Rachel and David Barnard met when they worked together in supply chain management in Kalamazoo, Michigan. They each worked in the corporate world close to seven years before they packed up their stuff and moved to Rachel’s family’s hometown of Traverse City, Michigan.

“After a weekend visit to local orchards and cideries in the area, we fell in love with what northern Michigan had to offer! We decided that we wanted to call this place our future home and start building something with our hands from the ground up,” David says.

Early in 2022 the Barnard’s found 10 acres of land just to the west of downtown Traverse City. This is where they planned to start the next step in their lives and grow their own apple trees.

They spent last summer improving the land to help prepare them for planting this spring. Included in those improvements was an eight-foot-tall deer fence around the property to protect their crops from any damage the deer may cause. The couple also added in ten-foot trellis poles that will help support the trees as they grow older and allow them to produce fruit earlier than non-trellised trees.

In April they plan to plant 2,000 apple trees, and currently have thirty trees planted at their house to help get them started on their operation.

“We are ready to plant those 2,000 trees here in the next few months! The land is prepared, we have purchased all of the necessary irrigation equipment, and we are actively working on the well and incoming power. In the meantime, we did plant thirty trees at home last year, this allowed us to gain first-hand experience with IPM management, soil testing and water treatment before our large order arrives in what seems like a few short weeks” David laughs.

You may be wondering why the Barnard’s left their corporate lifestyle to become first-generation apple farmers, and Rachel says it best, “we just wanted a change of pace from the corporate day-to-day. I’ve been coming up here for years and years, ever since I was a little kid. We got married here two years ago and we even had a little baby girl last year. We’re excited to raise her outside in the orchard and teach her the blood, sweat, and tears of the operation. We want to show her the hard work and work ethic that comes with orcharding and farming.”

Since the couple lacked knowledge about the cider industry and all the challenges that may occur with the operation, they participated in the Cider Institute of North America’s – Cider & Perry Production Foundation online course. With help from GreenStone’s CultivateGrowth grant, they were able to offset a portion of the course fees and focus more on increasing their knowledge of the apple cider industry.

“I don’t think we both would have taken the course if it were not for the grant,” Rachel explains. “David and I have different business responsibilities, so this gave us the opportunity to learn from the production perspective as well as the customer experience standpoint.”

During their 12-week course, they were able to gain an understanding of how cider production works from tree to consumer. The course offered different sessions on orcharding, apple pressing, cider making, and cellar hygiene. The couple soaked up all the knowledge they could during the course and achieved their certification in production.

In addition to weekly discussions, there were virtual tours such as a tour of an orchard at Cornell University, one of the leading educational institutions in the apple industry. The host offered a wealth of knowledge and answered all of the questions the group had during the experience.

“We were able to ask them specifically about their irrigation system, what sort of drip lines they used, and how they had their well set up. The openness of the educators on this virtual tour was one of the biggest takeaways from the course in particular,” David reflects.

The Barnard’s are still working on growing their operation each day. In addition to the trees they’ll be planting this spring, this summer they also plan to begin construction for their storefront with hopes of opening their Cidery in 2025! You can follow their journey at heartwoodciders.com.

With the help that the CultivateGrowth Grant provided, the Barnard’s are now another step closer to opening up their Cidery. GreenStone understands the importance of advancing education for young, beginning, and small farmers. We work to provide the educational and financial resources needed to help establish a solid foundation. To apply for a grant, visit CultivateGrowth Grant.

Setting Business Goals 

Having clear and planned business goals helps you set targets to reach so you are able to expand, grow and improve your operation. Goals can help you measure your efficiency and define if there’s something you need to change.  

A farm operation is a business, and any business, big or small, new or old, whether producing raw products or end products, needs a well-thought-out plan as a jumpstart to the next step. A business plan will help you identify your vision and the tools you need to fulfill your goals. 

How do you set goals? Set realistic business goals using the SMART goals approach. Your business goals should be: 

• Specific: You should know the who, what, where, why and how of the goal. 
• Measurable: The goal should have an objective or measurement that is clear to everyone involved. 
• Attainable: The goal should be challenging, but still possible by putting in the hard work.  
• Relevant: This goal should help you achieve larger objectives of your mission and make sense for the direction your operation is going in.  
• Timely: Set a deadline for your goal so you can track the progress.  

