Nathaniel Tablante, the current President of the Council for Agricultural Science and Technology, linked the past and the future of the organization during CAST’s 40th anniversary celebration last October by referring to the theme, Remembering Our Past…Ensuring Our Future. As he stated, “CAST has certainly come a long way since it was established at the national Academy of Sciences by a group of dedicated scientists from seven professional societies in 1972.”

The best way to get a look at what the organization has evolved into is to examine the CAST Annual Report 2011. The highlights of the year have been packaged in an attractive, organized booklet, and readers may access it by clicking here.

With its theme, “Faces and Places,” the booklet focuses on what is most important in the organization: people. But many highlights of the past year pop up on the pages including the following:

• Summaries of the Spring and Fall CAST Board Meetings.
• CAST’s 40th Anniversary Gala Celebration.
• CAST highlights of 2011.
• Roll outs of CAST publications.
• The 2011 Borlaug CAST Communication Award.
• CAST personnel changes and the student interns.
• The CAST social media presence.

The Annual Report reflects the past year’s accomplishments, but it is also a way to look to the future. CAST’s EVP/CEO John Bonner puts it this way:“CAST’s firm foundation grew from the efforts of many, and it takes input, impact, and investment from all stakeholders to keep the valuable mission vibrant.”