Cherie and John Shields and their sons had been leasing hunting land for years, but the owners sold it. Heartbroken, they started their search for the perfect recreational property.

“I was online constantly looking, but it was John that found it,” Cherie said. “We figured it was already gone, we thought maybe 30 acres was too much, but then we decided to drive there with the selling agent and check it out.”

They took their son Andy with them to evaluate the property and see if it met their needs.

“Andy is picky, picky,” Cherie said. “But before we even got out of the car, he said – We have to have it. We felt the same. We all fell in love right away.”

As the agent showed them around the property, Cherie sat on the porch and wrote up the offer.

The 30 acres, located in Barton City, also came with a furnished mobile home and a travel trailer.

“It was just the serenity,” Cherie said about the initial attraction. “It was so quiet, and it was early fall, and the leaves were just beautiful. It was just everything we wanted. I felt really lucky and like somebody was looking out for us.”

Her older son, Christopher, took his brother’s word for it being great, and the Shields closed on the property in October 2019.

“We have six dogs between our families, and the first thing we did is put up a fence so we could put the dogs outside behind our home,” Cherie said, thinking of her own German Shepherd. “It took us until after dark, so we were using headlamps. But we got it done and were ready for the first night we spent there.”

The very next day, Christopher bow hunted and got a deer. The timing was perfect.

“It just feels like it was meant to be,” Cherie said.

“That’s all I can say.”

Working with GreenStone

Cherie does diagnostic testing on children, age 0-3, for the Monroe County Intermediate School district, and she is a real estate agent with Gerweck Real Estate.

“This was my first time working with Brian Young from GreenStone,” she said. “I previously had a client that wanted to use him, and when we found the land we wanted to finance, I knew right away to use GreenStone.”

Brian has been a GreenStone financial services officer for several years and already knew of Cherie because of her work as a realtor. He was happy to help her family finance a unique piece of ground.

“Not every lender could work with multiple parcels with a trailer and a mobile home on it, because that complicated things a little, but we were able to finance it,” Brian said. “It was nice to be able to help Cherie obtain a piece of property where the goal is a family who wants to spend time together.”

Overall, the entire process went smoothly.

“I’d heard so many good things from people, and Brian and Marlene Langerman [customer service representative in GreenStone’s Monroe branch] have been nothing but wonderful,” Cherie said. “When I call, they know the answer right away – I don’t have to wait.”

Recreation

Aside from hunting, they also use the land for additional recreational purposes. They enjoy spending time with the deer, turkey, and bears that visit the property.

“We have a bay window, and we’ll be playing cards, and we can see the bear walk right up to the house,” she said. “They’re pretty to watch from the inside, but I don’t want to be out at a bonfire when it’s walking through our yard.”

They have nearby lakes, where they like to kayak. They fish, go for walks, and ride around the property in their side by side and golf cart.

“It’s just beautiful country,” Cherie said. “We just love spending time here.”

Their son Christopher and his wife Deanna have two dogs, Molly and Allice, and a daughter named Alina who also loves to bring her friends up to kayak, canoe, and fish. Their son Andy and his wife Kirstie, who also spend time with them, are expecting a baby they plan on introducing to the property.

At home in Lasalle, Cherie and John take care of their 11-acre farm, which includes five horses and three basset hounds. John recently retired from a 33-year career at Ford, and now works for a farmer helping to harvest hay.

“In the future, we’re just looking forward to keeping everyone happy and healthy – and that goes for our animals and our kids,” Cherie said.

 

To view the article in the online 2022 Summer Partners Magazine, click here.

“I like taking care of animals, and I like the balance of when we raise healthy animals, they produce manure that makes our land healthy,” said Elaine Palm. “The healthier our land is, the healthier the forage grown on the land is, and the healthier the animals will be.”

Elaine owns Great Lakes Lamb LLC with her parents, Jim and Sherrie Bristol. On their farm in West Branch, Michigan, they raise sheep and forages to feed them, plus sell hay to customers. They primarily raise sheep for the meat market and for breeding stock, and they also sell their wool.

“We also have a passion for high quality wool products,” Elaine said. “I’m currently in the process of getting our farm established in American Wool Assurance, which is a brand new program nationwide.”

Elaine is taking classes related to wool quality and animal care standards to receive certification through the program that their farm is adhering to best practices.

“We’re seeing that along with wanting to know where their food comes from, customers want to know where all their products come from,” Elaine said. “Customers are really interested in making sure that they’re sourcing their products from farmers who care.”