Always keep an open mind in case any pre-determined goals need to be adjusted or scratched completely as situations change. Not all goals are built the same. Some may take several years to achieve, while others may be shorter in length. Remember that slow growth is better than no growth and setting SMART goals (specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, timely) can lead to long-term success. It’s important to look at your business goals regularly to track your progress and make any necessary adjustments.  

Utilizing Marketing Tactics 

Marketing your operation and developing name and brand recognition is important in scoring sales, whether you’re a business-to-business operation, or a business-to-consumer farm. It’s important to set business goals to know the best approach to how you market yourself.  

For example, if you’re a business-to-business operation, your marketing plan may focus more on logic, analytics and pricing, where business-to-consumer marketing might focus more on awareness, simple messaging and appealing to emotions. No matter your business strategy, there is an inherent benefit in connecting with those around you to educate consumers, advocate for yourself and the agricultural industry, or garner customers. 

Telling your Story 

Here’s a few simple ways to begin building those connections and work toward achieving your goals.  

Telling your farm story and keeping the content personal is a great way to connect authentically, and attract new business – if that’s your goal. Consumers appreciate knowing where their products come from, and the backstory of your operation! Think about these kind of questions to help paint your picture for others:  

• What’s your farm history – how long has it been in operation, who’s been a part of it, how has it changed, etc. 
• How did you get started in farming? 
• Why are you passionate about what you do?
• Is your family involved in your farm? 

Where do you tell your story? One great avenue is social media. Platforms like Facebook, X and Instagram allow you to share your story real-time by posting examples of your day-to-day life as a farmer. There are some rules of thumb when it comes to social media marketing: 

• Post routinely and stay consistent even if you don’t see immediate growth 
• Use a consistent username across all platforms if possible 
• Take and post photos or short videos while you work to make the most of your time and to show the authenticity of you and your farm 
• Engage with comments and answer questions 
• Use those comments and questions to generate new content to answer them 

Another great way to get the word out is by getting involved in the community. Consider joining local community groups, hosting a farm tour or field trips, or attending farmer’s markets. When you host an event, be sure to gather contact information from attendees so you can circle back with them in the future.  

If you plan to put dollars behind your marketing plan, some affordable options include social media ads, advertising in the local newspaper, and by sponsoring local events whether monetarily or by donating a product.  

Get Started 

Establishing business and marketing goals can be overwhelming, but by leaning on the experts around you and starting small, you can help build big success in the long run.  

 

This blog was originally published in Michigan Farm News. 

 

Whether you’re planning to build or buy your dream home, there are plenty of decisions that go into what you want out of a house, but it’s also important to consider your surroundings. Finding the right community for you and your family is important in shaping your experience in that home, and there are some things you should consider before renting the moving truck.

Access to Services

Understanding your proximity to police, fire and medical services can play a major factor in your comfortability in a home. Doing a quick map search will allow you to see where the closest police station, fire station and hospital is to you, and how quickly these services will be able to get to you in an emergency situation.

Additionally, you may consider looking into where the closest healthcare providers are including family physicians, dentists and optometrists, and if you are willing to drive that distance to use these services.

Access to Utilities

It’s also important to know if the water source is through the local municipality, or an individual well. This is especially important if you are building a home on a piece of land and have to dig a well. If water is accessible through the local city or town, you should research if it comes with a cost or is included in the property taxes.

You also want to ask about things like electricity and gas hookup. You can do this by calling the local utility companies and asking what they need from you before they can provide access to services.

Wi-Fi and Cable

If you are working with a realtor, they should be able to shed some light on the access to internet and cable television in a community. Wifi access is especially important if you plan to work remotely or on a hybrid schedule and need high-speed internet. By doing your own research online, you will also be able to check pricing for the internet and cable resources available in the area.

Property Taxes and HOA Fees

On top of your loan payment for a new home, it’s also important to consider other costs including property taxes and homeowners association fees. For most communities, you can find property tax information online. Additionally, if you are moving into an area with a homeowner’s association, that is communicated to you from a realtor, and those fees and benefits are laid out far in advance. You may consider asking neighbors in the area if HOA fees typically rise each year.

School System 

If you have school-aged children or plan to have children in the future, understanding the landscape of available schools in the area is important. You can search online and read reviews about local school districts, attend school board meetings or community events held by the district to get a pulse on the district’s priorities and set up meetings with district leaders to ask questions. If you know somebody with children in the district, consider asking them questions about the district to see if it’s the best fit for you.

