Total income exceeds 200 million yen! The 6th Annual General Meeting of Agricultural Cooperative Association HONOKA, 2019 Organized and bottom-up, we are gearing up for the future!

Thursday, February 20, 2020

On February 10, 2020 (Monday), the 6th Annual General Meeting of Agricultural Cooperative Association Honoka was held at Sunflower Park Hokuryu Onsen Multi-Purpose Hall.

The General Meeting was started by Mr. Yoshikazu Itagaki, Auditor, who presided over the meeting.

Opening Remarks: Shigeki Mizutani, Representative Director

'Six years have gone by in a blink of an eye. It is said that corporations start to turn a corner after the sixth year. You get used to it, make compromises, or give up. I don't know what will happen to our corporation, but we have survived the turning point year.

Mr. Sakamaki also became a constituent member, which made things a little easier, and we were able to enter our seventh year in earnest.

Our special guest this time is Makiko Hase, Assistant Manager of the Industrial Division of the Hokuryu Town Hall, who has been on the Agricultural Committee since the establishment of HONOKA six years ago and has been a great help to us. As guests of honor, we have invited people from JA Kitasorachi Hokuryu Branch Office and accountant Kojima Accounting," said Representative Director Mizutani.

Introduction of Guests

JA Kitasorachi Hokuryu Branch Office, Mr. Tadao Hoshino, Branch Manager; Hokuryu Town Hall, Industry Division, Ms. Makiko Hase, Assistant Manager; JA Kitasorachi Hokuryu Branch Office, Financial Mutual Aid Division, Mr. Hisashi Ota, Manager; JA Kitasorachi Hokuryu Branch Office, Material Division, Mr. Yuji Takeda, Manager; JA Kitasorachi Hokuryu Branch Office, Agriculture Division, Mr. Tomohiro Kawamoto, Manager; Tax Accountant Corporation Kojima Accounting, Mr. Takuya Kojima, Representative Partner Kenichi Okazaki, Kojima Accounting Corporation

Takuya Kojima, Representative Partner, Kojima Accounting Tax Corporation

The organization of corporations is currently being reevaluated and attracting attention. When I visit and talk with farmers throughout the province, what they tell me is that they are reaching the limits of a one-unit corporation. Many are saying that they want to establish a solid organization as a corporation. Most of the consultations now are mainly about 'how to build an organization. It is very difficult to make that organization.

HONOKA" is well organized.

One of the wonderful things about "Honoka" is that this organization is well structured. We are required to create an organizational chart and manage the organization as "Honoka" does.

HONOKA" is "bottom up.

Another thing I feel is that "HONOKA" is not top-down, but "bottom-up.

Mr. Mizutani, the representative of the company, is not in a "do it this way" atmosphere, but rather, everyone is working together to create "HONOKA. This is something that other farmers cannot do. I think this is what makes the HONOKA corporation so great.

I hope that you will continue to do so in the future and create a "corporation" that will serve as a model case. This is something that cannot be done by the representative alone, and can only be done with everyone's bottom-up efforts. I hope that you will continue to build a good corporation. I look forward to working with you in the future," said Representative Kojima, speaking of the wonderful strengths of the Honoka Corporation.

election of chairman

Mr. Hiroto Sakamaki was elected chairman, and reports and discussions were made on the business report, balance sheet, income statement, and proposed appropriation of surplus for fiscal 2019, the business plan for fiscal 2020, and the election of officers for the Minor Grain (Inaki) Production Association.

Nomination of Secretary and Minute Signing Committee Members

Ryoichi Minamiguchi, Kotaro Nakayama, Nozomi Yamada

matters to be reported

1. awards at field crop cooperatives

On February 7, "Honoka" received an award at the general meeting of the Agri-Support Field Crop Production Association.

2. award from the Hokkaido Superior Rice Production and Shipment Co-operative Encouragement Association

The Hokuryu Town Bibagyu Farmers Association won the top prize for excellent rice as a production group (award ceremony held in Sapporo at the end of February).

business (of the day)

Agenda Item 1.

