Page 6 - October 2020 WCA Ketch Pen

6
Headquarters
From Your President
The WCA Board of Directors met August 25-26th in Ellensburg. County presidents, county directors and the executive committee make up the Board of Directors. The focus of the August meeting is to go over expiring resolutions in our policy book (resolutions are reviewed every three years). At this time, each committee chair and their members make their recommendation to the board as to whether or not to rollover or drop the resolution under review. This is also the time new resolutions are brought to the board for consideration. It is important our policy book is kept up to date. These policies are your guidance to the board, and employees
for the decisions we try to make on your behalf, whether it be for legislation or another issue that may arise during the year. As per our policy, all new resolutions or resolutions with major changes are to be printed in the Ketch Pen prior to the annual convention. Our By-Laws state “membership must have the opportunity to vote”– therefore setting policy for the coming year. While in person attendance was limited, (I totally understand) we appreciate the number of members who were able to join us via conference call during committee meetings and general meetings. I know call-ins are a challenge, I hope we gave everyone a chance to participate and be heard.
During these meetings, it became obvious to the board that we need to update our video and audio capabilities at the office so as to better accommodate members, as well as other agencies (DNR, FSA, WDFW, NCBA, etc.) who may be calling in. These difficult times have brought this need to the forefront as we are working hard to keep our members abreast of all the happenings within the WCA membership as well as the opportunities and programs available to each of us. In order for us to keep up and keep in touch with many government agencies that are working from home we have an immediate need for improving our technology. Ashley House, our new Executive Vice President has experience with this and is working with IT to make these improvements happen. The WCA board wants every county and every member to have a voice. Never has it been more apparent than during the Covid-19 pandemic, that our voices need to be heard.
Sorry, back to resolutions. Most were rolled over, a few new ones were added and one was changed. Our policy on COOL and MCOOL (I hate acronyms and now I am using them) was discussed at great length, as it was during the NCBA meeting in July. The board decided to change the wording. Be sure to check this Ketch Pen to review the new wording for this resolution as well as the new resolutions. It is very hard to represent our membership when we ourselves are divided, this was very evident after last year’s legislative session, our staff and leadership need clear direction.
As I sat down to write this article at 6am, I happened to look out my front window in time to see newly weaned calves had broken out of the corral and were headed down the road at a dead run. They had been hauled in the night before off a pasture fifty miles away – where will they go?? We were able to get them turned before they reached the highway, a mile away. All gathered up, the corral fixed and the count is right. Relief. That seems to have been the theme for the past two years at the WCA. We just get one situation handled take a breath and something else pops up!
Ketch Pen www.washingtoncattlemen.org
September 2020