Showing care

Elaine and her sister Brigette began farming by default, as they grew up doing chores with the barn in their backyard. They both became heavily involved in 4-H and FFA. As they got older, they had the opportunity to work with Michigan State University on projects that benefited their farm.

“With MSU, I looked at fecal samples to evaluate internal parasites, and Brigette looked at forage samples,” Elaine said. “These projects gave us even more insight into our business through our involvement in these projects.”

Elaine went on to study agriculture and natural resources communications at MSU, and began a career in non-profit organizational management.

“A few years into my career, I was driving home every three weeks in the summer from Washington, D.C. to help with hay harvest, and I knew this was not a sustainable plan,” she said. “If I was going to get involved in the farm business in a bigger way, I would need to make a change.”

She did that in 2014, when she moved back to Michigan and began having conversations with her parents about the potential of becoming partners.

She continued working in her agricultural career, and didn’t immediately move on the farm, but she kept an eye out for farms for sale.

“It just so happened that six months after I moved to Michigan, the farm across the pasture from my family went up for sale,” she said. “There were other options for sale in the county, but to purchase this farm showed a financial commitment to this being my vision for our farm’s future.”

Making plans

Off the farm, Elaine is a community nutrition instructor for MSU Extension, where she works with people eligible for food assistance on strategies to stretch their food dollars to meet their household’s nutritional needs.

Her husband Rick, a technical advisor for Stellantis, also works both on and off the farm.

“He helps us however he can,” she said, “Animal chores, harvesting hay, fixing equipment, changing out parts – he’s good at everything.”

Elaine is looking forward to the future of her family and farm, as she and Rick are expecting a child this year.

“In 2019, I bought another farm property and a farm truck on Valentine’s Day,” she said. “Two weeks later, I started a new job. That month my fiancé Rick sold his house and moved two hours from his job. Then in March we got married. Quite a year.”

Working with GreenStone

Elaine worked with GreenStone as a lender for her investments, including a field the farm had previously rented, and a farm vehicle.

“We had also discussed transitioning two equipment loans and a line of credit from the bank we were using to GreenStone,” she said. “We were seeing less and less understanding of agricultural accounts and business practices from our previous bank, so we moved them to GreenStone at that time.”

The timing, though difficult, worked out for them.

“We made the farm vehicle purchase in May 2020, and the dealership wasn’t allowed to make sales at that time,” she said. “We were one of the first to make a purchase when they were permitted again. We made the deal in the parking lot, with masks on, with our own pens in our hand.”

GreenStone Financial Services Officer Josh Quaderer enjoyed working with Elaine from the beginning.

“It’s so great seeing someone get started and watching them grow,” he said. “For me, it’s one of the most rewarding parts of the job.”

While working together initially, Josh knew Elaine wasn’t pleased with her current lender. As an agriculture-specific lender and cash crop farmer himself, Josh was happy to share his experience with her.

“You understand the financial side of things so much better when you’re dealing with it yourself,” he said. “We can see it from the farm side and from the banking side.”

GreenStone had options for young, beginning, and small farmers like her, and as an added bonus, once a customer, it was extremely easy to process new requests.

“I made these purchases to expand the potential of the farm’s future,” Elaine said. “Farming is a cyclical process I like to see and facilitate, as we get a balance between nature and the animals we raise for food.”

 

To view the article in the online 2022 Summer Partners Magazine, click here.

As two new Directors take on the role of helping to lead GreenStone on the board of directors, they took time to share a bit more about themselves. Trent Hilding and Marilyn Thelen both joined the board in June bringing varied backgrounds and a diverse perspective.

Perspective from Trent Hilding

The Hilding farmstead has been in the family for over 100 years. I am the fifth generation to work the dirt on the farm. My wife, Diana and I have four children which we hope will continue to appreciate the opportunity to farm and will become the sixth generation. Currently, the family farm consists of a beef cow herd of 65 head of Simmental/Angus cow calf pairs, along with 2500 acres of irrigated row crops of hay, corn, soybeans, and oats.

As the farm grows, I would like to add on farm storage for grain and a fertilizer storage facility.  As the kids get accustomed to the cattle on the farm, I would like to make sure we explore all options to diversify that enterprise into something that supports additional generations coming back to the farm.

