Overview

The CCA Board reviewed board officer succession and governance options, financial status and budgeting, updates to the CCA Performance Objectives (POs) and study manual, upcoming meetings/events (ICCA in-person July 26–27 and NRCCA conference in December), and administrative/communications improvements (survey compilation, document storage, website/Teams). Key action items include finalizing vote/communication on two new voting board members, reviewing Matthew Haycock’s manual updates and POs, preparing the 2026 budget by August 1, and consolidating documents to Microsoft Teams/website.

Key Decisions & Proposals

• Board/officer succession

  • Proposal: leave Past Chair spot vacant until year-end; on January 1 move Peter to Past Chair, Sam Tischler to Vice Chair, and Andy (Vega) to Secretary if accepted.

  • Discussion on term lengths: current model discussed as 4-year progression (Secretary → Vice Chair → Chair → Past Chair). Concern raised that 2-year terms previously discussed could create an 8-year commitment for people entering as Secretary; need to finalize single-year vs two-year terms before implementation.

  • Action: Shawn and Brendan to draft an email to entire CCA membership explaining why positions are being added and to request votes/feedback regarding adding two voting board members (Derek Hines and Larry Eckhart) and related changes. Interim appointment possible pending vote.

• New voting board members

  • Derek Hines and Larry Eckhart were agreed in April to be added to bring voting membership from 7 to 9. Formal notice/vote to the CCA list required; Brendan and Shawn to prepare the communication and collect responses before January.

• Financials and 2026 budget

  • Accounts & balances referenced:

    • Checking (Lions National Bank) balance as of Apr 20, 2026: $9,737.63 (noted in discussion).

    • CD (3.7% interest) balance as of July 23, 2026: $5,788.70.

    • Net assets reported $43,596.77.

    • Year-to-date income (6/30/2026): $26,988.74; prior year YTD (6/30/2025) $17,390.40.

  • ICCA administrative support request: NRCCA historically requested $21,000 for annual administrative/consulting services (FCM/Jeanette) in prior budgets.

  • Deadline: ICCA requested the budget by August 1, 2026.

  • Recommendation discussed: duplicate last year’s budget (no major changes expected) and allocate lump sum toward admin/consulting; consider using larger internal balances (RCCA funds) to support conference setup if appropriate.

  • Action: finalize and submit budget by Aug 1; Brendan and Shawn to coordinate.

• ICCA meeting & NRCCA voting

  • ICCA in-person quarterly meeting: July 26–27, 2026. Shawn will attend virtually and is the NRCCA voting member unless he designates a proxy.

  • Shawn to report back on ICCA discussions at the September NRCCA meeting.

• Annual conference (December, Syracuse)

  • Joe has been working on speakers and conference layout (ongoing). If Joe cannot attend next meeting, Shawn will bring speaker status to August meeting.

  • Need to finalize schedule, food options, hotel arrangements, and conference layout closer to December.

• Outreach at regional conferences

  • Proposal: request a 30-minute presentation / block at the New Hampshire Fruit & Vegetable Conference (biannual) to provide an NRCCA update (specialty exam progress, etc.). Jeremy and Peter reported the conference organizers are receptive; Jeremy will set up meeting with coordinator (Trevor Hardy) to arrange slot/room and CCA credit opportunities.

  • Peter already registered for the conference and will forward registration/hotel info to the group.

CCA Performance Objectives (POs) & Study Manual

• Project overview

  • Matthew Haycock (Cornell master’s project, supported by subject matter experts at Cornell/USDA/UVM) reviewed and edited the Northeast POs and the NRCCA study manual. The edits primarily removed redundancies and refined language; changes were highlighted in yellow in the circulated draft.

  • Background: POs typically follow a multi-year update schedule (past updates in 2016, 2022); 2022 process included ICCA more directly than prior cycles. NRCCA previously funded an intern for the 2016 update; this 2026 work was completed as a university project without NRCCA funding.

