Directors Complete Certification Program

Clint Bornemeier, a director of Frontier Cooperative, recently completed a four-phase educational program co-sponsored by the Nebraska Cooperative Council and CoBank.

The Director Certification Program is a unique educational program specifically
designed to assist cooperative directors to more fully understand their ever-changing
responsibilities. The program has been presented annually at various locations throughout
Nebraska since its inception in 1978. More than 8,540 phases have been completed.

The program consists of four one-day courses designed to help participants become
more effective cooperative directors. Some of the workshop topics include legal obligations of
directors; cooperative principles and practices; using financial statements in making decisions;
the benefits of long-range planning; capitalization of cooperatives; and a director’s role in
establishing proper controls. Workshop segments are patterned to closely follow the growing
responsibilities of cooperative directors.

Rocky Weber, President & General Counsel of the Nebraska Cooperative Council of
Lincoln, said, "Farm supply and marketing cooperatives are essential segments of the
agribusiness industry in Nebraska. These local cooperatives contribute to the success of
today's farmers and ranchers, and the complexities of cooperatives only grows. This requires
local directors to continually seek out training programs to enhance their skill set. The Council
continues to place a high priority on director education programs because education will be a
key factor in determining the future success of Nebraska’s cooperatives.”

The Nebraska Cooperative Council is the trade association for agricultural cooperatives.
Over 96% of the agricultural cooperatives throughout Nebraska are members of the Council.