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The 2002 conference was a fun-filled event that was enjoyed by all 36 attendees and 12 counselors. The participants were interested in the cooperative business structure and were provided with plenty of information on state and national cooperative businesses. Presenters from Farm Credit Service, Goldkist, Dairy Farmers of America, Maryland/Virginia Milk Producers, Southern States, Georgia EMC, and Staplcotn gave an overview of their cooperative and answered many questions.
The group also was able to complete an individual personality profile (I-sight) and get some Leadership training during the conference. These activities were well received and, hopefully, will be able to be used in the future.
During the conference, a Cooperative Challenge was also played. The attendees were divided into 4 teams and participated in numerous team building exercises. The winners of the game were selected based on the points won during each of the scheduled events. The majority of the points was from the Cooperative Marketing Game. Each team was given the chance to make decisions over a 4 quarter period for a cooperative business. They had to decide on prices, tonnage, employees, equipment, and loan terms. The goal was to increase the cooperatives net worth for the period and each group was able to do that this year. Other games involved various brain teasers, races, a water pipe test, human spider web, and the Cooperative Family Feud game. These games were very active and required the whole group to participate. It is hoped that they were able to learn some team concepts through these exercises.
The following students attended the conference this year:
| Name | Hometown | Sponsor |
| Molly Butler | Fort Valley | Peach Co. 4-H |
| Leona Ebbay | Jefferson | Jackson EMC |
| Aditi Kakade | Carrollton | Carroll EMC |
| Erica Fletcher | Barnesville | Lamar EMC |
| Bryan Ashley | Scotland | Little Ocmulgee EMC |
| Jamie Hill | Sparta | Washington EMC |
| Sajuana Gilliam | LaGrange | Troup Co. 4-H |
| Matt Christopher | Canton | Cherokee Co. 4-H |
| Seab Harden | Eastman | Ocmulgee EMC |
| James Lanier | Rome | Floyd Co. 4-H |
| Millen McGhee | Fort Valley | Peach Co. 4-H |
| Corinthian Jackson | Barnesville | Lamar Co. 4-H |
| Jennifer Piazza | Woodstock | Cobb EMC |
| Jim Pelletier | Loganville | Walton EMC |
| Rebecca Leean Johns | Waycross | Satilla EMC |
| Reginald Rainge | Blakely | Early Co. 4-H |
| Marie Covington | Sandersville | Washington EMC |
| Cheyanne Coggins | Roopville | Ag South FCS |
| Jessica McCune | Dublin | Little Ocmulgee EMC |
| Margaret Reeves | Washington | Rayle EMC |
| J. Douglas Harrell | Whigham | Southwest GA FCS |
| Natalie Smith | Blakely | Early Co. 4-H |
| Charilaos Moustakas | Roberta | IFYE Ambassador |
| Cory Couch | Fortson | Harris Co. 4-H |
| Lauren Moon | Carrollton | Carroll EMC |
| Jennifer Oakley | Monroe | Walton EMC |
| Amber Ivie | Buckhead | Dairy Farmer of America |
| Marcus Tucker | Ambrose | Satilla EMC |
| Brooke Pettis | Allentown | Oconee EMC |
| Latasha Knight | LaGrange | Troup Co 4-H |
| Jenee Walker | Barnesville | Lamar Co. 4-H |
| Linda Washington | Ball Ground | Cherokee Co. 4-H |
| Matthew Williams | Roberta | Crawford Co. 4-H |
| Lafe Perkins | Whigham | Southwest GA FCS |
A special thanks to the group leaders during the conference:
Dick Schermerhorn, Bill Thomas, Gale Cutler, Frances Edmunds
Last Revised: October 1, 2002
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