Family-Friendly and Safety

If you have a family or hope to start one, it’s important that your community is family-friendly, and that may mean different things for different people. For example, family-friendly for one person may mean making sure there are a number of community events throughout the year to attend, while for someone else, it may mean a low-traffic area to keep children safe. Checking out the local events calendar also gives you an understanding of when you may see higher traffic times in the community.

Additionally, you want to make sure the community you’re choosing is safe to live in. You can find crime statistics for communities throughout the country on the FBI’s portal here.

Recreation, Sports and the Arts

Are you really into tennis? Do you spend your weekends hitting the trails on your ATV? Do you enjoy seeing local musicals? If you have hobbies in sports, recreation or the arts, make sure your city offers this type of entertainment nearby. You can easily do this by checking out what state parks are nearby by doing an online search, looking at the local events calendar on your community’s website and seeing what sports complexes are nearby by doing a map search.

Get to Know the Area!

At the end of the day, the easiest way to get an understanding of a community is by visiting and spending the day there. Drive around the area, take a look at what businesses are around, stop into a local coffee shop, see what outdoor activities you can find and ask plenty of questions to people in and around the community while you’re out and about. If you know the address of the home or land you are looking into, see if any nearby neighbors are outside to ask if they have any insight on the community, or even the land or home you’re looking at.

Additionally, checking out the specific area gives you an idea of how loud nearby traffic is, how busy the community is during the day and if you would be able to handle the level of noise.

Buying or building your dream home is an exciting time, but scoring friendly neighbors and a supportive community makes the experience even better.

GreenStone’s team of experienced experts are ready to finance your dream home. Find our home mortgage, home construction and vacant land loan options here.

Earlier this month GreenStone hosted their second annual CultivateGrowth Conference for young, beginning, and small farmers. As part of GreenStone’s CultivateGrowth program, these farmers were invited to network and learn with other young, beginning, small farmers about various business strategies. 

Brady Brecht, a local beef farmer in Gratiot County, attended the conference last year and noticed an appreciable difference! 

In Brecht’s review from the 2023 conference, he mentioned that he would have liked to have seen more cattle industry focused sessions throughout the conference. This year, he was appreciative to find just that – an industry specific break out session for different operations like cash crop, dairy and livestock, and agritourism.  

“After seeing the changes that were made, it felt like our opinion matters,” Brecht says. “It was a good learning experience on where the industry is going and where it is now.”

The CulivateGrowth Conference not only offered industry specific sessions, but also sessions on business planning, accounting practices, ways to market farms, and transitional planning. 

“This year’s conference was better then last years for sure. Being in the smaller break outs helped because you are moving seats in different rooms with different people,” says Bj Benkovsky, another second-year attendee. Benkovsky is a dairy farmer in Eaton County. “We don’t have a plan for the future, so attending some of the transition and planning sessions helped us realize what the next steps are and what we need to do to prepare for the future.” 

One of the biggest reasons GreenStone offers a conference like this is for the participants to network and learn from each other. Since the program is designed uniquely for those within the age, years of farming, or farm sales criteria, these participants are often just starting out in the agricultural industry and face challenges beyond the production side of farming. Being able to reap other perspectives from people in similar situations helps them grow through each other. 

“It has been nice networking with other people my age. Most farmers in my community are older, so it has been nice to get to know people that are in the same situation as me,” Autumn Tait, cash crop and livestock farmer in Huron County, says. 

GreenStone’s CultivateGrowth program is all about giving young, beginning, and small farmers the opportunity to educate themselves and network with others, which is exactly what the conference was all about! For more information on GreenStone’s CultivateGrowth program please visit here. 

You work hard, and staying on top of your operation’s finances can be a hassle. GreenStone is happy to provide a number of tools to help manage your business’ bills and income in the palm of your hand. We understand not every tool is one-size-fits-all, so we provide a suite of options to best fit your needs.

Online Banking Mobile App and Mobile Deposit: Banking at your fingertips

We know you’re busy, and stopping into a branch or pulling out your laptop isn’t always an option. GreenStone’s online banking app allows you to manage your account in the palm of your hands.

The app allows you to make a payment from your linked bank account, deposit checks into your operating loan account, transfer funds between accounts, make or schedule disbursements and monitor account balances and upcoming deadlines.

Bill Pay: Manage all of your bills in one place

If you have a My Access account with GreenStone, you can take advantage of our new bill pay feature!

