tunnel and excited to be getting back to the real business of FeedAC, which is the resumption of collecting feed sample and feed analysis.
In summary, please know that we have not been twiddling our thumbs. At this point we have raised and spent over $ 250,000 for the initiative and we take great pride in what has been established. We remain ever grateful to the companies and individuals that have given us the financial support that was needed to build the organization and help garner the administrative support of FASS. In deed we had little idea as to the time and commitment that was needed to get the organization to where it is today. Fortunately the companies and individuals that have taken a leadership role in the creation of this organization understand that they have contributed to a long-term investment and an investment that was needed to propel the advancement of feed analysis and nutritional modeling. We believe that a business structure has been developed such that the success or failure of the consortium will be dependent on its membership and membership involvement.
Answer: No. At this time the university is simply providing a temporary place to store and split samples for FeedAC. As FeedAC continues to mature and grow, it is envisioned that the feed storage and sample splitting activities will be moved off the university campus and into a commercial setting. The timing of this is dependent upon the growth of the consortium’s membership base and the generation of income from dues and grants.
In the meantime, Fred’s office, the samples, and the sample splitter are located on the UNH campus. The consortium is paying a space rental fee for the use of this space. This fee is nominal compared to the cost of commercial space and includes the costs associated with utilities and maintenance (currently $4.04 per sq. ft. per year for storage space and $17.14 per sq. ft. per year for office space).
Answer: No. The Dairy Nutrition Research Center (DNRC) was built to accommodate the dairy faculty, staff, and graduate students. Additional office space is available to house other faculty and staff, one of which is being used by Fred.
Answer: No.
Answer: First you must be a member of FeedAC to gain access to these expert groups. Once you receive your user criteria from FASS, log in to the website (http://www.feedac.org) and go to the "discussion" tab. As you view the various discussion groups, you will see small red circle with an "X" on the left hand side and a blue "join" tab to the right. Simply click on the blue "join" tab to become part of the discussion groups of your choice.