• Key points from discussion

  • The manual is a supplemental study resource for basic training and is generally evergreen; the manual update should be posted online and used for training in place of the 2016 manual (board agreement sought).

  • Distinction: POs are the official ICCA-published objectives (basis for test items), whereas the manual is regional study material. NRCCA can propose PO updates to ICCA, but ICCA will have input and may request revisions.

  • Concern raised that POs added previously in 2022 had some items with no developed test questions; such POs were therefore not represented on exams (a disservice to test takers). Board asked to consider which POs have associated test items when proposing PO updates.

• Specific editorial feedback

  • Weed nomenclature inconsistency: “horseweed” appears in the manual (page 22, table; once again under IPM question 3). Several members recommended:

    • Include both common names (horseweed / marestail) in the manual (minimum).

    • Preferably include scientific names (genus & species), but consensus was to keep common names in the main text and consider adding scientific names later or in an index.

    • Action: Shawn/Joe to email Cornell (Q and Matthew) with requested edits (add “marestail” in parentheses, search/replace as needed wherever references occur). Board members should review the manual edits and provide any further feedback before next meeting.

• Vote & next steps

  • It was agreed the board needs to formally vote to adopt the updated manual as NRCCA’s supplemental study material and/or to forward proposed POs to ICCA.

  • Action: All board members to review Matthew’s edited POs/manual between now and the August meeting and be prepared to vote or provide consensus so Joe/Shawn can respond to Cornell/ICCA.

Surveys & Data Sharing

• CCA pest pressure survey

  • NRCCA ran a survey again in 2026 (repeat of 2025 effort) to capture pest pressures (e.g., seed corn maggot).

  • Response was very light in 2026.

  • Action: Brendan to compile and distribute the 2026 survey raw data to the board and to Cornell IPM (Mike Hunter) for review.

Administrative Infrastructure, Document Storage & Communication

• Document consolidation & continuity

  • Shawn has been collecting/storing NRCCA documents (minutes, agendas, applicant data, CE records) locally on his computer; suggested moving to a shared platform for governance continuity.

  • Recommendation: migrate to Microsoft Teams for shared file storage and board chats (Teams chat channels) and to maintain continuity through transitions in leadership.

  • Website use

    • Jeremy and Shawn suggested increasing use of the NRCCA website to host meeting minutes, CCA lists, and public-facing materials.

    • Action: Brendan, Sam, and Shawn to coordinate and update the website; Shawn will visit FCM next week to work on budget and website improvements.

  • Practical benefits cited: easier access for advisors (e.g., CT State Agronomist Katie Busk), public transparency, and reduced loss of institutional knowledge when personnel change.

Regional Advisor Roundtable (new recurring agenda item)

• Proposal: dedicate the first 15–20 minutes of each board meeting to 1–2 advisors reporting regional updates (policy developments, trials, pest or weed outbreaks, regulatory changes).

  • Purpose: improve cross-state coordination, share resources, and avoid New York-centric focus.

  • Implementation: Shawn will coordinate with Peter, Sam, Brendan, and advisors to schedule which regions present at upcoming meetings.

  • Action: Begin rotating regional updates at next meetings; Peter to send Mass. Vegetable Notes / CT Extension links to Brendan for distribution.

Upcoming Meetings & Scheduling

• ICCA in-person quarterly meeting: July 26–27, 2026 (Shawn to attend virtually; Shawn is NRCCA voting member).

• Proposed NRCCA August meeting: options to poll the group for availability on Wednesday Aug 19, Friday Aug 21, or Friday Aug 28 (Brendan to send availability poll / Doodle).

  • Note: Friday the 28th is immediately after the ICCA meeting (useful for debrief if Shawn attends in person).

  • Action: Brendan will distribute scheduling options and collect responses.

• Next formal updates:

  • August meeting: PO/manual review, speaker/conference updates, budget finalization, and voting items (new board members, manual adoption).

  • September meeting: ICCA meeting debrief.