Why I serve: I decided to serve the GreenStone cooperative to educate myself more thoroughly on the Farm Credit System to be a better resource for my district of borrowers. With the economic times we are in, it seemed like an opportune time to serve and be part of the GreenStone board.

With current inflation, rising interest rates, and mounting input costs, I would like to be involved on the finance committee to make sure we keep members informed and handle changes effectively.

The cooperative is strong. We need to continue to keep it strong to handle the transition of leadership as well as the new era of rising interest rates and inflation. GreenStone needs to be able to handle the many changes that lie ahead, all while being mindful of areas to grow without risking the current position. Despite the risks and challenges that lie ahead, there is likely to be opportunity to continue to strengthen the cooperative. I look forward to my input contributing to the betterment of GreenStone, its members, and future opportunities.

Perspective from Marilyn Thelen

My husband Lee and I are partners in Thelen Farms, a 2000-acre cash crop farm raising corn, soybeans, wheat and finishing about 150 head of Holstein steers. We have a reduced tillage operation paying close attention to soil health.

We are also partners in Thelen Ag Products, a short-line ag equipment and parts business that sells grain carts, augers, wheels, and other parts. I am the bookkeeper for this business and develop reports for tax planning and preparation, banking and business planning for both operations.

A long-time goal has been to build a farm business that is sustainable both financially and environmentally. This continues to be a goal as we look to the future. The volatility of weather, markets and the economy make this goal as important as ever. We feel that building a resilient system is key to weathering the ups and downs of farming.

Why I serve: I have worked for MSU Extension for 25 years, many of those years in Clinton County providing science-based education and resources to farmers. GreenStone has been a key partner throughout those years supporting educational opportunities for farmers with both financial support and technical expertise.

I am also a partner in our farm and business; when we obtained our operating loan through GreenStone years ago, it was a game changer for our ability to manage the business. When the opportunity to serve on the GreenStone board was suggested, I felt it was way to give back to an organization that had been a partner helping our farm and business to grow as well as a partner during my career with Extension.

I see this as an opportunity to assist the next generation of farmers grow their business. Having a good partner in managing business finances is an important part of success. I would like to be a part of ensuring that GreenStone remains a strong partner for many members.

I plan to bring my over 38 years of experience to the table. I have worked with farmers throughout my career and work with Lee on our farm and business. These experiences provide me with perspective. I would like to use my experiences to complement the experience that fellow board members bring to the table.

 

To view the article in the online 2022 Summer Partners Magazine, click here.

The Federal Crop Insurance Program has been available for decades. It has been the primary platform to provide quality risk management to many of our country’s agricultural producers. Historically, the program aimed most of its resources at creating products to serve the most prevalent commodity crop industries, which are no doubt an important pillar of our agricultural framework. Until recently, specialized small farmers and specialty crop producers had inadequate access to policies as robust as those for commodity crops. Through the last two Farm Bills, that direction has began to shift!

Through the implementation of the Whole Farm Revenue Protection program (WFRP) in 2015, and enhancements to most specialty crop policies, producers have seen an increased quality and availability of subsidized federal crop insurance. The most recent of these coverage enhancements is the creation of the Micro Farm crop insurance policy, which is a style of WFRP.

Micro Farm crop insurance provides a revenue safety net for all commodities, and allowable value-added products, under one insurance policy. The 2022 policy is tailored for any farm with up to $100,000 in approved revenue, and was built to cover many styles, such as specialty, organic, regional, locally marketed, direct market and farm-identity preserved.

This policy is available in all 50 states and covers losses due to unavoidable natural causes that occur during the insurance period, meaning our diverse Michigan and Wisconsin small farmers who face Mother Nature anomalies thanks the Great Lakes now have a solution to help protect them! Coverage is available from 50-85% of the producers approved revenue. Sales close for the 2023 crop year is November 20, 2022 for late fiscal tax filers, and March 15, 2023 for calendar year or early fiscal tax filers.

Who would benefit from this policy?

A wide array of producers could benefit from the Micro Farm insurance policy. Because it covers both revenue from commodities, as well as revenue from value added products such as lotions from lavender, wine from grapes, or honey products from bees, Micro Farm can be utilized by many kinds of operations.

There are certain documents you must provide to your crop insurance specialist to get Whole-Farm Revenue Protection insurance.

