Mark D. Zacharda grew up on Zacharda Farms, which was owned and operated by his dad and uncle.

He helped milk cows until they sold them at the turn of the century, and then he helped them cash crop. However, he didn’t go straight from school to the farm. He graduated from Michigan State University with a degree in agriculture science and earned a teaching certification from Saginaw Valley State University, and then he moved to Virginia to teach high school biology.

“I really enjoyed being a teacher,” Mark said. “Farming can be stressful, but teaching can be even more so. They’re similar in a lot of ways. There are farmers who just get by…if yields aren’t terrible, and if prices aren’t bad, and you have crop insurance to back it up, they can make it. Some teachers also just phone it in, but if you want to really do what’s best by the students or optimize your farm’s profitability while doing what’s best by the environment, you have to really work.”

Mark married his wife Stephanie, and they have two daughters, Edie and Maisie. After living in Virginia for four years, a trip home to Michigan for the holidays inspired Mark to consider going into farming full-time.

“My dad Mark and uncle Bob were getting older, and I wanted to work on the farm,” he said. “We moved back to Michigan in 2012 and my uncle retired in 2014, and since then my dad and I have been partners. So, I’ve been working on the farm for a majority of my life, but full-time for nine years.”

Job change

Mark made the change from teaching to farming for many lifestyle reasons.

“I enjoy working outside,” Mark said. “When I was teaching all day under fluorescent lights, it started to eat away at me after a while. Now I’m out in the field, an eagle flies by, there are deer running around – I’m closer to nature.”

Mark likes working with his hands, plus appreciates the autonomy.

“It’s really gratifying when something breaks and you can repair it yourself,” he said. “I’m always tinkering and looking for ways to increase efficiency. For instance, if I build a rack on the trailer, it can hold two more bales, which means each trip is more efficient…Plus, I also like being my own boss.”

Not only is being outside good for his mental health, but he also sees how it benefits the larger population.

“More people being aware of the natural world is a potential game-changer for the health of the planet,” he said. “People aren’t going to care about things like climate change and waste reduction if they don’t spend any time outside. Production farmers have a huge and exciting role to play in enhancing the health of the planet.”

Legacy

Mark’s family had already worked with GreenStone for 30 years when he came back to the farm. He got an operating loan through financial services officer Barb Dinsmore, and he worked with specialist Mark Klett on crop insurance.

“I really enjoy working with Mark,” he said. “He farmed himself, so he totally gets it. He’s also super responsive. I don’t like to bug people outside of business hours, but this is farming, so when I text him, he responds even if it’s 9:00 p.m. on a Sunday night.”

Mark Klett uses GreenStone’s exclusive crop insurance analysis tool, Optimum, to present options to his customers. Using this special resource GreenStone has available for its crop insurance customers, he can review and compare the vast array of available options to generate a customized, data-driven recommendation for each farm’s specific needs.

“Farmers are looking at types of policies, levels of coverage, and different options,” Mark said. “Since there are multiple levels of everything, it can get complicated. Optimum allows me to lay out the data for farmers, so we can compare the policies, narrow down our choices, and make decisions – basically, select the optimum choice.”

Mark Zacharda also appreciates the policy assessment through Optimum and enjoys working with GreenStone on improving his coverage.

“Mark does a great job explaining all the changes and any new options in the crop insurance world from year to year,” he said. “Mark introduced me to ECO and SCO, which have bigger premiums, but you get increased coverage. I’ve been thinking more lately about biting the bullet on these crop insurance premiums and taking advantage of the new programs to have that peace of mind.”

For instance, Mark’s farm had a soybean field hit by a hailstorm in 2021. There was so much damage that they replanted, but the beans got too much rain, and the replanted ones didn’t have enough time to fully grow.

“On that field, we’ll get maybe 20 bushels an acre,” Mark said. “The damage caused poor yield. So then with crop insurance – I don’t like paying for it, but I feel very reassured having that backup. When you break down your costs per acre, insurance has become one of those costs you just have to factor in. With the changes in weather pattens and the volatility in the markets, a farming operation just has to have crop insurance – it’s become a no-brainer. There are so many levels and programs, with a good agent and experience, each farmer can find where the sweet spot is for crop insurance.”

Mark sees the recent weather extremes as another reason to explore his crop insurance options. For instance, the margin protection programs offer increased backup.

“Mark Klett called it ECO on steroids,” Mark said. “With all the volatility in the world, including pandemics and climate change, the extremes we’re dealing with more and more are even more of a reason to take a look at enhanced crop insurance.”

Crop insurance specialist Mark Klett has been working with the Zacharda family for years.

“Mark Zacharda is one of the more analytical customers I have,” he said. “He always takes notes when we meet, asks questions, and keeps himself up to date. He understands that crop insurance isn’t just an expense – it’s a tool to help him.”

Sustainable future

The Zachardas farm approximately 1350 acres and grow soybeans, corn, wheat, and hay. On their intergenerational farm, Mark is focused on taking measures to become even more sustainable.

“Over time, we’ve made some changes,” Mark said. “We participate in Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) programs through the USDA. We’ve put in filter strips and field borders to be a buffer between the field nutrients and the water, we’ve planted habitat areas and trees. Also, we concentrate on soil testing and following the recommendations after analysis. We have been an environmentally verified farm for our cropping system through NRCS since 2014.”

The farm recently started using a yield and moisture monitor in their combine to put together yield maps.

“It makes you wonder why you even put seed and fertilizer in certain parts,” Mark joked. “Really, it really helps you make better decisions about your inputs and where best to use them.”

