INSIGHTS November/December 2016 NEWS AND VIEWS FROM CHS DIRECTORS THIS ISSUE 25 • Learn more about proposed amendments to the CHS Articles and Bylaws • CHS Annual Meeting and Governance Resources 26 • The multiplier effect: Cooperative economic impact • Your CHS Experience 27 • Managing and reducing risk • Making the farmer and cooperative voice heard 28 • CHS Fiscal 2016 patronage equity program • “Down on the farm” with CHS directors HIGHLIGHTS OF PROPOSED AMENDMENTS: The proposed amendments would create new CHS membership classes: • Class A for eligible individual agricultural producers and associations of producers. Class A cooperative associations must have 100 percent agricultural producers as voting members and as voting members of their boards. Class A members would have voting rights and be eligible to receive patronage. • Class B for organizations operating on a cooperative basis that do not meet Class A criteria, typically because they have either non-producers as voting members or non-producers as voting directors. Class B members would be eligible to receive patronage, but would not have CHS voting rights. • Class C for all the cooperative associations that are CHS members as of the date of the 2016 CHS Annual Meeting. The CHS bylaws would retain references to the Defined Member class, although that program has been discontinued. If CHS members approve the proposed amendments at the 2016 annual meeting, all current individual producer members would automatically become Class A members. All current cooperative association members would automatically become Class C members and remain there until they experience one of the three triggering events listed in the proposed amendments. ELIGIBLE MEMBERS ENCOURAGED TO PARTICIPATE IN GOVERNANCE Voting eligible CHS member cooperatives and individual producer members have the opportunity to vote on proposed amendments to the company’s articles and bylaws. Delegate materials were mailed to eligible voting members in October and include important deadline information for in-person and online voting. “Participation in the governance of the company you own is a core privilege of being a CHS cooperative owner,” says CHS Board Chairman Dave Bielenberg. “As a CHS Board, our priority is to ensure that members are fully informed on governance issues.” This year, in addition to director elections in five regions, delegates will consider proposed amendments to the CHS Articles and Bylaws regarding CHS membership definitions. CHS Director Dave Kayser says while CHS owners are encouraged to attend the annual meeting in person, online voting and the ability to livestream the general sessions makes the event accessible to all members. “The CHS annual meeting is a unique event,” Kayser says, “in addition to taking part in company governance, CHS owners can hear about company highlights and strategic direction, learn about industry trends and resources for co-ops and producers, and interact with CHS directors and management.” 2016 CHS ANNUAL MEETING CHS ANNUAL MEETING AND GOVERNANCE RESOURCES To participate in the 2016 CHS Annual Meeting: • Register at chsinc.com/annual meeting. Remember: you must register separately as a delegate and for meeting attendance/ hotel accommodations. • Online voting closes on Dec. 1 at 4 p.m. • In-person delegate registration at the Minneapolis Convention Center closes on Dec. 1 at 6 p.m. • Can’t attend? Watch the meeting online at chsinc.com. Viewers can submit questions via the webcast and by text. To learn more about proposed amendments to the CHS Articles and Bylaws: • Review informational materials at chsinc.com Governance page • Watch the recorded version an informational Your CHS of Connection 25 CHS Connection 25 webinar available Your by link from chsinc.com homepage
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