This service allows you to set up automatic payments for bills – so you can focus on your day-to-day operations, and not worry about due dates. This enables you to manage your payments to all your vendors in one place to make it easier to track what has and has not been paid.

Disbursement Card: Managing your company card just got easier

Managing what you or your employees are spending on the company card can be overwhelming and difficult to track. With GreenStone’s disbursement card program, you can manage all of it from an app on your phone!

Through GreenStone’s disbursement card, you can have multiple credit cards tied to your loan. Through the Card Suite Lite app, you can see exactly what is being spent on that card in real-time. You can also set daily spending limits for each card and shut off a card remotely from the app.

The disbursement card program is ideal for businesses with a revolving line of credit with employees or owners who need to purchase items for your business like fuel or supplies.

Disbursement Card Fraud Protection: Swiping Safely

Protecting your information is a key priority at GreenStone. Use the card’s app to turn the card off in the event it is stolen or lost, sign up for instant notifications for every purchase and view all transactions in real time.

Protecting your bottom line is simple with your disbursement card’s fraud protection features.

Check Scanners: Deposit on the go

If you are depositing multiple checks per week, a check scanner may be a good option for you!

Remote check deposit only allows a certain amount of deposits per day and other traditional methods for depositing checks like visiting your local bank branch can be time-consuming; A check scanner allows you to process multiple checks in just moments.

Physical check deposits are full of inconsistent costs like labor, transportation and mileage. A check scanner’s initial equipment fee can be easily worked into your operation’s budget.

This option is ideal for retail businesses, seed dealerships, retail greenhouses and agrotourism businesses.

Payee Positive Pay: Keeping your bottom line protected.

Enter information on check drafts you issue against your account and have them compared against the drafts presented for payment. If a draft is presented that does not match the issue information you provided (payee, loan number, draft number, and amount), the item is considered an exception item and is presented to you for review before clearing.

Advanced ACH: Manage your payments

Create and maintain participants, such as vendors or employees. These participants are included in payment batches, which may be initiated individually or set up on a recurring basis, such as payroll. You also have the ability to approve or reject batches that are being handled by their secondary user(s), such as payroll or bookkeeping services. Business level ACH eliminates the need for external account recipient(s) to confirm micro-deposit receipt; bank pre-notification messaging is used instead. This makes setup easier when adding multiple recipients, such as payroll batches.

Wires: Transfer funds

Easily transfer funds to an external account without first setting it up as an external account. Wire transfers are best used for a one-time transfer, as opposed to recurring payments. Please be advised a $10 fee will be charged for the wire initiation. If you agree to the fee, the wire will be released same day if requested prior to 3pm CST/4pm EST.

Farm Cash Management: Short term investments, long term success.

Integrating your operating loans with short-term investments through a Farm Cash Management account gives you the dual benefit of easy access to operating funds while potentially minimizing your net interest costs.

When you have available cash in your Farm Cash Management account, your operating loan is paid first. Any excess funds are then invested in an account of short-term investment bonds. You’re then paid a return, similar to a money market account.

There is also an option to utilize a debit card to access your Farm Cash Management funds. You can learn more about the Farm Cash Management option here.

Paperless Bills and Statements, and eConsent: Secure and sustainable

GreenStone’s paperless bill and statement option provides a secure, sustainable and convenient way to receive information about your account. Opting into paperless bills and statements allows you to view your bill and statement in the palm of your hand through GreenStone’s mobile app or your My Access account.

Signing up for eConsent allows us to provide necessary documents and disclosures to you electronically, including those requiring a signature using DocuSign. We can email you the eConsent form for electronic signature or you can access it on My Access.

Convenience Starts Now

GreenStone is proud to offer these convenient options to save you time and help take your operation to the next level. Finding the best online tools for your business can open more doors for you – so let us help!

If you would like to discuss what tools may be best suited for you, reach out to your local branch today.

Applying for a loan can be an overwhelming experience, especially for first-time loan applicants and beginning or young farmers. The ambiguity of the process can be intimidating and you may not know where to begin – until now!

GreenStone and the Michigan Good Food Fund teamed up to provide an informational webinar series to guide farmers through the process of applying for a loan. During the webinar series, Loan Preparation For New and Beginning Farmers, GreenStone shared an overview of what to expect when applying for a loan as a beginning farmer, the importance of having up-to-date accounting, and the resources our Young, Beginning and Small Farmer program provides to support the next generation of agriculture.

