Constitutional Amendments Approved by AJCA Membership

Four Constitutional amendments pertaining to the directors and terms of the American Jersey Cattle Association (AJCA) were approved by membership vote during the AJCA’s Annual Meeting on June 22, 2024, in Springfield, Mass.

The amendments make the following changes to the Constitution:

• The total number of Districts is reduced from twelve (12) to three (3);
• Four (4) Directors other than the President shall be eligible to reside within any one district;
• The President and three (3) Directors shall be elected at each annual meeting;
• Each Director shall serve a four (4) year term.

The proposed amendments pertain to Article V., Sec. 1(b) and (c) and Sec. 2(a) and (c). The complete constitution can be found at https://www.usjersey.com/Portals/0/AJCA/2_Docs/Policy/AJCA-Constitution-Bylaws.pdf.

Voting was 223 in favor of the amendment and 21 against, surpassing the 75% affirmative vote needed.

“The new structure is an opportunity to achieve more equitable representation for the membership across the country,” said AJCA President Alan Chittenden, Schodack Landing, N.Y. “As we look at the trends of the ever-evolving dairy industry, these changes will provide a better balance of membership and income across all districts and ensure equal and fair representation of AJCA members in the decision-making of the Board of Directors.”

The three new districts are defined as follows:

• First District:   Alabama, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Mississippi, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Vermont, Virginia, and West Virginia.
• Second District:  Arkansas, Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.
• Third District:  Alaska, Arizona, California, Hawaii, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, and Washington.

These changes were effective on June 22, 2024, and the changes to director terms, districts and will be effective with the 2025 elections of the board of directors. A comment period is open to members of the AJCA through November 1, 2024. Comments can be addressed to the Executive Secretary or an AJCA Board of Director.