National Society of Accountants for Cooperatives Conference

Stacy Kennedy, Geoff Chinnock, Toni Scott and Brent Morrison at the NSAC meeting in Napa.

Last week, the Morrison & Company team  traveled to beautiful Napa to take part in the National Society of Accountants for Cooperatives Far Western Chapter Annual Meeting.

Stacy and Toni came down a day early to take part in the educational program where they learned what exactly a cooperative is and why it is a beneficial business model. They also stayed enthralled as they were educated on the unique accounting and taxing practices that apply to cooperatives. 

Brent and Geoff joined Stacy and Toni later on, and together the entire Morrison and Company team attended the conference's general program which included an amazing line-up of guest speakers.

We already bragged about getting to hear from California Farm Bureau President Paul Wenger, but we were also treated to addresses from Emily Rooney, Agriculture Council of California president, former California State Assemblyman Rick Keene and economist Gary Zimmerman.

We were also lucky enough to win some fabulous raffle prizes. Toni walked away with her favorite flavor of Blue Diamond Almonds (dark chocolate mint), Stacy scored a great hat and some fruit cups courtesy of Pacific Coast Producers and we were all treated to CoBank pens and Sunsweet Plum Amazins at our seats! Stacy also won the meeting's grand prize...an iPad! She's excited to put it to use to serve our great clients.

We can't wait until next year's meeting. See you in Tahoe!

Morrison & Company In Napa



Geoff Chinnock and Stacy Kennedy of Morrison & Company take a break at the NSAC conference.

The Morrison and Company team is spending this week in Napa at the National Society of Accountants for Cooperatives Far Western Chapter Annual Meeting.
Some of our most valued clients are cooperatives and we continually strive to remain informed of and engaged in the unique issues facing these grower-owned companies.

We spent today learning about new tax regulations, water issues and how to best maximize profits for cooperatives and were treated to a host of excellent speakers, including California Farm Bureau President Paul Wenger.We are having a great time educating ourselves, while connecting with some of the most talented professionals in agribusiness.

There's still one day left of the conference and we are thrilled to return to Chico and share more photos and information with you! Be sure to check back on our website for a full recap of the meeting highlights.

Showcasing your talents

At Morrison & Company, every person on our team has a broad range of talents that we have picked up through professional and life experiences.

Some of those talents, we use in our everyday work. Others only get put into action on occasion.

Earlier this week, Consultant Toni Scott was able to put to use one of her lesser known accomplishments as she judged the Miss Glenn County competition.

Toni representing the California dairy industry
circa 2003

Toni represented her home county as Miss Del Norte in 2002-2003 and was a Dairy Princess.

The scholarship money earned from both endeavors helped pay for her college education and equipped her with the leadership, networking and public speaking skills that make her successful today. Though Toni no longer walks around in her crown and sash (at least in public) that experience set the foundation a strong future.

Every company has those qualities, those experiences in their past that have brought them to where they are today. Sometimes we forget about those characteristics or we’re too humble to talk about them with others.

At Morrison & Company, we pride ourselves on bringing to light all the great things your company stands for. Whether it’s on a grant application, a business plan or a feasibility study, we take the time to get to know you – all your talents and accomplishments – to ensure that we accurately represent all that you stand for. Your business may not boast a former pageant princess, but we’re confident you’ve have some royal success that we can help promote.

Morrison Celebrates with Alternative Energy Systems

Toni Scott, Geoff Chinnock and Brent Morrison of Morrison & Company enjoy the ribbon cutting for an Alternative Energy Systems solar project.

Yesterday, Morrison & Company had the chance to celebrate with the Boys and Girls Club of Chico as they welcomed the new installation of solar panels on one of their downtown Chico buildings.

Chico’s Alternative Energy Systems, Inc. managed the project and launched a fundraising campaign to ensure its success. For every solar contract AES secured, they donated $500 to a fund specifically for the Boys and Girls Club project. The fund reached $25,000 in March and Pacific Gas and Electric stepped in to match that with another $25,000.



Brent Morrison learns about Sunpower solar



The solar panels, which are Sunpower technology, were recently installed by AES on the rooftop of the Boys and Girls Club gym and storage facility. The nonprofit organization expects to save $5,500 in annual energy costs by going solar.

We’ve worked with AES in the past on on-farm solar projects and were happy to show our support of their latest success. Their work includes commercial, residential and agricultural projects and they are a dedicated, organized and talented team to work with. Alternative energy makes good economic and environmental sense and we’ve been able to help several farming operations make the shift to solar. If you’re thinking about transitioning to solar power be sure to read our blog posts about the Rural Energy for America Program and contact us with any further questions.

California Olive Ranch Gets Rave Review

At Morrison & Company, we are proud to represent some of the best clients in agribusiness.

We of course know that, but it’s great when other people recognize it to.

Phil Lempert, the infamous Supermarket Guru, is a leading food industry analyst, journalist and trend-watcher. He produces daily reports on food news and also offers new product reviews.

This weekend, Lempert raved about California Olive Ranch Olive Oil on Doug Stephan’s Good Day, a national talk radio program that is heard on more than 350 radio stations by more than 3.5 million listeners every week.

California Olive Ranch is the largest producer of olive oil in the U.S. and has been one of Morrison & Company’s esteemed clients for several years. Naturally, we were proud to hear the outstanding review.