• A Whole-Farm History Report with a minimum of 3 consecutive years of Schedule F or other farm tax forms (it must be possible to complete a Substitute Schedule F form if you filed farm tax forms other than Schedule F). For the 2022 policy year, tax forms from 2019-2021 are required.
• If you have not yet filed taxes for the most recent tax year, a Substitute Schedule F must be submitted for that year.
• If you are a tax-exempt entity (such as a Tribal entity) and have acceptable third-party records available, those can be used to complete Substitute Schedule F tax forms.

Visit www.rma.usda.gov/en/Fact-Sheets/National-Fact-Sheets/Micro-Farm-Program for more details.

GreenStone has a dedicated Fruit and Specialty Crop Insurance team of agents throughout Michigan and northeast Wisconsin who focus on policies such as the new Micro Farm. Having written 77% of the policies in our territory thus far, we are continuing to meet with more producers to educate them on this policy and its potential benefits to helping them manage risks that are outside of their control. We recognize the importance of having options available to farmers of all commodities, sizes and practices and to be able to consider this policy as another tool for those who didn’t have many crop insurance options historically. Through GreenStone’s CultivateGrowth program focused on providing support and solutions to assist young, beginning and small farmers, along with our commitment to Micro Farm education, we take pride in extending resources to help ensure the success of our smaller farmers, which help both our urban and rural communities thrive.

From insuring cut flowers, to blueberries and cherries, we have already seen positive results from the first year with Micro Farm policy available. This policy can be utilized for producers with urban gardens in Detroit or Green Bay, to rural farm stands in southwest Michigan and the Upper Peninsula. There is also potential for this to benefit small local livestock producers, roadside vegetable stands, lavender farms selling lotions and farm market farmers selling produce and baked goods.

GreenStone’s territory of Michigan and northeast Wisconsin is some of the most agriculturally diverse areas in our nation. We are committed to ensuring equal access for our customers to all of the products the USDA’s Risk Management Agency has in order to help build unparalleled risk management for our hard working farmers.

If you have any questions about the Micro Farm crop insurance policy, or others, please reach to your nearest GreenStone branch to find out more.

 

To view the article in the online 2022 Summer Partners Magazine, click here.

“I don’t allow current circumstances to dictate my mood,” said Grady Auer, owner of Bakake Acres in New London, Wisconsin.

His positive attitude has come in handy during some of the past events on the dairy, including multiple natural disasters. Through it all, Grady has successfully steered his farm in the right direction.

He began as a partner with his dad, and after he passed eight years ago, Grady entered into partnership with his mom, Tina. On their farm they milk 550 cows with seven full-time employees, plus two helpers who are always with Grady – his son Griffin and nephew Ira.

“The story is my mom put me on her back to feed calves when I was six months, so since I’m 38, now I’ve farmed for 37 and a half years,” he smiled and said.

Improved tax and accounting

Grady was using a different tax accountant for years, but in 2017 he made the business decision to transition to GreenStone’s senior tax accountant Kandace Haegele in the Clintonville office.

“I like working with Kandace because she works with whatever I bring to her,” Grady said. “Along with accounting, she also does our tax forms, and twice a year we send our QuickBooks accounts to her. She reviews it, tells us if we have errors, and answers our questions. My wife Sarah does the books really well, but she reminds me she is a special education teacher, not an accountant. So of course we have questions on what categories we put expenses into, if items need to be expensed, or if we can depreciate them.”

Kandace has worked in GreenStone’s Clintonville office for eight years. She’s been through transitions before and worked with Grady to help ensure the farm’s transition from the previous tax accountant to GreenStone was a smooth process. Part of the ongoing success of the relationship is the improvements they’ve made in the way they work together.

“We made suggestions on getting set up on QuickBooks and what information to provide to us,” she said. “He also is working with a dairy analyst, so I assisted him in getting set up, so as to provide the dairy information needed for the analysis. Basically, these steps have made it much easier for everyone to determine what action is needed in making sound farm business decisions, including having a better handle on where he is financially and providing related tax planning strategies.”

Grady was no stranger to GreenStone, as his dad was a long-time customer and co-signed his first loan on a calf when Grady was only 15 years old. Unfortunately, the calf didn’t last long.

“My dad cosigned a loan so I could buy a show heifer, and she abruptly dropped dead,” Grady shared sadly. “Thankfully she was insured, so we bought another one right after that.”

This stunning experience didn’t sour him on the entire animal showing scene, as he met his wife Sarah at the county fair.

“She asked to wear my jersey – football, not cow,” Grady joked. “She also grew up on a progressive farm in Wisconsin. Now, our family shows heifers all over.”

