International Fainting Goat Assoc

It’s that time of year again when the Board of Directors solicit resumes’ to fill seats that will be vacated July 31, 2008, by Donna Hatcher and Lisa Edinger.  We would like to take this opportunity to thank both Donna and Lisa for all the dedication and hard work they have provided this organization.  Please know that Donna and Lisa are eligible to run for another term and are subject to the same rules which apply to all applicants.

If you are interested in serving a three year term on the Board you should submit your resume to Lottie Long by mail or email postmarked no later than June 10, 2008.  Your resume should be approximately 200 words, give a brief description of you and your farm, and your thoughts with regard to the future of the IFGA.   We also ask that you include your telephone number and email address in the event there are questions regarding your submission.

Lottie Long

2455 Deanburg Road

Pinson, TN  38366

Email:   lottie_long@yahoo.com

We encourage all members to give this their serious consideration.  The IFGA will continue to grow only through your support.

Registration Software - At long last the computerized registration system is ready to be presented to the membership.  The Board has been working with the system for quite some time and is now in the process of training Lottie.  All registrations submitted on or after July 1, 2008, will be processed through this new system.  Please understand that since we have not yet received the archives from Ruth Prentice your new certificates may not include three full generations.  They will however include a minimum of two generations just like the certificates you’re currently receiving.  As time goes on and the archives are entered the system will automatically include this data on your certificate.  If when submitting an application for registration you would like to send copies of the dam and sire’s registration certificates the data for the great-grand dam and sire will be entered and included on your new certificate.  The Board is very excited about this new program and looks forward to moving the IFGA into world of computerization.

Web Site– Our webmaster, Bobbie Golden, has made some very nice changes to the IFGA web site.  We now have a list of herd names for all dues paying members.  It is our goal to eventually have the entire herd book posted on the web site.  Please take a look and let Bobbie know if there are any errors or omissions.  Additionally, each quarter when the Myotonic Messenger is published and mailed Bobbie will add a link to the web site so that the newsletter can be viewed on line.  The Spring 2008 edition is now available.

Heritage Class – After much research and input from the membership the Board has agreed to continue with Phase I of the Heritage Class and indefinitely suspend Phase II.

Incentive Program– In order to encourage all members to supply their buyers with the appropriate documents to become a member of the IFGA the Board has adopted an Incentive Program.  If you refer a new member to the IFGA you will be given a $10.00 gift certificate that can be used toward payment of dues or registrations.  We encourage all members to promote the IFGA and this wonderful breed of animal.

Fee Increase – Due to the rising cost of postage and supplies the Board has found it necessary to increase fees for Certificate Correction, Duplicate Certificate, and Upgrade Certificate (Regular to Premium).  Effective August 1, 2008, the fees for these services will be increased from $6.00 to $8.00 for members and $10.00 to $12.00 for non-members.

Mini Certification – The committee has been hard at work and has presented their recommendations to the Board.  Our sincere thanks to Steve Bell, Barbara Dickerson, Cheryl Hedrick, Jim Medlin, Maureen Neidhardt, and Carletta Robinette, for their hard work in putting this all together.

The Board has reviewed the information presented by the committee and agreed to implement the Mini Certification program effective August 1, 2008.  Enclosed please find the following documents:

1.      Mini-Myotonic Goat Certification Requirements – this document outlines the rules regarding mini certification.

2.      Mini-Myotonic Certification Form – this form is to be used to file for mini certification of a goat that is 3 years of age and previously registered with the IFGA.

3.      Application for Registration – this form is to be used to file for mini certification of a goat that is 3 years of age and never before registered with the IFGA.

Please review these documents carefully and if you have any questions feel free to contact a member of this Board.

Deceased Animals – In order to keep our computerized data base updated we need your help.  If an animal that is registered with the IFGA dies we would appreciate your sending a photo copy of the certificate to our Registrar indicating the animal has died.  This information will be placed on file for future reference.

In closing we would like to stress the importance of each member considering a seat on this Board.  The IFGA cannot continue to grow and move forward unless the entire membership plays an active role in the business of the association.

