The AAEA Executive Board Meeting of the American Agricultural Economics Association was held at the Sheraton Fisherman's Wharf Lombard room in San Francisco. Board members and staff were welcomed

1. The board agenda was reviewed and the following changes were made.
   • Section III, add item (G) Committee Reports, from board liaisons
   • Section IV, change item (D) to read 2000 Budget
   • Section IV, add item (J), Propose CEO Evaluation move to Executive Committee
   • Section IV, under item (J) add number 4, Page Limits on Invited Addresses
   • Section V, add item (G) Essay Report
   • Section V, add item (H), Spring Board Meeting

2. Minutes of the August 6-7 Executive Board Meeting were reviewed. A correction was made to Item 2, the last paragraph, the first sentence, after AJAE add "and RAE." Discussion followed.

   Motion: Steve Buccola moved to approve the minutes with the change. Seconded by Bruce Gardner. Approved.

3. A discussion of issues with implications on strategy was initiated. John Antle presented his perceptions of the strategic audit conducted in the summer of 1999, the strategic plan and the Kellogg study.
   1. Information Management as a strategic issue was reviewed. John Antle proposed a committee be formed to investigate ways to share and distribute information to the AAEA membership through electronic and other means, as well as provide input on the AAEA web site. One idea was to use multi media tools to preserve parts of the Annual Meeting for distribution over the Internet or other media. The president will name members to the information committee. Spiro Stefanou and Rob King offered to serve.
   2. A proposal from the Industry Committee requesting funds for AAEA to hire consultants and create a brand identity was discussed. Discussion on the AAEA image followed. The board supports the idea that AAEA needs to define and promote an identity and image. The funding needed to build such a program and make it successful is high. Ron Knutson suggested the Industry Committee could work with the Board and IAMA to expand AAEA involvement with industry. John Antle will pursue this recommendation to the Industry Committee co-chairs and Board.
   3. The Annual Meeting schedule was discussed including member needs and wants from the annual meeting. The board agreed that through personal contacts, information could be gathered from members to identify desired changes in the annual meeting. The board indicated that a three- or four-city rotation might be advantageous. Contracts are already in place for the annual meetings for 2000 and 2001 so there would not be immediate schedule change. Baltimore, Toronto, Salt Lake City, Vancouver, San Diego and Minneapolis were suggested as possible cities in the rotation. John Antle, Nancy Herselius and Donna Dunn were asked to identify locations and present a rotation proposal to the board members by email or at the next Board Meeting.
   4. Richard Shumway addressed concerns about diversity. The COSBAE workshop "Diversity in the Workplace" pre-conference in Nashville brought this issue further to the front for AAEA. The issue is broader than race and gender and includes all minorities, professionals at non-research institutions and field staff. President Antle expressed his concerns about appointing a committee on diversity issues without a clear charge for the committee.
   5. A special free session and reception for senior members of the agricultural economics profession was held at the Nashville Annual Meeting. The outgrowth of that meeting was a proposal to the board from the seniors group. The Executive Board discussed and agreed to: facilitate a survey of seniors; a retirement planning session at the Tampa annual meeting; and active promotion of seniors as judges to support student programs. The board agreed AAEA would provide space for a half-day retirement planning session at the Annual Meeting and that the Seniors should work with the AAEA office on planning. Discussion of a lifetime achievement award was referred to the Awards Committee for further recommendation.
   6. AAEA has received requests from other organizations to sign on to letters or take other action that would indicate a policy position on the part of the organization. John Antle noted that AAEA has no policy statement on whether or not the association can take a policy position. The board discussed the need to facilitate member interaction and discussion of policy issues and the idea that AAEA could facilitate members' putting ideas forward.

      Motion: Steve Buccola moved the Association would not take position on public policy issues. Seconded by Ron Knutson. Discussion followed. Approved.

   7. Board Members presented their reports as committee liaisons. During the discussion John Antle commented that some committees may want to reconsider their status as committees or as possible sections. John Antle will have a proposal at the next board meeting.

4. J.B. Penn presented the Finance Committee report. The Finance Committee asked the AAEA office to prepare two budgets, one based on the growing needs of the organization, and a core budget. The Finance Committee presented the core budget to the Executive Board. Additional requests for funds from outside organizations for special projects and for increased office efficiencies were presented. In addition, the Finance Committee recommended that budget projections two- to four-years out be prepared. The board agreed that the AAEA office would prepare the budget. The Finance Committee will present a recommendation to the board at the Spring meeting regarding future budgeting, including future income resources. Board members discussed the core budget and all funding requests outside of the core budget.

