Catch Your Breath If You Can

Minnesota Agriculture and Rural Leadership (MARL) people have been very busy since the last MARL Now Blog was posted just after Class VI returned from their International Study Tour to Morocco.

+MARL was represented at the Southwest Minnesota State University (SMSU) Ag Outlook Seminar in Marshall.
+The MARL Study Tour to Morocco was featured on a live radio show in Marshall.
+Thirty-Two members of MARL Class VI graduated in Chaska.
+The MARL Alumni Auction was great fun and very successful.
+The MARL Alumni Breakfast was well attended and the 2013 MARL Alumni International Trip destination was announced...New Zealand.
+The MARL office moved to a new facility provided by SMSU.
+Applicants for MARL Class VII were interviewed at five different sites around the State of Minnesota.
+Thirty participants for MARL Class VII were selected and later announced.
+MARL was represented at the Minnesota State FFA Convention.
+The Marshall Rotary Sunrise Club was given a presentation about MARL's mission and Class VI.
+Planning and announcement of the August 20, 2012 MARL Golf Tournament in North Mankato took place.
+Many presentations regarding the MARL mission and the MARL International Study Tour to Morocco have been given around the state of Minnesota by MARL Alumni and the Executive Director.
+A tour of two large Minnesota agriculture businesses and a river boat cruise with North Dakota leaders and MARL will soon be announced.

Catch your breath and check the MARL Now Blog again very soon to check out the new items.

Morocco Welcomes MARL Class VI

MARL Class VI had a wonderful experience on their International Study Tour to Morocco. The sights, sounds, smells, tastes, events, places and people of Morocco all combined to give MARL Class VI a world class, unforgettable trip of a lifetime. Every day was packed with tours, meeting new people, speakers, trying new foods and learning about a new culture. We were welcomed, treated well and invited back by our Moroccan friends. You can follow the journey of Class VI in Morocco by going to Facebook and typing MARL Morocco in the search box. Once there you will find pictures and comments from class members.

I have prepared a PowerPoint presentation for MARL Class VI members to use to deliver presentations to your group or organization. Each class member was given the assignment to give a presentation to three different groups. MARL Class VI class members have their bios and contact information listed at www.MARLprogram.org under Current MARL Class. Please contact them directly to set up a presentation time. E-mail me at Dan.Hoffman@SMSU.edu if you need help finding the right person to present to your group.

Hotel reservations for graduation need to be made before March 9 for special pricing. Contact information for Oak Ridge Hotel, RSVP for graduation and meal choices are on the home page at www.MARLprogram.org.

MARL Class VI member Jim Sieben and UM representative Dick Senese look on as MARL Executive Director Dan Hoffman presents a gift to US Ambassador to Morocco Sam Kaplan and his wife Sylvia. The Ambassador and his wife invited MARL Class VI to their home for dinner.

 

Lara Durben presents a friendship pin to Ambassador Sam Kaplan.

 Bulk spices for sale.

 

 Jane Wilcox-Hardwick with an orange tree behind her a a bunch of dates hanging down in front of her.

 

Loom operator in a Medina weaving cloth. 

 

Beautiful fabrics from the loom.

Lara Durben, Staci Bohlen-Martin and Tom Walsh model products of the Moroccan weavers.

MARL Class VI is having a very good international experience in Morocco. I believe the best way to follow their experiences will be to log on to Facebook and then proceed to MARL Morocco. Did you know that Morocco was the first country in the -world to acknowledge the United States as a country after our Revolutionary War with Britian?

Alumni Trip/Graduation/Nominations/Morocco

Thanks to all who responded to the survey to decide where the MARL Alumni Trip will be in 2013. Jim Checkel will announce the destination at the MARL Alumni Breakfast on March 24. Attendance at breakfast should be great as we hope to add 32 MARL Class VI members to the elite membership of MARL Alumni upon their graduation on March 23.

Invitations to MARL Class VI graduation should arrive by e-mail to you this weekend. Some will be mailed out next week if we can not locate your e-mail address. Please do not be stressed or offended if you do not recieve an official inviation to graduation. All are welcome and we do not mean to leave anyone off the list. Please be patient as we work to update files at MARL. The graduation invitation and instructions for selecting your menu choice and payment procedures will be posted at www.MARLprogram.org this weekend and should be returned on-line.

We have received over 240 MARL Class VII nominations and the number is still growing. Application packets have been mailed. Please check with the people you nominated to make certain they received the packet and to answer their questions about MARL. Applications are due on or before March 31, 2012, are available at www.MARLprogram.org and are to be submitted on-line.

MARL Class VI is on a count down to departure time this Sunday for their international study tour in Morocco. Follow their experiences on Facebook at MARL Morroco https://www.facebook.com/groups/224239781000477/ daily entries will also be posted here at the MARL Now Blog. The international study tour is a very important part of the MARL experience and Class VI will represent us well.

MARL Alumni Make It Happen

Monday was a productive day for MARL as Director of UM Extension Bev Durgen and I met in St. Paul. We discussed ways to continue to use a cooperative model to utilize the strengths of both the UM and SMSU to deliver quality ag and rural leadership programs through MARL. UM Chief Development Officer Matt Musel introduced me to his team and offered helpful ideas.

