Organization of the Planning Committee
The chairs of each planning group are members of the Southern Region Planning Committee, which is in effect, the executive committee of the six planning groups. The chair of the Planning Committee is the Southern Association's representative to the new Southern Regional Council, to the ESCOP Planning Committee, and to the National Agricultural Research Committee.

The six planning groups correspond to the six major areas in the ESCOP strategic plan, the corresponding 1990 Farm Bill language, and the National Research Initiative. This structure corresponds to the functional elements of the Southern Association and links the planning process to the broad elements of the base programs at both the national and state levels.

Relationships
Linkages to and from the individual state members of the Southern Association are expressed in the planning process. Future strategies call for a strengthened relationship with users and various political constituencies at the regional level. Inputs from these groups are used to develop the general tenets of the regional research plan. Needs and opportunities of the region are manifest in inputs to regional and national planning that come from the Southern Association s plan.

The plan and operational activities of the Southern Association are brought together by the involvement of members of the Planning Committee in the review and recommendations on proposed regional activities and in the evaluation of balance and productivity resulting from these activities.