Teaching the Hunters and Fishermen of Tomorrow

This entry was provided by Terry Stevenson, communications manager at Southern Co-operative Services in Ontario.


Chris Snip spends most of his week working closely with farmers as a crop sales specialist for AGRIS Co-operative in Cottam, Ontario; but when he is not in the field he devotes his time to his second loves of hunting and fishing. Snip currently serves as vice president of the local Delta Waterfowl chapter in Kingsville, Ontario.

Besides enjoying his hobby with fellow hunters and anglers, Snip also volunteers as a mentor to youth members of the chapter, teaching them about fish and wildlife and the importance of conservation. Delta Waterfowl works through its chapters to provide waterfowl hunting opportunities. The local chapter, called the “Quacker Wackers,” was instrumental in organizing a youth hunt at the Hillman Marsh, operated by the Essex Region Conservation Authority.

Snip and chapter secretary Jeff Bechard worked with the Essex Region Conservation Authority and a number of Hillman Marsh seasonal blind holders to offer young hunters and their mentors a place to hunt. Snip feels strongly about giving back to his community and teaching young people how to safely enjoy nature and the great outdoors. In addition to teaching about gun and hunting safety, he also stresses the importance of respecting all wildlife and the value of preserving their natural habitat.

Homegrown Cheese and Adventures in Iowa

Another interesting week in the GROWMARK System! On Tuesday I toured the Ropp Jersey Cheese farm with the Heartland chapter of the National Agri-Marketing Association (NAMA). Becky Ropp, GROWMARK manager, career development, was kind enough to lead our group through the cheesmaking operation she and her husband manage, along with his parents. They use 100 percent of the milk from their herd of Jersey cattle to make over 80 artisan cheeses in a Cheese on Wheels factory which is enclosed in a semi-trailer. Of course, I had to bring home several samples of their cheese curds!

Thursday brought a trip to STAR Energy in the northwestern corner of Iowa. Jenny Haycraft, marketing communications specialist, and I are working with Dave Brecher, STAR's general manager, and Shannon Martin, propane operations assistant, on some new company brochures. We had an initial conversation over the phone, but Jenny and I jumped at the chance to tag along on the jet to meet Dave and Shannon in person. All in all, we had a very successful meeting and made great progress.

Kicking Off a New Year

Last Saturday night I was invited to attend an ASP kickoff banquet in Collinsville, Ill. Six member cooperatives - AgriPride FS, Inc., Gateway FS, Inc., Madison Service Company, South Central FS, Inc., St. Clair Service Company, and TriCounty FS, Inc. - came together to honor their salespeople for achieving their ASP and MARC of Excellence goals this past year and to start the new year on a high note.

I was asked to take photos as people arrived at the banquet, and during some brainstorming with Larry Cristy, Southern Region energy marketing director and Dana Weaver, marketing services manager, it was decided that a tropical backdrop would be created. I brought along some fun accessories, including a sombrero, a lei, and two Hawaiian-print shirts. It was a lot of fun to take photos on a cold November evening of people who appeared to be in a warm, sunny vacation spot.

Kudos to all who were involved with the planning of the banquet - it was a very enjoyable night. Best of luck to everyone who is eligible for the ASP and MARC of Excellence on achieving your sales goals this year; after seeing the preview of the trips, I was ready to hop on the next plane south!