                                                                                                            Best regards,

                                                                                                            The Board of Directors

The Board of Directors would like to take this opportunity of updating you on the following items:

1.  2008 Dues -  Our webmaster, Bobbie Golden, is updating the membership directory of the web site based upon the Directory Form you submitted with your dues.  If you have not submitted your dues and Directory Form please do so as soon as possible.  The IFGA web site receives numerous hits every day and is an excellent source of advertisement for all members.  Without a completed Directory Form we have no way of knowing exactly how you want your farm listed.  As soon as the web site is complete we will begin working on the printed directory.

2.  Heritage Category - In our last communication the Board informed the membership that phase II of the Heritage Category was put on hold until we could finalize our research to make certain this category is in the best interest of preserving the history of fainting goats.  We ask for opinions from the membership regarding how the Board should proceed with this matter.  Should the Heritage category be eliminated, should phase I be continued as is or be eliminated, should phase II be implemented or eliminated.  The Board needs your help and would appreciate your thoughts.  Please take the time to express your opinion on this very important issue.

3.  Legal Matters - As previously mentioned, our attorney received an offer of settlement from Mr. Sutherlin’s attorney which this Board was not completely satisfied with.  Our attorney presented a counter offer which was refused.  Therefore an injunctive (emergency) hearing had been scheduled for February 25th.  At this hearing a judge would rule on our request to have the opposing parties discontinue representing themselves as the Board of Directors of the IFGA and return all property of the IFGA including records and money.  The decision of the judge would remain in force until the actual trial which has been scheduled for July 2008.  It was our intention to have two Board members present at the injunctive hearing with the rest of the Board testifying by telephone.  Mr. Sutherlin has instructed his attorney to refuse testimony by telephone which puts a financial burden on this Board to travel to Iowa for the injunctive hearing and again in July for the actual trial.  For this reason our attorney suggested that we cancel the injunctive hearing and wait for the trial.  It was her opinion that we have waited this long and July is not that far away.  The Board discussed this matter and agreed that waiting until July was the best way to proceed.  Please know that to this point the Board has not used IFGA monies for legal expense and will not use them for travel expense.  We feel strongly about our position, are dedicated to keeping this association out of the hands of a dictator, and have worked very hard in that direction.

4.  Computer Software -  The Board realizes you have been hearing about the new registration software for quite some time and we had hoped it would be presented to the membership long before now.  It was our hope that the legal matter would be settled and the pedigree history be entered into the data base before presenting it.  Since the legal matter has drug out much longer than we ever anticipated we have decided to begin generating computerized registration certificates.  Although the certificates are set up to include a 3 generation pedigree this may not happen until we receive all the old records so we ask that you please bear with us.  We look forward to hearing from you when you receive your first computerized registration certificate.

5.  Mini-Fainting Goat Category -  A group of members who currently raise mini fainters have volunteered to serve on a committee to draft a policy for registering Mini-Fainting Goats.   When the draft is complete it will be reviewed by the Board of Directors to make certain it meets the guidelines of the association and then released to the membership.  If you have an interest in this project and would like to express your thoughts please let us know.

6.  Myotonic Messenger -  Over the past 3 years Jennifer Autry has devoted many hours to preparing and mailing our quarterly newsletter.  Unfortunately Jennifer is no longer in a position to continue this project and a volunteer is needed.  This is a very important means of updating the membership with the business of the IFGA and what is going on in the goat world.  Please give this some thought and if you have a few spare hours each quater and would like to take on this project let us know.  The Board extends a heartfelt thanks to Jennifer for all her hard work.

As always, the Board of Directors welcome your thoughts and concerns.  The future of the IFGA depends on the input and help of all members.

Dear Member: 

Another year is coming to an end and the Board of Directors is pleased with the accomplishments of the IFGA.  We have had 61 new members through the end of November and a steady flow of registrations.  The growth of the association is very encouraging.  The Board would like to take this opportunity to update the membership on several important items.

1.                   2008 Dues – All dues payments are due on January 2, 2008.  Your check should be made payable to the IFGA and mailed to our registrar at the above address. If your payment is not post marked by January 31, 2008, your name will be removed from our active files and the web site.

