Cooperative Modernization: Rebuilding & Redefining Your GENEX By Terri Dallas, Vice President of Member Relations
We highly value GENEX delegate and alternate input. Two years ago, we asked delegates to provide feedback on what differentiates GENEX from other bovine genetics businesses. The overwhelming answer was being a co-op sets us apart. Then, at our fall 2019 delegate input meetings, our CEO Huub te Plate shared with delegates and alternates information about the Good to Great process happening at GENEX and the resulting Hedgehog statement developed by the GENEX council and employees: “We are best at being a modern cooperative delivering advanced genetic and reproductive solutions to progressive dairy and beef producers globally.”
does with GENEX and/or a system based on cow numbers. Also important to the delegates was keeping the one member one vote philosophy in place. The delegates reported a decrease in the number of council directors made sense given the decline in the number of producers in the U.S. as well.
During those same fall input meetings, delegates and alternates were asked to provide input on how to modernize the cooperative. In other words, provide ideas on continuing to serve our current members while recruiting new members in the U.S. and possibly around the world.
In January 2020, the GENEX council unanimously voted to change from our geography-based 13-region governance structure to a revenuebased four-tier structure. Moving from our current structure to one based on the amount of business
Council Accepts New Governance Structure
members do with the co-op allows for meaningful interaction within the tiers. Each tier will have members with similar demographics. The tier system is flexible and scalable; tiers can be added in the future and can grow with the cooperative. For example, we could add an internationalfocused tier. The goal is fair treatment for all members.
Structure to Include Tier System The tier system aligns representation and the election of delegates based on the annual amount of semen,
We were looking for ideas on how to attract young producers – those who will be industry leaders in 20 years – to become more involved GENEX members. This has become a bigger challenge each year as the demographics of our membership continues to change. Plus, although there have been many changes in production agriculture and at GENEX, our governance structure had not changed in over 25 years. About half of the delegate groups at those fall input meetings reported a good option would be governance based on the business a producer During the fall 2019 delegate input meetings, delegates and alternates provided input on how to modernize the co-op and attract young producers to become more involved GENEX members. 4
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HORIZONS