Business Report, Balance Sheet, Income Statement, and Proposed Appropriation of Surplus for the Fiscal Year 2019. and Audit Report

Business Report for 2019: Explanation by Director Shigeyuki Nakayama

<2019 year summary

Feb. 4 5th Annual General Meeting
March 3: Start of snow removal and leasing of heated beds - 7th: Completion of snow removal and leasing of heated beds
March 8 Shiomi Construction started snow removal and erected greenhouses - March 16 snow removal and erected greenhouses were completed.
April 14: 1st melon planted (total of 13 melons planted), paddy rice seeding started - 21 days finished
April 23: Plowing of rice paddies begins.
May 5: Sowing sunflower oil
May 10: Sowing sunflower nuts
May 17: Rice planting started, azuki beans sown
May 19: Soybean sowing - 20th
May 25: Inakibi seeding - May 26
May 26: Rice planting finished
May 29: Sowing buckwheat - 31st
June 8: Sowing sunflowers in the landscape
June 14: Dairy Academy Agricultural Training
July 12 Dairy Academy Agricultural Training
July 22: Agricultural training for junior high school students
July 28: Agricultural Cooperative Tourism Experience Tour
August 6: Tokyo Inua and Biei Libre visit
August 7: Agricultural Cooperative Tourism Experience Tour
August 8: Shimizu Himawari (Hokuryu Town Tourism Ambassador) visited the company.
September 2: Sunflower nut harvest - 4th
September 17: Inakibi harvest, sunflower oil harvest
September 18: Rice harvesting begins - October 11
October 2: Dairy Academy Agricultural Training
October 16: Harvesting azuki beans - 18th
Oct. 25: Sunflower nut sorting - 29th
　　　　　　　　Kiichiro Yoshida barn renovation work, Numanosawa River bridge construction completed, Shirinashi River bridge construction completed
December 22: Year-end general meeting and year-end party

<Production status

Total paddy rice: 10,741a (Kitakurin: 7,423a, Natsuboshi: 5,134a, Yumepirika: 4,865a)
Field crops: 3,689a (soybeans, buckwheat, sunflower oil, melons, sunflower nuts, fall wheat, inakibi, azuki beans)

Balance Sheet, Income Statement, and Appropriation of Surplus (Draft): Explanation by ILCAA Director Kayoda

Total revenues exceeded 200 million yen for the first time.

Total income: 203 million yen (rice: 147 million yen, field crops: 15 million yen, contracted work: 12 million yen, miscellaneous income: 29 million yen)
Retained earnings: 6.7 million yen

Audit Report: Report from Mitsuharu Yamada, Auditor

2. Agenda Item No. 2

Business Plan for 2020
Snow Removal

3. agenda item 3

Election of officers for the Minor Grain (Inaki) Production Association
Asao Morishima was appointed to the board of directors of the Minor Grain (Inakibi) Production Association upon the recommendation of the representative director.

Each agenda item was approved unanimously.

Others: Shigeki Mizutani, Representative Director, explained

On the issue of lack of successors and managers

The agricultural corporations in Hokkaido are experiencing a problem in that young farmers are not being nurtured and there is a shortage of successors. At "Honoka," we have high expectations for young successors, and we would like to do so while taking the next three years into consideration.

Income Insurance Considerations

Regarding the comparison of income insurance and agricultural mutual aid, he said that he would like to make a decision on whether or not to purchase such insurance after repeated simulations and in-depth study.

Resignation of the Chair and Adjournment of the Meeting

The general meeting ended without a hitch. A reception was held afterwards.

With their magnificent bottom line and cooperation, the people of Honoka enjoy farming with smiles on their faces.
With great respect, gratitude, and prayer for the great power of "Honoka," an agricultural cooperative corporation that has generated a total income of over 200 million yen per year after six years of its establishment.

More Photos

interpoint (interword separation)Click here for 28 photos of the 2019 General Meeting of Agricultural Cooperative Association HONOKA (6th period) >>

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◇ Photography and Editing: Noboru Terauchi Reporting and Writing: Ikuko Terauchi