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Agriculture

CONSTITUTION – CARP AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY

Adopted at the Annual Meeting, January, 2009

This Society shall be denominated the Carp Agricultural Society to aid affecting the views of the Provincial Legislature for the improvement of Agriculture in the Province.
The Society shall operate in the village of Carp serving agriculture in general within the surrounding area.
The Society shall be conducted by a Board of Directors of 30 members: Fifteen (15) of the Directors shall form the Agricultural Division of the Society and seventeen (17) Directors shall form the Homecraft Division of the Society.
The affairs of the Agricultural Division of the Society shall be conducted by a President, two Vice-Presidents, the Immediate Past-President, President of the Homecraft Division, Vice-President of the Homecraft Division, and nine (9) Directors at large, any nine (9) of whom shall form a quorum. The affairs of the Homecraft Division of the Society shall be conducted by a President, two Vice-Presidents, the Immediate Past-President and thirteen (13) members at large, any ten (10) of whom shall form a quorum.
NOTE:The excess of two figures on the total number of Directors of the Society is accounted for by the President and Vice-President of the Homecraft Division who sit on both the Agricultural and the Homecraft Boards of the Society.
An Executive Committee shall be formed by the Presidents of the Agricultural and Homecraft Divisions of the Society, as well as the first Vice-Presidents and Immediate Past Presidents of the two divisions of the Society. The Executive committee shall be consulted by the Agricultural and Homecraft Divisions on an ongoing basis and shall, by a two thirds majority, decide which issues and/or decisions shall be dealt with by the individual divisions and which decisions shall be dealt with by the Society’s Board of Directors as a whole. Where a majority decision cannot be reached by the Executive Committee, the Society’s Board of Directors shall deal with the issue. This shall be the sole purpose of the Executive Committee.
A Joint Meeting between the Board of Directors of the Agricultural Division and the Homecraft Division shall take place no fewer than two times per year. Any eighteen (18) Directors shall form a quorum. Any Joint Meeting shall be co-chaired by the President of the Agricultural Division and the President of the Homecraft Division, or their alternates, with the Chair of the Agricultural Division having the deciding vote. Voting at any joint meeting shall be restricted to thirteen (13) Directors of the Homecraft Division whose names shall be designated at the Annual General Meeting.
The Board of Directors shall be responsible for appointing a General Manager and any other persons necessary to service the Society.
The Board of Directors may request a representative from any organization in the municipality, which has a close liaison with the Society. Such representative will be assigned to a Department needing assistance and will be designated as a committee member with no voting privileges at meetings of the Board of Directors.
At the annual meeting, a full report of the years activities shall be presented including an audited financial report. An election of officers and members of the Board of Directors shall take place, 80 per cent of the previous years directors to be returned.
At any such Annual Meeting, or General Meeting of the members of the Society, only those members who were members of the Society during the previous year and who have paid the membership fee for the current year are entitled to vote. Fifteen members shall form a quorum.
No person under eighteen years of age is eligible to vote at any meeting of the Society or hold office in the Society.
The Officers of the Society shall have power to fill vacancies which may occur in the Board by death or otherwise.
The Board of Directors shall be responsible for holding an Annual Fair on the fourth weekend in September, and other events as decided upon from time to time by the Board.
Each Division of the Board of Directors shall meet once a month or no fewer than twelve (12) times a year. Each division may appoint such committees as are necessary and are responsible for the management of the Fair and other business activities of the Society. The day to day affairs of the Society shall be the responsibility of the Agricultural Division of the Society.
An annual fee of $10.00 (subject to change) shall constitute anyone a member of the Society. When making settlement, $10.00 (subject to change) will be retained as membership for the following year.
Prize money amounting to less than $ 5.00 per member shall not be mailed out, but may be picked up from the Society Office from October 29th to December 15th of the current year during regular office hours.
The President and General Manager shall have power to call meetings of the Directors when they think it necessary. If the President or General Manager neglect or refuse to do so, any three Directors shall have power to call a meeting, due notice of which shall be given seven (7) days before it takes place.
The General Manager shall record the proceedings of the Society, and exhibit the same when required by the Directors; and all books and papers of the Society shall be open to the inspection of any member.
The Treasurer shall keep an account of the receipts and expenditures of the Society to be examined at the regular meeting; also, a list of the members of the Society. He/she shall also have charge of all monies and property of the Society subject to the orders of the Directors, and all orders on the Treasurer to be signed by the General Manager, under a resolution passed at a legally called meeting. The Treasurer shall exhibit a statement of the funds of the Society whenever required to do so by the Directors.
It shall be the duty of the Directors to conduct the affairs of the Society agreeable to the Constitution and to make out and advertise a list of premiums which, in their opinion, should be offered within the limits of their funds for any object tending to the improvement of domestic manufacturers and the agricultural interest of the surrounding area and to offer largely to parties importing improved breeding stock.
The Board of Directors may amend any rules and regulations on a permanent basis on the condition that all amendments, permanent and temporary, be reported at a General Meeting.
That the Organization shall be carried on without the purpose of gain for its members and any profits or other accretions to the organization shall be used in promoting its object.
That upon the dissolutions of the Organization and after the
payment of all debts and liabilities, its remaining property shall be distributed or disposed of to charitable organizations which carry on their work, solely in the province of Ontario.
Directors – Husband and Wives can not be nominated on to the Board of Directors of the Carp Agricultural Society no closer than 5 years.
Amendments to the Constitution may be made only after prior notice has been given as stipulated in Clause 8, and with the approval of two-thirds of the members voting at an Annual Meeting.