Due to all the confusion last year as to where dues were to be sent, we accepted receipts issued by Ruth Prentice as proof of dues payment.  Please note, we will not accept receipts this year.  If your dues are not paid to our registrar at the above address by January 31, 2008, your name will be removed from our active files and the web site.

2.                   Membership Directory – In order to get a jump on the 2008 Membership Directory we have included the necessary form which should be completed and returned with your dues payment.  This information will be used to create a new printed directory and update the IFGA web site.  If this form is not returned with your dues payment we can only assume you do not want to be listed on the web site or in the printed directory.  Please do not assume that because you completed a form during 2007 you will be included in 2008.  A new form must be completed every year.

3.                   Gift Certificates – Over the past year the Board has made available to the membership $15.00 gift certificates that can be used for payment of dues, registrations, transfers, and merchandise.  These certificates are being sold in packages of 4 for $50.00 and 9 for $100.00, and will be available until December 31, 2007.  If you are interested in taking advantage of this money saving offer please do so before the deadline.

4.         Heritage Category – The Board continues to research the Heritage Category in order to make certain it is in the best interest of preserving the history of fainting goats.  In order to allow sufficient time to finalize our research we are temporarily suspending phase II of this category.  Therefore, the rule requiring one generation of registered parents to qualify for the Premium category will remain in force until further notice.  The Board would appreciate hearing from the membership with regard to this matter.  Your opinions are very important to the future of the breed and this association.  Please let us know how you feel about the Heritage Category.  This is an opportunity for every member to speak out and help shape the future of this registry.

5.         Regular Category - In order to make certain those animals presented for registration in the Regular category meet all requirements of the IFGA the Board has agreed to amend the rules regarding the picture requirement.  Effective January 1, 2008, a picture of the goat in a stiff-legged or partial down position will be required.   If after registering an animal in the Regular category you are able to obtain a full down photo, your animal can be upgraded to the Premium category provided all other requirements are met.  Please know, we fully understand the work involved in obtaining pictures,  but we want to make certain only those animals that meet the requirements of this association are accepted for registration.

6.                   Legal Matters – An injunctive (emergency) hearing had been set for November 19, 2007.  At this hearing a judge would have ruled on our request for temporary and permanent injunctive relief against the defendants to halt their representation that they are the Board of Directors of the IFGA, and to return all property of the association.  Several days prior to the hearing date our attorney received an offer of settlement from the opposing attorney indicating they would discontinue representing themselves as the Board of Directors of the IFGA, discontinue their web site, and return photocopies of all archives.

This Board held an emergency meeting and prepared a counter offer for our attorney to present.  Our counter offer stipulated they would discontinue representing themselves as the Board of Directors of the IFGA, discontinue their web site, return the original archives, and return all monies that were in the IFGA account at the time of the split plus legal fees.  Our attorney was in the process of preparing this counter offer when she was notified that their attorney suffered a heart attack.  Due to this unfortunate illness the matter has been put on hold.  In the event our counter offer is not accepted the courts have scheduled another injunctive hearing for December 2007.

We are hopeful this matter will be resolved ASAP and the IFGA can move into the New Year without these problems.

7.                   Computer Software - This project is well underway and although the Board had hoped to have it finalized earlier this year we are not finished testing and debugging the software.  Hopefully you will all understand this has been quite an undertaking and we want to make certain everything is properly tested before we begin using live data.  We are anxious to present this enhancement to the membership and will keep you updated as we progress.

8.                   Myotonic Goat Shows – The Board is well aware of the importance of showing and promoting the animals.  Unfortunately we are only a Board of 8 and cannot do it all.  If you are desirous of putting together a show in your area please contact a member of the Board and we will do all we can to assist you.

9.                   Mini-Fainting Goat Category – We have had several requests from members to establish a mini-fainting goat category.  The Board is researching this matter and is hopeful to have something in place by early 2008.   

As always, the Board of Directors welcomes your thoughts and concerns.  Please feel free to contact any Board member if you have questions or items you would like the Board to consider.

Best Regards,

The Board of Directors

Wanted - Artist

Subject - Tennessee Fainting Goats

Are there budding artists out there? We would like to see the whole family involved in an “art” project about our wonderful goats.  We want entries from adults and children.  The winning entry will be used to create cards for the holiday season, thank you cards and note pads for our company store.