One stop shop

Eventually, along with the existing lending partnership and tax and accounting services, Grady also switched his crop insurance provider to GreenStone.

“I was always talking to Robert Netrefa, the GreenStone crop insurance specialist, about what decisions to make even though I was buying it through someone else,” Grady said. “I went to a GreenStone conference where he was the speaker, and I thought he had great knowledge about what was going on.”

Beyond tax and accounting support, plus the insurance, Grady uses GreenStone for financing.

“Certainly the advantage is that it’s a one-stop shop,” Grady said. “I know my taxes are different than my loans, which are different from my crop insurance, but it’s still all in the same location.”

Clintonville has a new office building, which features lots of glass to create an open atmosphere.

“It’s just like going to the supermarket,” Grady said. “I like this, and this, and I can get this – all in one place.”

Cleaning up

Corey Fanslau is VP of traditional lending at GreenStone, and he’s been working with Grady for over ten years.

“Grady is very good dairyman, he’s a great guy, and he’s really stepped up his business acumen over the years,” Corey said. “His work with his dairy analyst has also helped him perform even better.”

Corey worked with Grady through some tough times on the farm, including in 2018 when a blizzard caused their barns to collapse.

“We had to send half of our cows to another farm to be milked. For four months, since our income was down, we only paid interest,” Grady said. “That was Corey’s idea. He knew we’d rebuild and get our cows back.”

Despite the unfortunate event, Grady made the most of his circumstances and took the opportunity to make his barn even better. The new barn is able to hold more weight, is stronger and wider, and has improved lighting.

“I was given another shot to do it correctly, and I took it,” Grady said.

Grady has experienced more than his share of natural disasters on his farm, including a pile of bales that was struck by lightning, a shed that burned in 2005, and tragically, a house fire in 2010.

“I was picking up my son from daycare, so no one was home,” he said. “I’d thrown laundry into the dryer before I left. We drove home and saw the house was on fire, and it was a total loss.”

Happily, they were able to rebuild in a location closer to the farm.

“I haven’t done laundry since,” Grady joked. “Better safe than sorry.”

Grady and Sarah now have four children – Griffin (13), Emery (10), Macy (7), and Brynn (2). Grady really enjoys his time on the farm with his kids and nephew, whether they’re feeding calves or setting off bottle rockets.

“We also like to go to our children’s events, which is a full time job,” Grady said.

Grady looks forward to continuing his partnership with GreenStone, and he is confident his GreenStone team will be ready to assist him in his good times and his not-so-good times – even though his attitude remains unchanged.

“Some years the farm makes money, some years it doesn’t – I’m not complaining,” Grady said. “If we don’t make any, I have less tax work to do.”

 

To view the article in the online 2022 Summer Partners Magazine, click here.

Data breaches and cyberattacks continue to make the nightly news. Just within the last few weeks Microsoft was targeted with a zero-day vulnerability that allowed malicious code to be installed through an email attachment without the recipient even needing to open the file.

Once the code is executed, the bad actors can gain control of the workstation.

Scammers also have access to a treasure trove of public records. Public records are supposed to provide a means to promote government openness and transparency.  These records supply information about people, properties, taxes, and other issues. This information includes court documents, marriage certificates, and public mortgage records which includes the amount borrowed, the interest rate, loan term and the institution that hold the mortgage note.

Public information is not only used by cybercriminals, but also by companies trying to get your business for all types of goods and services. As an example, many of us have received mail soon after closing a loan that references the mortgage company and loan, it may try to raise alarm or suggest a better alternative. Several are designed to look like it’s coming from the actual mortgage company, and nearly all of them will include specifics about your loan because that information is required to be public record.

There are a handful of ways companies can obtain that information. One potential way is they buy that information from the financial service provider – GreenStone does not sell that information, but some companies do. Another way they obtain this information is from creditors, after you met a certain credit criterion. This is often referred to as a “prescreened” offer. Lastly, this information can be found on the internet using tools that search Online Public Records. Usually all they need is your name and address of the property they are targeting.

The amount of exposed data and public information create the perfect foundation for scammers to build communication that is tailored to you.

How do you protect yourself from falling victim to these attacks?

With any mail or email message, trust but verify. For emails, never open email attachments, call phone numbers or click on URLs from senders you do not know or from emails you were not expecting. It only takes only wrong click or call, and you could get a computer virus or end up supplying your username and password into a “look alike” login page to your bank or email account.