Jennifer Whitford, VP of Lending, and Chad Zagar, VP & Managing Director of Tax & Accounting, discussed what you can expect during the loan application process and tips for beginning farmers. Watch the full webinar recording or check out these five lender-approved tips to prepare you for your first loan!

1. Stay organized. Whether or not you’re in need of a loan, when it comes to operating any business, it’s vital to have updated and reliable recordkeeping. Staying organized year-round allows you to make better decisions for your farm, and when it is time to apply, makes the loan prep work much simpler.

2. Separate farm from home. Regardless of your operation’s size or location, combining your farm and personal finances will eventually lead to unnecessary confusion and stress- especially during tax time. Even if your farm is located on your primary residence or you’re just starting out, keeping your finances separate will give you a better idea of your operation’s overall performance.

3. Prepare your financials. When applying for any typical loan, you’ll need to provide pay stubs, past W-2s, bank account statements and personal information. The same goes for applying for a farm loan, in addition to having an updated balance sheet or personal financial statement and a business plan. Keep in mind your business plan should have realistic goals that are within reach and reflect your farm’s previous performance or that of similar farms in the area.

4. Communicate with your lender. Once your information is gathered, sit down with your lender to discuss your farm’s goals. Having a strong and open relationship with your lender is crucial to ensure you are both on the same page and that the expectations of your farm align. Your lender is a great resource of information. Having a good relationship with your lender will only benefit you later down the road as your farm grows and your operation becomes more diversified.

5. Be patient. The loan application process doesn’t happen overnight, especially operating and land loans. The closing time for a loan can range from 2-6 weeks and is different for everyone. Have patience and ask your lender directly what you can expect if time is of the essence.

Getting financing for your farm is a detailed process unique to each individual’s scenario with one common factor: a financial services officer working in partnership with you to help find the best solution. Experts like them are a great resource who are ready to answer any questions you have. Using the five tips above and your lender as a guide will make your experience that much smoother.

To connect with a local GreenStone financial services officer, find a branch near you or learn more on our website about GreenStone’s flexible farm financing for young, beginning and small farmers.

Kelly Vallelunga, owner and operator of Long Valley Farms in Kalamazoo, Michigan got hooked on farming back in 2005. Vallelunga originally planned to use her biology degree in fish and wildlife, but life had other plans for her. She had just moved back to Michigan and started volunteering at a local farm; immediately she knew her future goals had changed! 

Almost twenty years later, Vallelunga runs a small farm growing different fresh market vegetables like tomatoes, radishes, and carrots. With two large high tent greenhouses on her property, she is able to provide fresh produce all year around to her local community! 

“I offer a CSA subscription and sell at the farmers markets here in Kalamazoo. About once a month I donate extra produce to our local food bank,” Vallelunga said. 

Long Valley Farms is a very unique operation because it is almost all farmed by hand! They do use a tractor to prepare the garden beds, but they still harvest the acre of produce – which is equivalent to a football field – by hand! The farm’s goal is to create a healthier ecosystem for all.

Vallelunga used the CultivateGrowth Grant to attend the 2023 Great Lakes Fruit, Vegetable and Farm Market Expo where she was able to sit in on a variety of seminars and further her knowledge in the fresh vegetable market. There was one seminar that caught her eye, and it was about tomatoes. “There was an instructor that talked about the tomatoes and had great suggestions on different spraying regimes that I had not been doing. He showed us when it is a good time to spray, what the plant needs and when,” Vallelunga says.

Learning about different spraying techniques for tomatoes was not the only thing that Vallelunga enjoyed about the conference. She also enjoyed just getting other people’s perspective on how they do things on their own farms. 

Vallelunga mentions, “It is hard to get out in the warmer weather to see other people’s operations since that is our prime season. I just like going to these classes and getting to know their perspective. It gives me new ideas when I go back to my own farm and think I can do somethings that I may not have thought of before.”

Thanks to the help the CultivateGrowth Grant provided, Vallelunga is now able to use the different techniques and perspectives that she learned from the conference to help grow her farm! GreenStone understands the importance of advancing education for young, beginning, and small farmers. We work to provide the educational and financial resources needed to help establish a solid foundation. To apply for a grant, visit CultivateGrowth Grant.

Now that the holiday season is over, and we may have splurged a bit on new holiday decorations and gifts, it is time to set our budgets back on track to reach 2024’s financial goals! Here are some tips to help.

