As we have noted before, NCBA exists only because of the efforts of its member volunteers.  Key among these volunteers are our officers – NCBA’s primary leaders.  You don’t have to be a beekeeping expert to be an effective officer.  You don’t even have to be someone who considers themselves to be a leader.  Each of the officer roles is functional, taking care of an aspect of the business of the NCBA.  You don’t have to be perfect – you just need to be able to fulfill the basic duties of the position in a timely manner most of the time.  Remember, you aren’t alone.  The other Officer and Advisor members of the NCBA’s Leadership Body, the Executive Committee, are there to help – along with other member volunteers.  The Executive Committee is designed to encourage a variety of perspectives that committee members can use in reaching a decision.   Please consider putting your name forward for one of these positions.   Email the Executive Committee at ncbaexec@nocobees.org.

President and President Pro tem – These are NCBA’s primary leaders, the buck-stops-here people responsible for meetings and for making sure that the business of the NCBA is handled.  These two positions are designed to work together, both to share the work and to acquaint the President pro tem with the role of President.  The President Pro tem is a 1-year President-in-Training position that automatically transitions to President at the end of his or her term.

Secretary – The primary duties of the Secretary are to create minutes and attendance records for monthly and Executive Committee meetings, documenting at a high level the activities of the organization as well as the detailed results of formal votes taken by membership and the Executive Committee.

Treasurer – The Treasurer handles the NCBA’s funds, making deposits, writing checks, and maintaining detailed financial records to document the source of receipts and the reason for disbursements.  The Treasurer also reconciles accounts, creates financial reports, and maintains membership records reflecting dues payments.

NCBA is planning to be represented at the following events and needs volunteers!   These outreach events are a great opportunity to spend a few hours supporting the NCBA and your Beekeeping community chatting with folks, as well as a chance to check out the event itself.  Please email volunteer@nocobees.org.

1. Second Annual Garden and Landscape Tour in Windsor August 11th.
2. Sustainable Living Fair in Fort Collins, September 15th and 16th.
3. Grant Family Farm Harvestival in Wellington, Saturday & Sunday October 6-7, 2012.

Last month we talked about a tentatively scheduled Beekeepers Garage Sale, and asked to hear from members who would like to participate in such a sale.  However, we received no responses to that request.  There is no NCBA event scheduled for July.

Future Meeting Ideas – We always want our meetings to address the needs of our membership.  If there is a topic you’d like to see us address, please let us know.  Email NCBApres@nocobees.org.

Excerpted from the July, 2012 edition of the High Country Bee by Beth Conrey:
Cottage Industry Bill
The Cottage Industry Bill is undergoing implementation and there are lots of questions and concerns about it.
The Cooperative Extension Service will be holding a FREE webinar on the bill on Wednesday, July 11th from 6 to 7:15 pm. Follow the instructions here to log in  (Lots of other neat offerings on that site, too.)  Please understand that the section on food service training requirements is still being contested by CSBA as being unnecessary for honey production and we are still pursuing approval of the Food Handlers Safety Class.  The Cooperative Extension Service has also put out a handy publication that you may read here.
I have taken the liberty of ordering 15,000 of the allergy labels so that we can get the discounted pricing for members.  As soon as I see them, I will let you know and you will be able to order them directly from the State in rolls of 1000.
Click here for current CSBA information including the full text of this month’s High Country Bee.