May, 2002

Dear Members,

At the business meeting section of the Annual Meeting last January I mentioned several things that I’d like to give you a further update on.

Annual Report

First of all I mentioned that we were hoping to publish an annual report of our activities, which would include a financial report on our last fiscal year. As it turns out we have decided to hold off on creating our first full fledged annual report until next year, after we have completed the “communications plan” which I described in my earlier article. This just seems to make more sense, especially since we have nearly reached the halfway mark of this year. Most of the information that would be in an annual report is also currently available via past newsletters, the website, and hand-outs from the Annual Meeting. Thank you for your patience.

Financial Report

On the next page, however, we have provided a financial report which we feel is important to share with all members. Please feel free to contact me with any questions about this report.

Ballot on Voting Rights and Farmer Definition

I also reported that this Spring we would be sending out a ballot concerning two important proposed changes to the Articles of Incorporation and Bylaws of the Organization. These changes, if approved by a majority vote, would allow all members – non-farmers as well as farmers—to have voting rights within the organization. Currently only farmers have voting rights. You would still have to be a farmer, however, to serve on the Board of Directors. Members will also be asked to vote on changing the definition of farmer as stated in the PFI Articles of Incorporation. The current definition is based on “farming as a significant part of one’s total income.” The proposed definition would be based on anyone who files a Schedule F on their federal income tax return.

The update is simply that all voting members should still expect to get a ballot in late June. The ballot will come a with a letter that describes why this ballot is being put to the members, along with an explanation of the pro’s and con’s of these changes. Please feel free to contact me on this matter with any comments or questions.

Sincerely,
Robert Karp
Executive Director