   Motion: Ron Knutson moved to approve the core budget and include $5,000 for data processing, $18,000 for accounting software, and external funding requests of C-FARE, COPAFS, CAST, COSSA, and AgEcon Search. Bob Taylor seconded. Approved.

5. The bylaws of the National Association of Agricultural Economics Administrators were discussed. NAAEA has been a committee of AAEA, but has operated as a section. The bylaws, membership and officers presented made NAAEA eligible for section status.

   Motion: Ron Knutson moved to approve NAAEA as a section. Seconded by Richard Shumway. Approved.

6. The Extension section bylaws were discussed. The Extension section has met membership requirements and held an election of officers meeting two requirements. Their bylaws were resubmitted for approval. Discussion.

   Motion: Richard Shumway moved to accept the Extension Section as a full section. Seconded by J.B. Penn. Approved.

7. Donna Dunn presented a proposal that would delineate the roles and responsibilities of staff toward sections. There was discussion of guidelines on section use of the AAEA name and logo for fund raising and in promotions, as well as services provided to sections. Quarterly financial reports, quarterly membership reports, a listserve and blast email service are currently provided to sections at no charge through the AAEA office. A review of the proposed guidelines would take place with recommendations to be presented to the board later in the board meeting. The board requested that the AAEA staff develop a scale of fees for support services offered to sections.

8. Paul Barkley reviewed the process for selecting a Choices publisher. Five proposals were received. Following a meeting with the front runner, Barkley and Donna Dunn recommended working with Clear Window Communications, Inc. A proposal letter was reviewed. A contract will be negotiated based upon the proposal.

   Motion: Ron Knutson moved we accept the recommendation of outsourcing Choices with Clear Windows. Rob King seconded.

   Amendment Steve Buccola moved the motion be amended: The AAEA president and executive director will negotiate a clause in the Clear Windows contract to provide incentive to increase circulation above 6,500 subscriptions. Bruce Gardner seconded. Approved.

   Amended motion approved.

   The Executive Board went into executive session at 4:30 p.m.

   The AAEA Executive Board adjourned for the day at 5:30 p.m.

   The Executive Board Meeting reconvened Saturday, December 4, 1999, at the Sheraton Fisherman's Wharf, Marina room, at 8:30 a.m.

   Attending:	John Antle, Richard Shumway, Bruce Gardner, Robert King, Robert Taylor, J.B. Penn, Ronald Knutson, Steven Buccola.
   Absent:	Julie Caswell
   Ex-Officio:	Donna Dunn, Spiro Stefanou, Gail Cramer, Paul Barkley
   Guests:	Peter Berck, Nancy Herselius, Betty Eckebrecht, Pam Davis.

   John Antle called the meeting to order and welcomed Peter Berck.

9. Richard Shumway proposed changes:
   AAEA Operating Policies
   SECTIONS
   • Delete current paragraphs J and L
   • re-lettering K to J, and add the following:
   • add: K. AAEA office support for sections includes quarterly financial and membership reports, list serve and blast email to section members. Other assistance, (list serve maintenance, section web site implementation and maintenance, meeting planning, contract negotiations, surveys and other section business) shall be performed on a time available, full cost recovery basis. The office will develop a schedule of fees and update them on an annual basis.
   • L. Joint sponsorship of meetings, events or other programs or activities requires advance approval of the AAEA president. Should the jointly sponsored event have a profit or loss, it will be equally shared between the section and AAEA.
   • M. A section may not enter into a formal agreement or contract with any outside individual or organization using the name of AAEA without specific and prior written permission of the AAEA president.
   • N. A section may use the AAEA name for the purpose of raising and accepting funds from outside organization only with the approval of the AAEA president.
   • O. The AAEA reserves the right to restrict the use of the AAEA name and logo.
   • P. Any interest that accrues to section fund balances reverts to the AAEA operating fund.

   Motion: Richard Shumway moved to accept the presented Sections Operation Policies guidelines. Seconded by J.B. Penn. Approved.

10. Spiro Stefanou and Peter Berck presented an AJAE report and commented on the current status of AJAE and the progress with Blackwell. The International committee was charged with distribution of free issues of the AJAE to LDCs. The fee for electronic copies for subscribers is undetermined at this time.

    A nomination packet for associate editors, including the selection process, was reviewed. The AJAE editors propose establishing staggered two-year appointments for current editors. New editors would be appointed for four years. All nominees have been contacted. The following are the nominees for AJAE Associate Editors.