With any mortgage mailer – knowing how that got the information goes a long way. Most of these mailers catch us by surprise because we are unaware that the information included on the letter or postcard is public information. It’s even more difficult because there’s not any one thing that can confirm it is junk mail. Most will have a postage label that says something like “presorted,” but that’s not only used on junk mail, in fact this magazine has a similar postage on it. Another indicator may be the odd use of words in all “CAPITALS” like your name, mortgage amount or Lender, though this can also be a normal practice for some credible businesses. You may have to be thoughtful in your review to determine it if it is legitimate or not.

GreenStone will never ask you in an email message to update your confidential information or to provide a PIN, account number, social security number, username, password, or other similar information. We advise our customers to never respond to any email, call, or mail that asks for such information, even if it appears to be from GreenStone or another financial institution you have a relationship with. If you are unsure of the authenticity of a communication, contact us to confirm.

If you suspect fraud has occurred in connection with your GreenStone accounts, please notify us immediately, by telephone or email, and we will promptly assist you in resolving the matter. Send concerns to [email protected] or call 855-895-2761.

The Federal Trade Commission highlights on their web page two steps that individuals can take to help reduce the number or unsolicited mailers – https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/0127-getting-mortgage-offers

1. Call 1-888-5-OPTOUT (1-888-567-8688) or visit www.optoutprescreen.com to opt out of prescreen offers.
2. Put your phone number on the federal government’s National Do Not Call Registry to reduce the telemarketing calls you get at home. To register your phone number or to get information about the registry, visit www.donotcall.gov, or call 1-888-382-1222 from the phone number you want to register.

 

To view the article in the online 2022 Summer Partners Magazine, click here.

The focus: Ensuring alignment with GreenStone’s mission, vision, values, and people focused culture as the foundation of leading the cooperative to strong results through visionary leadership and strategic business development.

The solution: An incoming CEO who exemplifies our brand and embraces our culture through firsthand experience, a broad perspective, and a focus on engagement and partnership with customers and staff.

After a nationwide search, GreenStone’s Board of Directors has named Travis Jones as our next President and Chief Executive Officer. Travis, who has served as the cooperative’s Executive Vice President & Chief Financial Officer for the last 15 years, will assume the chief leadership role on August 1, 2022 following Dave Armstrong’s retirement.

In connection with our mission, GreenStone understands agricultural finance in ways unmatched by any other financial entities. During Travis’ nearly 15-year history with GreenStone, he’s consistently supported the rural and agricultural communities in Michigan and northeast Wisconsin – regardless of market or industry fluctuations – with a primary goal to help them grow, thrive and succeed.

“We unanimously believe Travis Jones is the right person to drive GreenStone’s mission and values forward to best serve our members,” said Board Chairman Ed Reed. “His deep understanding of our Core Four Values is shown through his dedication to always put the customer first, deliver quality over quantity, roll up his sleeves to get the work done, and most importantly, always doing the right thing.”

Travis has been chosen to succeed Dave Armstrong who, with a 41-year dedicated career serving the Farm Credit System, has led as President and CEO of GreenStone for the last 14 of those years. Armstrong will retire July 31, 2022. His inspiring leadership leaves the cooperative in strong, stable hands.

With a managed, steady approach Travis’ experience will help ensure an ongoing strong financial foundation for GreenStone customers to build and grow upon. Travis joined the GreenStone cooperative in September 2007 as CFO. Since that time, he has demonstrated his progressive strategic and operational leadership impacting long range organizational and capital planning.

Like many GreenStone team members, Travis grew up on a small farm in Chapin, Michigan and now lives in Owosso with his wife Sue, where they together raised three children, Tyler, Mackenzie and Katelyn. Travis believes it is important to make a difference in the communities where we live and serve. He leads by example, leveraging his financial expertise on the board of the Michigan Finance Authority to help provide impactful, affordable loans for cities, colleges, and public schools, plus serves on the Michigan FFA Association board providing support to the year-round agriscience curriculum and youth development activities.

In this new role, Travis will build upon the strong foundation Dave established in his 14 years as CEO of the association.

“Every day is an honor to work alongside our 600+ talented and committed teammates to serve our members. We’ve built an inclusive, customer first culture under Dave’s leadership and I’m truly humbled with the opportunity to continue that focus as the next CEO of GreenStone and build upon the successes Dave established,” said Travis Jones. “With our shared strategic vision for the cooperative, I look forward to paving the path forward to continued success and prosperity for our team and customers.”