We will keep it simple with just a few rules:

1.     Original art (pencils, paints or crayons) about our fainters in color or black and white but no photos please.

2.     A jingle or saying can be written on the back of the art but it is not required.

3.     Artist name, address, & phone on the back of the piece.

4.     Children 13 and under, please put your age.

5.     Submitted by October 15, 2007.

Judging will be done by members of the Board of Directors and prizes will be awarded for the three top picks – adults and children are to be judged separately.   The prizes are – IFGA Gift Certificates for registrations, IFGA Caps, and IFGA Tee Shirts.  The name of the artist will be shown on the items that are produced.

Drawings can be sent by regular post or email to:  Bobbie Golden, 704 Barnes Road, Monticello, FL 32344, bobbie.golden@gmail.com    or   Donna Hatcher,7496 CR 736, Center Hill, FL 33514, bedrockmeadow@aol.com.

We hope this will be an annual event so we can include jingles and photographs or even computer drawings in the future.

Let’s have fun with this!

The election results are in and the Board is pleased to present the new slate of directors which took effect August 1, 2007.  Your desires and concerns with regard to the future of the IFGA are important, so please feel free to contact a Board member at any time.

Name                      Term Expiration                        Name                        Term Expiration

Jody Workman        July 31, 2010                           Pat Miller                     July 31, 2009

Karl Wittel               July 31, 2010                           Wes Autry                   July 31, 2009

Bobbie Golden         July 31, 2009                           Lisa Edinger                July 31, 2008

Stephanie Dicke       July 31, 2009                           Donna Hatcher            July 31, 2008

The new Board held its first conference meeting on August 5, 2007, and the following officers were agreed upon. 

President :                                Pat Miller

1^st Vice-President :                   Jody Workman

2^nd Vice-President :                  Wes Autry

Secretary :                                Stephanie Dicke

Treasurer :                                Lisa Edinger

Since the IFGA web site is an excellent source of advertisement for all members we have been working very hard at keeping the directory current.  Please take a look at your information and if anything needs to be changed just let us know.  If at any time your address, telephone number, email address, web site, etc. changes make sure you keep us informed.  Outdated information may result in the loss of sales for you.

All ballots must be completed and mailed to Anneke Jakes, Breed Registry Manager, American Livestock Breeds Conservancy, PO Box 477, Pittsboro, NC 27312.  Please make certain your ballot is post marked no later than July 14, 2007.

This is your association and we encourage all members to take an active role in the IFGA by casting your vote.

Board of the International Fainting Goat AssociationMinutes, conference call 4-15-07 8:00 PM CST All attended:  Stephanie Dicke, NE, Jody Workman, NE, Pat Miller, FL, Wes Autry, TN.  Lisa Edinger called Pat stating she would be late as she had to work until 8:00.  No word at that time from Donna Hatcher. 

This meeting was held to hear the case of removing Shelly Mitchel,OK, Allen Hartman, OK, and Daryl Klumpe, KS from the board of directors for their attempted hostile takeover of the IFGA.  A regular board meeting was scheduled to concur with the hearings. 8:00-8:30 PM CST, Shelly Mitchel’s hearing.  Shelly chose not to attend.  Lisa joined the call at 8:20 PM CST.  Still no word from Donna, Pat called but had to leave a voicemail. 

8:30-9:00 PM CST, Allen Hartman’s hearing.  Allen chose not to attend.  8:52 PM CST Donna e-mailed the board stating she was having trouble joining the call. 9;00-9:30 PM CST, Daryl Klumpe’s hearing.  Daryl chose not to attend.  The board waited until 9:10 PM CST and then called Shelly, Allen, and Daryl non-attending.  Wes made a motion remove Allen Hartman from the board for illegal attempted takeover of the IFGA, Lisa seconded.  Aye 4, opposed 0.  Wes made a motion to remove Shelly Mitchel from the board for illegal attempted takeover of the IFGA, Stephanie seconded.  Aye 4, opposed 0.  Wes made a motion to remove Daryl Klumpe from the board for illegal attempted takeover of the IFGA, Jody seconded, Aye 4, opposed 0.  At 9:18 PM CST Donna again e-mailed the board that she was still having trouble with getting into the call.  Stephanie e-mailed her back hoping she was still online, but to no avail. 

