OCGA applauds top recruiters<br>
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Each year at the Commodity Classic, the National Corn Growers Assoc. (NCGA) recognizes the hard work of grower-members who recruit colleagues into the association. Top recruiters are given awards at the event, which was recently held in Nashville.<br>This year, NCGA recognized Ohio Corn Growers Assoc. (OCGA) board member Anthony Bush of Mt. Gilead, who recruited 265 people last year in Ohio, making him the number-three recruiter in the nation. OCGA members Roger Bonham, Paul Herringshaw, Bill Berg and Gene Baumgardner were also recognized for recruiting members in 2007 for recruits.<br>
Bonham recruited 136 members, while Herringshaw recruited 91, making him eighth in the country. Berg recruited 83 recruits, making him ninth, and Baumgardner recruited 78 people, coming in at 10th in the nation. Bonham was also recognized in the NCGA Hall of Fame for recruiting members over the years.<br>
Rulon gets ICIA Merit Award<br>
ATLANTA, Ind. — Beck’s Hybrids, a family-owned seed company located in Atlanta, Ind., is proud to announce Lee Rulon, director of marketing, as the recipient of the 2008 Crops and Soils Merit Award.<br>
The award is given by the Indiana Crop Improvement Assoc. (ICIA) on the basis of a distinct and outstanding contribution to Indiana agriculture as related to the field of crops, soils or other agronomic lines. It is the highest honor the association grants to an individual.<br>
In 1972, Rulon was hired as Beck’s sales manager and began to build one of the strongest networks of “Selling Dealers” in the seed industry. Through his hard work and determination, the Beck’s dealer organization has grown and thrived in an era when it was questioned whether the farmer-dealer would survive the rapidly changing seed industry.<br>
His involvement in the ICIA includes serving on various committees and in leadership roles on the board of directors from 1990-2004. His work with the ICIA dates back to its beginnings in the late 1970s, when he was instrumental in developing policies and leadership. He served on the board and was president of the association from 1994-95.<br>
Today, Rulon serves on the Indiana Grain Indemnity Board, where he continues as a representative for seed trade issues. In the local community, he has served on the Hamilton County Police Merit Board for more than a dozen years.<br>
Guither receives Doane Award<br>

SAN DIEGO, Calif. — Harold D. Guither, Ph. D., AAC, professor emeritus of agricultural economics at the University of Illinois, was presented with the D. Howard Doane Award at the annual meeting of the American Society of Farm Managers and Rural Appraisers. The award is the highest the organization bestows on members.
Guither has a long history of service to agriculture in Illinois since he joined the UoI Cooperative Extension Service in October 1956. He earned a Ph.D. from the UoI in 1962 and joined the faculty as an assistant professor in agricultural extension. He rose through the ranks to become professor of Agricultural Policy in 1974.<br>
He served as the Illinois representative to the North Central Public Policy Education Committee from 1970 until his retirement last year. He served as secretary of the North Central committee in 1977-78 and as chair in 1979-80. He was a North Central representative to the national policy committee in 1984-88.
Guither has been honored for his policy education work by his university, USDA, Epsilon Sigma Phi, the American Society of Farm Managers and Rural Appraisers and (three times) the American Agricultural Economics Assoc.<br>
The award is named after D. Howard Doane, who was most widely known as the founder and longtime Chairman of the Board of Doane Agricultural Services which is the oldest, and for decades was the largest farm management, appraisal and agricultural research organization in the United States.<br>
Goble retires from CME<br>

CHICAGO, Ill. (PRNewswire-FirstCall) — CME Group announced Nancy Goble, managing director and Chief Accounting Officer, will retire after nearly 11 years of service, effective June 1. The company has appointed Jill Harley, formerly Chief Accounting Officer for the Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT), to assume these roles, effective March 1.<br>
Harley has more than 20 years of financial services experience at CBOT, formerly leading the CBOT accounting department with responsibility for all financial statements and filings since 2004. She previously served as CBOT controller and treasurer, and she continues to serve as treasurer of the CBOT Foundation. Harley earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Illinois and an MBA from DePaul University and is a registered CPA.<br>
Goble joined CME Group in 1997 and has been responsible for financial reporting, SEC filings, Sarbanes-Oxley compliance, budgeting and revenue assurance since 2002. Goble earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Michigan and is a registered CPA.<br>
EPIC announces exec director<br>

OMAHA, Neb. — The Ethanol Promotion and Information Council (EPIC) has named Toni Nuernberg as its new executive director.
Nuernberg comes to EPIC from ACA International, where she worked for 29 years. Most recently, she was chief operating officer of ACA International Holding Co., Inc. and its for-profit subsidiaries, ACA International Enterprises, Inc. (ACAE) and Collectors Insurance Agency, Inc.<br>
She graduated from Concordia University and received her accreditation as a certified association executive in 1996. She is a member of the American Society of Association Executives and served for five years on the board of directors and executive committee of the Midwest Society of Association Executives.<br>