Directors complete Director Certification Program

Derek Appley and Ryan May, directors of the Central Valley Ag Co-op headquartered in York, recently completed a four-phase educational program co-sponsored by the Nebraska Cooperative Council and CoBank. Each will receive a Certificate of Recognition acknowledging completion of the program.

The Director Certification Program is a unique educational program specifically designed to assist cooperative directors to more fully understand their ever-changing responsibilities. The program has been presented annually at various locations throughout Nebraska since its inception in 1978. More than 8,400 phases have been completed. This year, due to the pandemic, we offered the program virtually.

The program consists of four one-day courses designed to help participants become more effective cooperative directors. Some of the workshop topics include legal obligations of directors; cooperative principles and practices; using financial statements in making decisions; the benefits of long-range planning; capitalization of cooperatives; and a director’s role in establishing proper controls. Workshop segments are patterned to closely follow the growing responsibilities of cooperative directors.

Rocky Weber, President & General Counsel of the Nebraska Cooperative Council of Lincoln, said, ‟Farm supply and marketing cooperatives are essential segments of the agribusiness industry in Nebraska. These local cooperatives contribute to the success of today's farmers and ranchers, and the complexities of cooperatives only grows. This requires local directors to continually seek out training programs to enhance their skill set. The Council continues to place a high priority on director education programs because education will be a key factor in determining the future success of Nebraska’s cooperatives.”

The Nebraska Cooperative Council is the trade association for agricultural cooperatives. Over 96% of the agricultural cooperatives throughout Nebraska are members of the Council.