Regular Board meeting that was concurrent with the hearings.  Recall of the officers took place as old business.  Stephanie read the minutes from the 12-17-06 meeting.  Jody made a motion to accept the minutes, Lisa seconded.  Aye 4, opposed 0. Financial Report:  Lisa stated there is $635 in the checking account as of 4-15-07 and $1 in the savings account.  Paypal has $50.54. 

Old business:  Pat reminded everyone of the new site being up and running and asked if there were any problems. Legal update:  Stephanie updated the board on the status with the filing of the petition.  Nicole Jensen-Harris is working on drafting the board’s petition.  She has stated that we will be suing all of their officers and directors as well as Ruth. 

Discussion of if a lifetime member can be removed. It was felt if a member wished to file a complaint on the member in question it would be heard like any other member. New business:  Pat suggested a letter to the membership letting them know the status of removal of Allen, Shelly, and Daryl.  Wes had the original articles of incorporation stating at that time there were ten board members not including Ruth.   Stephanie made a motion to leave the board at nine seats for the next election, Wes seconded.  Aye 4, opposed 0.  Discussion of when resumes needed to be received to give ample time to review them. Pat brought up a question if resumes could be e-mailed.  Stephanie made a motion that resumes could be e-mailed, Jody seconded.  Aye 4, opposed 0.  Lisa made a motion that an election be held regardless of how many resumes were received, Stephanie seconded.  Aye 4, opposed 0. 

Pat wanted to review the documents submitted to the board via bleat-tank for the website.  This is an update of the FAQ page, News and Events page, and the Rules and Registration page. Pat had some questions to present the board on how to help Lottie with knowing the board’s decisions on issues she has asked the board.  Pat suggested appointing a person to act as a go-between for Lottie and the board.  Pat volunteered to be the go-between person.  All agreed. 

When the board first hired Lottie she was issued a credit card with $100 to buy basic supplies for her job.  All receipts for this card are sent to Lisa.  The card is running low, Lisa suggested that we should refill the card.  Jody made a motion to add $100 to the card, Wes seconded.  Aye 4, opposed 0. Pat brought up that the e-mail address for the feedback form on the website needed to be changed from the webmaster to one of the board.  It was agreed that all feedback would be directed to ifga_services and Lisa will monitor what comes in and re-direct it if need be. 

Andrea has set up a message board for the board to use in the form of a blog.  The blog will be linked to the website under News and Events provided the board wishes to use it.  All agreed to give the blog a try. Wes made a motion to adjourn the meeting, Lisa seconded.  Aye 4, opposed 0.  Next meeting date TBA.

Thank you all for bearing with us on this update taking forever to get out. I truly think our lawyer didn’t realize the scope of the problem or the depth of the information she was asked to review so it took longer to get all ducks in a row. I would like to tell you all that as of May 1, 2007 a petition was filed in Dickenson County, IA for temporary and permenent injunctive relief. This basically means we, myself, Stephanie Dicke, and Wes Autry, Pat Miller, Donna Hatcher, Lisa Edinger, and Jody Workman are suing Ty Sutherlin, Ruth Prentice, Noma Wilkins, Daryl Klumpe, Allen Hartman, and Shelly Mitchell to cease and desist representing themselves as the IFGA including their sides wrongful removal of us from the BOD and wrongful expulsion from the association.

A “pre-trail” will be set, probably within a month, in which the judge will rule on the cease and desist order, this is the temporary part, basically the part that needs to be done now. A trial date will also be set, probably in a year or so, in which the judge will rule on the permanent part of the petition asking that they must forever stop representing themselves as the IFGA. Pat is working on drafting a letter to go to all of the members, but since there are many of you on this group and many of you had asked for an update we wanted to tell you we aren’t just sitting on our hands hoping it will go away. I’m sure you all have several questions, now that we can talk about it we can answer most of them.
Steph Dicke, Secretary

In order to keep all members of the IFGA apprised of current issues we have selected this blog site as a means of communication.  Please check in often for new updates and information regarding your association.