Lempert said he has tried olive oil from all over the world, but had never tasted anything as good as California Olive Ranch’s 100 percent California grown and processed  extra virgin olive oil.

“This olive oil is the best olive oil that I’ve ever tasted,” Lempert said. “The aroma, the freshness, just everything about it.”

The broadcast can he heard here. Click on May 14 and then click on the Good Day link with Phil Lempert. California Olive Ranch featured at 37:00 minute mark. Mike Forbes of California Olive Ranch joined Lempert on the show, offering insight as to why COR’s olive oil is so supreme. Forbes noted that COR’s  olives are grown on a trellis, like wine grapes, which allows for a quick harvest and enables COR to produce the freshest and tastiest olive oil possible.

The Morrison & Company team only cooks with California Olive Ranch olive oil, which can be purchased here. Lempert’s official review of the Miller’s Blend will be published tomorrow and available on his website.   

Chico Innovation Lab Grand Opening

Yesterday evening, Morrison & Company celebrated the grand opening of Chico’s Innovation Lab, a valuable resource that will help emerging North State businesses grow while accelerating the development of innovative technologies.

The lab is founded by a wide ranging group and represents a strong public-private partnership.  

A partial list of founders includes NoRTEC, the California Labor and Workforce Development Agency, California Employment Development Department, Chico State, Butte College, and USDA Rural Development.

Morrison & Company is among the list of donors that dedicated matching efforts to the Governor’s Innovation Challenge Grant, which provided seed funding for the Innovation Lab.

We have dedicated our talented staff to assist business that come to the Innovation Lab for support and in that, join a strong team of donors, including Chico Electric, Chabin Concepts, Alternative Energy Systems and Recology.

Morrison & Company’s expertise in green energy, grants and overall business development and support made us a perfect fit as a supporter of this venture.

We had a great time meeting with leaders in innovation and local entrepreneurs Thursday evening and look forward to our continued role in the Innovation Lab’s success.

Here's some more photos from the event and be sure to check out this story that our own Toni Scott wrote before joining Morrison & Company.

Geoff Chinnock (left) and Brent Morrison enjoy themselves at the Chico Innovation Lab Grand Opening Thursday.

Our good friend and USDA California Rural Development State Director Glenda Humiston talks to the crowd about the great opportunity the Innovation Lab will provide the north state and California as a whole.

U.S. Farm Exports Set Record

U.S.  farm exports reached record-breaking highs in the first half of FY 2011, according to data released by the USDA yesterday.

The first half of the federal fiscal year has seen farm exports top $75 billion, a figure that is 27 percent higher than the same period last year.

In a press release issued yesterday, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack credited farmers and ranchers for helping the nation rise out of the recession and attributed farm exports with supporting more than one million domestic jobs.

At Morrison & Company we have assisted clients with business plans, feasibility studies and grant applications to help expand into foreign markets. We’ve had much success and are honored that we can contribute to a thriving international agriculture economy.

If you want to be one of those farming operations, cooperatives or food processing companies contributing to the power of U.S farm exports, check out our company website or visit our grants website to see if there’s federal funding available to you. 

USDA announces first official biomass project area

Today the USDA announced the establishment of the first official Biomass Crop Assistance Program Project Area.

The federal biomass program, established in the 2008 Farm Bill, incentivizes the production of crops for biofuels.

The first project area within the program will be in Missouri and Kansas, across 39 contiguous counties. Up to 50,000 acres will be dedicated to crops that will turn be used for the manufacturing of biomass fuels. The project is being led by Show Me Energy Cooperative of Centerview, Missouri.

Biomass crop producers in the established project area will be eligible for reimbursements of up to 75 percent of the cost of establishing a bioenergy perennial crop, and can receive up to five years of annual payments for grassy crops and up to 15 years of annual payments for woody crops. BCAP also provides matching payments for up to two years for the collection, harvest, storage and transportation (CHST) of eligible biomass materials to a qualified biomass conversion facility by eligible material owners.

The establishment of this project area is just one step the USDA is taking to spur the development of biofuels, with grant funding and incentives available for interested producers. If you are exploring the leap into biofuels production, make Morrison & Company a part of that journey. We can help you with feasibility studies, business plans or grant applications and have developed a broad resume working with alternative energy and biomass projects.

Telling your company's story

Morrison & Company’s Toni Scott was asked to give a presentation to a group of potential candidates at the California Federation of Republican Women Northern Division conference this past weekend.

As a former newspaper reporter, Toni spent several years covering local and state politics.

Part of that experience included campaign coverage, which spanned from researching and reporting contributions made to city council hopefuls to sitting down for a private interview with gubernatorial candidate Meg Whitman.

Toni spent Friday talking with potential candidates from around Northern California about how to work with the press to tell their stories and how to best communicate their core values and missions.

That lesson is something that is extremely beneficial to political candidates, but is one that businesses and farming operations alike should also take into thoughtful consideration.

Here at Morrison & Company, we pride ourselves on telling the stories behind our amazing clients. Whether it’s for a grant application, a feasibility study or a marketing assessment, our team’s main focus is to deeply understand the clients we work for and then tell their stories to grant reviewers, lending institutions, and customers. Visit our website to see how to tell your story through Morrison & Company’s services. What’s your story that you want to tell the world?