Travis will assume the role of President and CEO on August 1, 2022. For more information, visit www.greenstonefcs.com.

 

To view the article in the online 2022 Summer Partners Magazine, click here.

After a nationwide search, GreenStone Farm Credit Services’ Board of Directors has named Travis Jones as its next President and Chief Executive Officer. Jones, who currently serves as the cooperative’s Executive Vice President & Chief Financial Officer, will assume the chief leadership role on August 1, 2022 following Dave Armstrong’s retirement. In this new role, Jones will build upon the strong foundation Armstrong established in his 14 years as CEO of the association. 

With a managed, steady approach Jones’ experience will help ensure an ongoing strong financial foundation for GreenStone customers to build and grow upon. Jones joined the GreenStone cooperative in September 2007 as CFO. Since that time, he has demonstrated his progressive strategic and operational leadership impacting long range organizational and capital planning.  

Like many GreenStone team members, Jones grew up on a small farm in Chapin, Michigan and now lives in Owosso with his wife Sue, where they together raised three children, Tyler, Mackenzie and Katelyn. Travis believes it is important to make a difference in the communities where we live and serve. He leads by example, leveraging his financial expertise on the board of the Michigan Finance Authority to help provide impactful, affordable loans for cities, colleges, and public schools, plus serves on the Michigan FFA Association board providing support to the year-round agriscience curriculum and youth development activities.  

“Every day is an honor to work alongside our 600+ talented and committed teammates to serve our members. We’ve built an inclusive, customer first culture under Dave’s leadership and I’m truly humbled with the opportunity to continue that focus as the next CEO of GreenStone and build upon the successes Dave established,” said Travis Jones. “With our shared strategic vision for the cooperative, I look forward to paving the path forward to continued success and prosperity for our team and customers.” 

Jones will assume the role of President and CEO on August 1, 2022.

Chris Ockert firmly believes that good things come to those who wait, and he considers himself a great example.

When Chris was 11 years old, he started his working life shoveling manure on a pig farm in Mulliken, Michigan. At age 15, he worked in restaurants after school and on weekends. When he turned 17, he began working at a machine shop, then when he graduated from high school, he came to a pivotal point in his life – though he didn’t know it yet.

He continued planning for the future. In 2001, Chris purchased 40 acres of land in Mulliken, and four years later he built a house on the property.

Unfortunately, the timing wasn’t perfect.

“I struggled very hard to keep my head above water, I didn’t make enough money to afford what I had. I nearly lost everything I worked so hard for,” Chris said.

Since he needed more income, he decided to work even harder and started doing additional asbestos removal jobs for himself, at night and on the weekends. He eventually separated from the first company.

“I didn’t know what I was going to do. I thought everything was over. But my fiancée, Jessica Gilton, constantly said that everything will be okay. We’ll make it together, and it doesn’t matter if we live in a cardboard box on the street.”

Chris decided he could work even harder to get himself out of the situation. He wasn’t doing it just for himself and Jessica, but also their children – Taleah (14) and Zack (21).

“I had her encouragement that we could make life better together,” he said.

He worked for different companies in his profession, but he still was having trouble staying ahead of the bills.

Despite all this stress, he took a huge step. In May of 2016, he started his own company – Abatement & Demolition Services, based in Mulliken. ADS services include asbestos removal, where technicians build a negative pressure enclosure and remove and dispose of the asbestos.

All of his years of working hard for others, gaining valuable experience, led to him working for himself.

“It’s been many long, hard days,” Chris said. “But I just did it.”

Chris then made another big decision – it was time to build their forever home. They chose a one-of-a-kind timber frame home on his property in Mulliken. This was his first time working with GreenStone.

Stacy Stinson is a financial services officer in the Charlotte branch, and she enjoyed working with Chris on his plans.

“He’s really open to ideas, really creative, and one of the nicest people in the world. Since he runs his own business, he’s very customer-focused, and he knows what we need from him,” she said. “He’s always looking into doing new things, and he’s really down to earth.”

“Stacy has been really helpful,” Chris said. “It’s been great working with her.”

Chris and Jessica took months to plan what they wanted for their home. They didn’t want a spec house, or a house that wasn’t anything special – they wanted to make it different.

As a result, their home reflects those wishes. For instance, they use different types of timbers throughout the structure.

“We have oak and pine – we picked the features we wanted,” Chris said.