    Azzedine Azzam (New/4-Year)	Christopher Barrett (New /4-Year)
    Michael G. Carter (Continuing/2-Year)	Ariel Dinar (Continuing/2-Year)
    Paul Fackler (New/4-Year)	Marcel Fafchamps (Continuing/2-Year)
    George Frisvold (New/4-Year)	Lilvan Fulginiti (New/4-Year)
    Barry K. Goodwin (Continuing/2-Year)	Gloria Hefland (New/4-Year)
    Bryan Hubbell (New/4-Year)	Larry S. Karp (Continuing/2-Year)
    David S. Kraybill (New/4-Year)	Jeffrey LaFrance (Continuing/2-Year)
    Sergio H. Lence (New/4-Year)	Erik Lichtenbert (Continuing/2-Year)
    Ethan Ligon (New/4-Year)	Rigoberto Lopez (Continuing/2-Year)
    H. Alan Love (New/4-Year)	Douglas Miller (New/4-Year)
    Mario J. Miranda (Continuing/2-Year)	Catherine Morrison Paul (Continuing/2-Year)
    Timothy J. Richards (New/4-Year)	Dale Squires (Continuing/2-Year)
    Utpal Vasavada (New/4-Year)	Alfons Weersink (Continuing/2-Year)

    Motion: Steve Buccola moved to approve the Associate Editors nominated. Seconded by Bruce Gardner. Approved.

    Spiro Stefanou presented the recommendation for the new AJAE Book Review Editor. A lot of interest was generated from the call for nominations. A number of nominees expressed interest in a two-year appointment. Amitrajeet A. Batabyal of Utah State was nominated as Book Review Editor.

    Motion: Richard Shumway moved to approve the nomination of the Book Review Editor. Ron Knutson seconded. Approved.

11. Concerns about the requirement that all journal authors provide executive summaries were discussed. The RAE editors are requiring executive summaries. The AJAE editors agreed to develop a plan for obtaining executive summaries from authors of AJAE journal articles.

    Motion: J.B. Penn moved to rescind Item 16 from the Nashville Board meeting minutes. Seconded by Steve Buccola. Approved.

12. Gail Cramer presented a report on the RAE. Submissions of papers are increasing and the journal could increase to three issues per year with the current level of submissions.
13. Bruce Gardner addressed Principal Papers. Criteria for selection were discussed including the Annual Meeting theme. Principal Papers selected for 2000 in Tampa are:
    • From Transition to Development: The Economics and Policies of Rural Transition in East Asia, the Former Soviet Union, and Central and Eastern Europe, by Scott Rozelle, University of California, Berkeley.
    • Competitiveness to U.S. Agriculture: Concepts, Issues and Policy Implications by Darren Hudson, Mississippi State University.
    • Information Technology and Changing the Supply Chain Behavior, by Jean Kinsey, University of Minnesota.
    • Assessing the Impact of Food Quality and Safety Measures on the Agri-Food Sector in Developing Countries, by Spencer Henson and Rupert Loader, University of Reading.

    Discussion followed. A recommendation was made for tentative approval of the "Information Technology", with a request that the author present a revision of the proposal with more description of papers.

    Motion: Richard Shumway moved to accept the four selected papers as Prinicpal Papers for the 2000 Annual Meeting. Seconded by Ron Knutson. Approved.

14. Pre- and Post-conference proposals were reviewed.

    Motion: Steve Buccola moved to approve the Wagester, Polasky, Meyers and Armbruster proposals and give the president of the board the authority to make a decision after the discussions with the organizers of the remaining proposals. Seconded by Rob King. Approved.

15. The Student Section requested their awards be presented during the AAEA awards program. The AAEA President will make the decision.
16. The board reviewed the page limits of Invited Papers.

    Motion: Richard Shumway moved to establish an upper limit on the number of pages for annual meeting invited papers, including the presidential address, to ten published pages each. Seconded by Ron Knutson. Approved.

17. Richard Shumway reported that the Executive Committee of President, Past-President and President-elect acted as the CEO Evaluation Committee and proposed the change be made permanent.

    Motion: Richard Shumway moved that the Evaluation Committee for the CEO become the Executive Committee of the Association. Seconded by Ron Knutson. Approved.

    The AAEA Executive Board Meeting adjourned at 12:00 p.m., Saturday, December 4, 1999.

    Respectfully submitted,
    Donna French Dunn
    Executive Director