2004 Annual Meeting

Dr. Todd Frank, Director of the BASF Plant Science Breeding Station, Olivia, is the featured speaker at the March 29, 2004 Annual Meeting of ProAg of Renville County, at the Pizza Ranch, downtown Olivia, starting at 6 pm.

Frank will update on the new BASF building program at the Intersection of Highways 212 and 71, west of Olivia.  This proposed 18,000 square foot facility will provide offices and a seed processing laboratory for BASF’s plant genetic programs. A 9100 square foot shop is included in this building project, scheduled for an April start.

The program will also include brief comments by Kristi Johnson on the topic: “Could Changes in Cooperative Law Increase Investment In Renville County?”

Johnson did an internship with the Renville County HRA office this past summer and has a degree in Ag Journalism from the U of MN, plus has worked at The Farmer magazine and Farm Industry News magazine.

Plus, Doug Conboy, Superintendent, Renville County West school district will share his thoughts about the future of education in Renville County and rural Minnesota.  “Economic development is OUR future too,” stresses Conboy.

Frank is an Olivia native and University of Minnesota graduate who earned his PhD in Plant Genetics at Iowa State University.  He worked five years with Mycogen/Dow at two Iowa locations.  In March, 2002, he joined BASF, a European based world leader in agricultural sciences

The public is invited to this particular meeting.  “As you can see by the program, education, crop science and cooperatives touches just about everyone in the county so we invite business people, producers, teachers, even the ministry to this event,” notes Keith McNamara, President of ProAg.

Attendees will receive one complimentary buffet ticket with each prepaid 2004 ProAg membership.

Press release 2004 ProAg Annual Meeting