“Chris is building his beautiful timber-frame home and barns on 40 acres,” Stacy said. “He also recently purchased another 40 acres to graze cattle and have a rental home near his homestead. GreenStone has financed both projects and built a tremendous relationship with Chris. All the staff that have worked with him have had phenomenal experiences.”

Their home, where every detail is being considered, is projected to be done soon.

Chris and his family are looking forward to moving into their new home and enjoying the acreage.

“A great friend of mine – Todd Ranshaw – always told me good things come to those who wait, and now we are building the home of our dreams,” he said.

 

To view the article in the online 2022 Spring Partners Magazine, click here.

 

Max and Halie Schultz had a problem, and they had an idea of how to fix it. They had a lot of animals to feed, but it took a long time to go everywhere to get all the supplies they needed.

“There were no feed stores in our area near us, and I was spending one day a week picking up feed from different cities, trying to find what I wanted, and we thought – we might as well make this convenient for ourselves,” Halie said.

They owned an old antique shop on M-15, and they already had been selling deer feed to hunters out of it since 2015.

“It got really busy selling deer feed, and then people started asking for chicken feed and horse feed and all sorts of supplies, so it snowballed,” Max said. “We decided to rebuild the entire place and turn it into a store.”

Along with the help of friends and family, they took on redoing the entire place themselves. They gutted it, put steel on the outside and inside, poured concrete, and revamped the entire building. H & M Feed, Seed, and Supplies was ready to open.

Unfortunately, they were ready to open in February 2020, right when the pandemic hit. But after a brief interruption, they opened the doors on October 30, 2020. 

“Now Halie runs the store, and I take care of the farming,” Max said.

Life plan

Max grew up on a cash crop farm, and now the Schultzes raise their own crops and livestock. They grow corn, soybeans, hay, wheat, and sugar beets. They market their own feed through the store, and they’re also a Kalmbach and Tribute dealer.

They also have been increasing their livestock. They began with cattle, and now they also raise 35 head of pork a year, and 200 meat birds.

“We raised 40 for freezer beef last year, and we hope to do 60 or 70 next year,” Max said. “We’re also going to try and get USDA certified so we can sell in quantities smaller than halves or wholes.”

Selling beef direct to consumer through their store has been a great market for them.

“It keeps growing and growing every day, and with the price of beef blowing up, it’s been overwhelming,” Halie said. “Lots of butcher dates to find!”

The Schultzes didn’t stop with the crops and livestock. Since things were so busy, Max left his day job in August 2021 to work on their business. They continue to add more choices for customers.

They maintain a greenhouse for flowers, so they can produce their own items to sell. They have a specialty chick day, where they take orders on chicks and run specials on their seed. They sell Amish buildings, chicken coops, gardening supplies, and items like soil, mulch, corn stalks, Indian corn, and much more.

“It’s a lot of inventory to keep in order,” Halie said. “I’ve worked in customer service, but I’ve never owned a business. What I realized is that you have to be six months ahead of everyone else, because you need to order supplies. It might be spring, but you’re focusing on fall.”

Relationships

Johnny Thompson, financial services officer in GreenStone’s Bay City branch, admires the Schultzes’ entrepreneurial spirit and attention to diversification.

“We have a really good relationship,” Johnny said. “First of all, we both have beef cattle, and if you get two guys talking about beef cattle they usually don’t stop – myself included. But really, I like the way they have diversified and market their crops. Not only did they open up the storefront, but they worked with a lot of other gas stations, meat markets, and local businesses to sell their products. This way, they’re not as subject to the market value for commodity prices. It’s really made them successful.”

Johnny also thinks they have done a great job growing their business.

“Max has worked his way up and made his own way,” Johnny said. “He lives in a place where dirt is expensive, and it’s impressive the way he’s been able to do what he does in that area without the head start of already owning land. Because of the difference in the way he markets his products, he’s been able to vertically integrate in an effective way.”

The Schultzes have had a good experience working with GreenStone, and Johnny in particular.

“Johnny’s great,” Max said. “He answers every phone call, and he wastes no time in getting everything done. He’s awesome.”

Overall, the Schultzes enjoy the farming part of their job, plus the challenge of owning an agricultural business.

“We’re young, and we’re customer-based people, and pretty much everything is grown and raised locally,” Max said. “We have lots of support from friends and family, and we’ve had the same customers for the last five years. Plus, it builds every day.”

 

To view the article in the online 2022 Spring Partners Magazine, click here.