Wisconsin Livestock Identification Consortium (WLIC) held its first-ever virtual annual member meeting last week, June 18, 2020, which was rescheduled from April. Although not the first choice to meet by many, due to the circumstances surrounding COVID-19 the WLIC Board decided the virtual platform would be the best route to ensure the safety of all attendees.
The Board of Directors said goodbye to two outgoing members who both served on the board for a total of five years. Keith York, representing Professional Dairy Producers of Wisconsin (PDPW) and Merry-Water Farms, served as the Board Chair. York shared his knowledge to help lead WLIC forward to be self-sustaining and his passion to promote animal disease traceability and individual animal identification. Tod Adams, representing AllFlex USA Inc., helped WLIC develop its Wisconsin-branded ear tag and his efforts were instrumental in launching the new WLIC online store. Adams also served as a great resource for all Radio Frequency Identification Technology (RFID) questions.
An election was held online and by mail, and new board members were announced during the meeting. WLIC welcomes back Julie Sweney (FarmFirst Dairy Cooperative) and Mike Salter (Wisconsin Pork Producers) to their second term on the Board. Matt Crimmins from Johnsonville Sausage was elected to his first term. Kevin Krentz (Wisconsin Farm Bureau) was named the 2020 Board Chair. Incumbents, Julie Sweney (FarmFirst Dairy Cooperative) will serve again as vice-chair, Dr. Lynn Schultz will serve again as secretary, and Brenda Murphy (Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin) will serve another term as Treasurer.
Previously scheduled speakers were able to attend and present on the current status of Wisconsin Agriculture. Secretary Designee Randy Romanski touched on the importance of the partnerships with the Wisconsin Department of Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP) and organizations such as WLIC to help move the industry forward. Krista Knigge, Administrator of Agricultural Development for the Department of Agriculture, spoke about the many resources available to producers through the Wisconsin International Agribusiness Center, Wisconsin Farm Center, and the Wisconsin Agriculture and Food Center. They both shared beneficial information that will help us navigate through these unprecedented times. State Veterinarian Darlene Konkle provided an update as well.
WLIC soft-launched its new Traceability video that was made possible through a grant from the Professional Dairy Producers Foundation. The informational video was developed to educate producers, industry professionals, and legislators about traceability, how it works, and why it is important to Wisconsin Agriculture. The hard launch of the full video is scheduled to be released in the coming weeks. Please watch for and share the video when you come across it to bolster the efforts made by WLIC.
The online presence of WLIC was made even more substantial with the launch of their brand-new website at www.wiid.org. The new streamlined website was designed to grow online tag sales as well as promote WLIC memberships. The new site also features members and member profiles, all WLIC board and staff members, as well as an archive of the WLIC weekly newsletter. Registrations can also be accepted via the website which has encouraged many producers to register or renew online which saves WLIC staff time.
To view the recorded meeting please contact Jodi Legge (jlegge@wiid.org).
Wisconsin Livestock Identification Consortium (WLIC) is a private, non-profit (501c3) organization working to protect animal health and prevent the spread of disease through livestock and premises identification and traceability. For more information or to become a member or sponsor, visit www.wiid.org or call 888-808-1910.