Create a Goal

What is your financial goal in 2024? Are you looking to save up money for a house? A wedding? Or a vacation? Align your goal with your values, and clearly define what would you like to save up for this year.

Create a Budget

Take time to sit down and review last month’s income and expenses. Create a list of wants and needs – that might mean considering that it might be cheaper to make coffee at home instead of buying it at a coffee shop and you may need to adjust your “want” purchases to accomplish your goal. While you are creating your budget, remember to set aside some extra money for any unexpected expenses, like car repairs or the furnace going out.

Review your Subscriptions

Remember that subscription to Jelly of the Month club you thought you were going to use, but forgot about? Maybe it time to review it and decide if it is worth keeping.

Limit Credit Card Use

Credit card debt can be pretty easy to get wrapped up in. You’re budget should help you to only spend as much as you can payoff each month, and pay on time. If you can pay it off a couple days before the due date to avoid risking a late payment fee, that is even better!

Hold Yourself Accountable

Set a reminder at the end of each month to check your spending habits! Financial planning can be hard sometimes and takes time to adjust habits, so don’t get down on yourself if you didn’t save as much as you planned. Don’t give up; review and adjust, and keep working toward your goal!

 

To view the winter 2024 issue of Partners magazine in its entirety, click here.

GreenStone strives to provide excellent, high-quality service, while creating a pleasant experience for our borrowers. One way GreenStone has been doing this is by identifying the appropriate business partners in the marketplace which includes select title companies to work with for our members’ real estate loan transactions.

Title Insurance is a vital component as it provides protection to both the buyer and lender, which is exactly why GreenStone has chosen to work with a select number of title companies for our member’s transactions. After thoroughly examining public records to ensure the buyer has legal access to and ownership of the land, the title company issues the title insurance policy. Title insurance protects against potential defects and unknown risks that could arise after the buyer has purchased the property. Title companies can issue both owner’s and lender’s policies: the owner’s policy protects the owner’s interest in the property, and similarly, the lender’s policy protects the lender’s interest in the property.

GreenStone maintains close relationships with each selected title company and is able to closely monitor the service provided to our borrowers and staff. Each title company must pass cyber security and compliance requirements, as well as agree to uphold title insurance standards set by GreenStone.

In 2019, GreenStone formed a joint venture with ATA National Title Group to create FCS Title Agency to streamline the loan process while providing high quality service and contributing to the financial return to our members. Title insurance is centralized within FCS Title Agency to help ensure a smooth, consistent, and efficient process. ATA National Title Group offices assist in closing the loans and performing settlement services, making it convenient for our customers as there are over 25 locations throughout Michigan.

By utilizing this joint venture, GreenStone customers see instantaneous savings in lower closing costs. In addition, GreenStone can give back more to our customers in the form of Patronage as a result of this joint venture being used, as opposed to paying an outside title company for these services.

GreenStone encourages all our members to use FCS Title for their next real estate transaction in order to benefit from the partnership GreenStone has established to support our members. GreenStone continues to evaluate the title service process to ensure we provide top-tier service. We value our borrowers’ opinions, and encourage you to provide feedback to your financial services officer or local branch!

 

To view the article in the online 2024 Winter Partners Magazine, click here.

This year, a total of $120 million will be returned to our loan customers through Patronage dividend checks. 

Each Patronage-earning member will receive a notification letter in mid-February outlining the amount of your check. That letter will include a personal invitation to join in on a celebration on March 12 at your local branch. Enjoy refreshments, a celebration of you, and of course, the opportunity to pick up your check.  

Our ability to give back to you, our member-owners, is the direct result of your success and your trust in GreenStone. This partnership reflects our commitment to do all we can to assist our members through unprecedented times, seasons of profit and cycles of challenges.  

As a financial cooperative, it is necessary for GreenStone to generate strong earnings and maintain adequate capital levels to help ensure we remain a dependable source of credit for years to come. In support of its members, the cooperative continues to build and grow for the future. Patronage, earnings, and capital, combined with strong loan growth in 2023 and solid customer satisfaction and employee engagement are just a few key reasons our partnership with members will be prosperous long-term.  

Personal relationships and partnerships with our members are at the core of our values. We hope you’ll join us on March 12 to celebrate you and all the ways it pays to partner! 

Have a question about Patronage? Check out the detailed FAQ section on our Patronage page. 

 

To view the article in the online 2024 Winter Partners Magazine, click here.