RULES AND REGULATIONS

The Rules and Regulations of the Carp Agricultural Society are established by the Board of Directors, are administered by the Board and may be changed by the Board.
Stock and all articles for competition or exhibition must be entered in the name of the bonafide owners, and unless this rule is observed, no premium shall be awarded, and if awarded, shall be withheld. Any exhibitor found guilty of the above irregularities will forfeit all prizes won at the exhibition.
No animal shall be allowed to compete as purebred unless it posses regular Stud or Herd Book Pedigree, a certified copy of which must be presented on demand of the Directors in Charge.
No person shall act as Judge for awarding prizes for the class in which he or she or any member of their family is a competitor. The Judge’s decision shall be final, and anyone found abusing judges will forfeit all claims to prizes and may be debarred from exhibiting.
No animal hereditarily unsound is to be awarded a premium. Any animal affected by a contagious or infectious disease or uspected of same may be removed at the discretion of the Directors.
No person shall be allowed to enter for exhibition more than one specimen in any section of a class; this rule to apply to grain, field crops, vegetables, fruit, honey, maple syrup, domestic products, sewing, crafts, flowers and art.
Under the terms and conditions of the Livestock Classification establish by Agriculture Canada, exhibitors of purebred beef and dairy cattle, purebred sheep and purebred heavy horses, are limited as to the number of entries. It shall be the responsibility of exhibitors to check the various Departments in the prize list for details. In each case, where the same or common interests are involved in more than one breeding operation, such operators are considered as one breeding unit. All entries must be owned by and registered in the name of the exhibitor.
Exhibitors of light and heavy horses may make up two (2) entries per class except where specified under the Hayes Classification. The Light and Heavy Horse Committees may, at their discretion, limit the total number of entries that will be accepted per class, such limits to be published in the current prize list.
Entries of any exhibitor in any Department may be refused in the case of an exhibitor who has shown an objectionable attitude or who has acted in an unsportsmanlike manner at a show. The various Committees in charge reserve the right to refuse any entry.
Any article or animal enumerated in the list, if it is the only one of the kind on exhibition, will be judged accordingly, and any animal for which a prize has been awarded may be entered for prizes at any subsequent Exhibition as long as the owner thereof wishes.
Any animal not shown in its proper class may be ruled out by the Judge but will be allowed to compete in its correct class after reporting same to the Secretary.
Any member who shall impose, or attempt to impose by false representations, or in any other way, in order to obtain a premium or any other way, in order to obtain a premium or any advantage, or any Judge who shall show partiality, upon complaint being made before the Directors, or a quorum thereof, and fully substantiated, shall be liable to be deprived of his premium, or be expelled from the Society as the Directors may think fit.
While the Directors may take every possible precaution under the circumstances to ensure the safety of the articles sent to the exhibition yet they wish it to be distinctly understood that the owners themselves must take the risk of exhibiting them, and should any articles be accidently injured, lost or stolen, the Directors will give all the assistance in their power towards repairing or recovering the same, but will make no payment of value thereof.
All articles and produce for competition in field crops, maple syrup, honey, grain and seeds, fruit and vegetables, flowers, domestic science, school work, sewing, crafts, art and Women’s Institute shall be entered and in place by 9:30 a.m. the Thursday preceding the Fair. Judging shall commence at 10:00 a.m. sharp.
Exhibitors are urged to consult the directives of each Department to ensure that their entries reach the Secretary’s Office by the closing date. Entry fees, where required, must accompany the entry form.
Should the income of the Society be insufficient to pay all prizes in full, the Society only binds itself to pay as much pro rata of prize money as is consistent with the receipts.
The Carp Agricultural Society will not be held responsible for any accidents occurring to its patrons on the Fair Grounds during the Fair or at any other time.
Each exhibitor will receive prize money as awarded from the Treasurer and any errors or omissions should be reported to him or her immediately.
All cheques issued by the Secretary-Treasurer must be presented at a bank for payment on or before December 15th of the current year, or prize money will be forfeited to the Society.

Exhibitor’s passes will be awarded according to the following schedule:

Horses – 1 or 2 animals – 1 pass;	each additional 2 animals – 1 pass
Cattle – 1 to 4 animals – 1 pass;	each additional 4 animals – 1 pass
Sheep – 1 to 8 animals – 1 pass;	each additional 8 animals – 1 pass

Field Crops, Maple Syrup, Honey, Wine, Beer, Grains, Seeds, Vegetables, Fruits, Flowers, Domestic Science, Sewing & Crafts – Less than 10 articles exhibited, a pass for Sunday only. Ten articles or more, a weekend pass, if over twelve years of age.
Exhibitors of articles in classes, 22, 25, 26, 27, 28, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34 will be allowed to remove their exhibits between 5:30 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. on the Sunday of the Fair. All articles left after 6:00 p.m. may be claimed in their respective buildings before 8.30:00 a.m. on the Monday after the Fair.
Any exhibitor lodging a protest must do so in writing. This protest must be received by the Carp Agricultural Society office no later than 48 hours after the last day of the Fair. It must be accompanied by a deposit of $ 5.00 which will be forfeited to the Society if the said protest is not sustained. (The deposit will be $ 25.00 for all horse, cattle, and sheep classes.) The President and two Vice-Presidents shall constitute a committee to determine such protests.
Any person who shall attempt to interfere with the judges, directors or officers of the Society, or who shall on the premises use any contemptuous or abusive language to any judge, director or officers shall forfeit his right to any premiums to which he may be entitled and shall be excluded from exhibiting for one or more years thereafter at the discretion of the directors. Such a person may also, at the discretion of the directors, be immediately removed from the grounds for the duration of the Fair.
The Board of Directors reserves the right to correct any errors in this Book.