MARL Alumnus Ruth Meirick set up a MARL display at MN Farm Bureau's Young Farmers and Ranchers Conference last week in Rochester. Ruth reports that MARL Alumni staffed the display and answered questions about MARL and their MARL experiences. Some of the MARL Class VI participants, after completing their MARL Windom Leadership session, drove to Rochester and also helped staff the display. Thanks Ruth for sharing about MARL and engaging MARL Alumni.

Jim Checkel is leading the MARL Alumni Trip Committee and is actively seeking your input on where the MARL Alumni should travel to for the 2013 MARL Alumni Trip. Jim and the MARL Board of Directors have narrowed the choices down to New Zealand and Ireland. You should have received an e-mail from me this past weekend with a Survey Monkey attached. Please take a moment to complete the survey (it is due by Saturday, February 11). If you did not receive the e-mail it is possible that we do not have your correct e-mail address. If that is the case please e-mail me at Dan.Hoffman@SMSU.edu with an updated address.

Thursday provided a great opportunity to represent you and MARL in front of the MN FFA Foundation when they were at the SMSU campus in Marshall for their foundation board meeting. I was able to thank them for their financial contribution to MARL and mentioned I was would be visiting with their Executive Director Val Aarsvold very soon about future collaborative projects between the MN FFA Foundation and MARL.

Last Friday MARL Class VII application packets were mailed to all nominees on file at that time. Thank you for submitting those 225 nominations. This week I have received several more nominations and packets have been mailed to these nominees also. While nominations are welcome at any time please submit them to me by February 15th to allow the nominees time to submit a quality application and get their letters of reference returned before the March 31st application deadline. Applications are located at www.MARLprogram.org and are to be submitted on-line. Check with your nominees to make certain they have received a MARL Class VII application packet and answer any questions they might have about MARL.

In a testament to the importance and quality of the MARL program, MN Pork Producers Association (MPPA) Executive Director David Preisler commented to the MARL Board of Directors that five (5) past MPPA Presidents have graduated from the MARL program.

Progressive Week for MARL

Monday morning January 23rd MARL Program Director Mike Liepold and MARL Executive Director Dan Hoffman joined MARL Class VI member Elizabeth Tanner at a fund raising breakfast with several MARL Alumni and our friends from the MN Corn Growers Association and MN Soybean Growers Association at the Ag Expo in Mankato.

Breakfast was followed by many MARL Alumni stopping by the MARL booth at the Ag Expo to visit and share conversation with others. Several nominations were received for MARL CLass VII.

The MARL Board of Directors met at the MN Pork Producers office in Mankato for their regular meeing on Tuesday, January 24th. MN Pork Producers Executive Director David Priesler greeted and welcomed MARL.

Wednesday through Thursday MARL Class VI was in Windom for their Leadership Seminar with training on diversity, rural development and preparation for their international study tour to Morocco. Tours to JBS (formerly Swift), Red Rock Water Treatment facilities, Jeffers Wind Farm, and New Visons Cooperative added another dimension to the learning experience.

The Leadership Banquet-Windom was well attended and enjoyed by all as Masters of Ceremonies and MARL Alumni Shane Hastings and Dominic Jones lead us through an enjoyable evening. Former Farm Business Management Instructor Cliff Vrieze spoke of his experiences teaching shrimp farmers about financial analysis and good business practices. USDA official Colleen Landkamer spoke to the group about rural develpoment. Once again our experience was enhanced because many MARL were involved and attended the banquet.

Thank you to all who made it a great week.

MARL on the Move

This past week, MARL was well represented at the 2012 Minnesota Pork Congress held at the Minneapolis Convention Center. Many MARL alumni gathered to share information with attendees, visit with other MARL alumni, look at photos and reminisce about their MARL experiences. MARL’s friends at the Minnesota Pork Producers Association (http://www.mnpork.com/) continue to be great financial supporters of MARL and the Minnesota pork industry has benefited from pork producers, board members and others growing and learning through the MARL experience. Written nominations for MARL Class VII were received at the show. During a legislative update, it was rewarding to have MARL alumnus Paul Torkelson (Minnesota House of Representatives) as one of the speakers. It was gratifying to watch and listen as the majority of questions asked in this session came from MARL alumni in the audience; in addition, these questions were well thought out and insightful.

MARL was represented at the Minnesota Agriculture Education Leadership Council (http://www.maelc.state.mn.us/) meeting in St. Cloud on Friday, Jan. 20, where I was able to meet with ag industry leaders and educators on developing a “Blueprint for Ag Education” in Minnesota.  

On Monday, Jan. 23, you are invited to stop by the MARL booth at the Ag Expo in Mankato to say hello to your friends at MARL. On Tuesday, Jan. 24, the MARL Board of Directors meeting will be held. MARL Class VI meets in Windom this week, Wednesday-Friday, Jan. 25-27. The MARL Leadership Banquet in Windom will be held Wednesday, Jan. 25, from 7-9 p.m. at the Windom Community Center.

Dan

Minnesota Pork Board Executive Director Dave Preisler welcomes
Dan Hoffman and MARL to the 2012 Minnesota Pork Congress.

MARL alumni Tim Waibel and Gary Lager welcome visitors and
answer questions at the MARL Booth at the 2012 Minnesota Pork Congress.