“I could work in the office all day long, looking at projections, evaluating how much profit we could make, analyzing data … but I don’t have time,” Mark said. “My wife, daughters and I like to spend our time together during the farm’s off season – skiing, snowmobiling, sledding.”

 

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

GreenStone was supportive of me as a young producer before I even understood what the organization was.

When a neighboring producer invited me to attend to a two-day technical herdsman program, his loan officer with GreenStone offered to pay for my tuition having never even met me. That loan officer would soon become a valuable sounding board and spent countless hours providing me guidance and support far beyond what was expected of him.

As if the impression this made upon me wasn’t enough, I began to notice the green biostar logo at more and more industry events, and quickly came to realize this was an institution that thoroughly understood my occupation and the road I would follow as a young dairyman. I feel fortunate GreenStone took a chance on me in those early years, and realize our industry would suffer if every young farmer was not so lucky.

Having the privilege of serving on 
the board, I find myself very invested
in seeing this institution continue to
maintain and expand upon providing
support for those patrons who are just 
getting a foothold in their careers. The
mentorship program is a great example
of GreenStone’s commitment to this,
 as well as the specialized lending available through our newly expanded
 CultivateGrowth program.

Don’t ever
hesitate to ask your local GreenStone
team for assistance as you navigate the uncertainty of your first few years.

My advice is to embrace your mistakes and learn from them, and consider that every business you work with could be a great resource for developing knowledge. Wisdom often comes when you’re not looking for it. Some of the greatest lessons I ever had came from people who didn’t realize they were teaching!

 

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

 

The pot of gold just got sweeter…a record $115 million will be returned in checks to our GreenStone members on Patronage Day!

It’s lucky #17 – 17 years of returning a total of $720 million in dividends back
to our members, and this
year you’ll be getting your share of the pot of gold from GreenStone on St. Patrick’s Day – March 17th!

Patronage Day is an opportunity to celebrate many benefits of your cooperative membership. Come join us in the branch, wear your lucky green, and come get your green dough.

Being a member-owned cooperative means our members benefit from our strong financial position. That’s why your board of directors elected to again increase your patronage return this year from $105 million in 2021 to $115 million in 2022 – that’s nearly 45% of GreenStone’s net earnings and it’s all coming back directly to our loan customers, our members, in dividend checks on March 17.

Each member will receive notification letter in mid- February where you’ll learn the amount of your check. Included with the letter will be a personal invitation to join us in the celebration at your local branch, where you’ll be able to safely pick up your check and enjoy in the lucky fun with your local staff.

And once again, GreenStone’s not only sharing profits with our customers, but we’re also donating $20,000 to local organizations on behalf of our customers through our Member Grown Outreach program.

When you get your Patronage check, you’ll also have the opportunity to vote for the cause most important to you. Once we hear from our members, we’ll work with our branches to select a local organization in each region
in our territory to receive $2,500 to support the positive work they do in our local communities.

As a financial cooperative, it
is important for GreenStone
to generate strong earnings and maintain adequate capital levels to help ensure it is a dependable source of credit for years to come.

Supporting rural communities and agriculture is why we exist. These dollars offer an important tactical value, and our partnership will continue to pay in more ways than one!

 

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

Steve and Kris Van Haitsma are committed to sustainability and environmental responsibility, which stems in part from
 Kris’ background in environmental chemistry.

“I graduated with a biology degree from Calvin University,” Kris said, “and I started working as a lab tech in an environmental testing lab. As a chemist for the next 18 years, I worked on quality control, testing for things like pesticides and herbicides.”

Steve was raised on an organic farm, so he was already familiar with the farming philosophy free of pesticides and herbicides. Also a Calvin graduate, he owned his own appraising business before transitioning full-time to the farm.

With those backgrounds, the couple began Mud Lake Farm by buying used greenhouses and moving them to their property. The Van Haitsmas have four greenhouses and 36 acres, plus they grow using hydroponics. The land where they farm was in Steve’s family for 117 years, and most of that time it was cattle pasture. When they were getting ready to move to it, they envisioned being able to have all the inputs to grow and produce.

“It’s a difficult thing to figure out how to do, and this was before the internet,” Kris said. “We were doing all the research with books, and we thought – let’s try hydroponics.”

They built ponds in the greenhouses that are insulated, and they use PEX tubing that runs from a geothermal system to heat the water, much like a floor heating system. Their ponds have foam floats that float on top of the water, and the roots grow into the water to draw the nutrients from it. No weeding is required, and they’re able to use all the growing area. As a result, they’re also not losing water to evaporation, because the surface is covered.

“We use about 10% of the water to grow hydroponically that we would use to grow traditionally,” Kris said.

Currently, they have between 6-10 hydroponic beds in each of their greenhouses, and they also build other beds outside in the summer. With this system, they’re able to harvest 600-800 pounds of lettuce a week in the summer.

Along with hydroponic lettuce, they use their greenhouses to grow microgreens, a variety of herbs, rosemary, pineapple sage, mint, ginger, and chamomile. Outside, they grow arctic kiwis, hazelnuts, elderflowers and berries, and much more.

“We’re always trying something new,” Kris said. “Last year we planted 100 yellow birch trees to use as a flavoring for our root beer.”

Cordials and Sodas

After making their mark in the produce arena, the couple decided to expand into a new venture.

“For our wedding anniversary we went to Wales,” Steve said. “We tried elderflower “pressé” (which is a fancy French word for soda), and we thought – we can make this!”

They went to their friends at Cascade Winery in Grand Rapids and used their canning equipment to make elderflower soda.

“We were told we were the first ones in the states to make elderflower soda,” Steve said. “It’s my favorite one. Not only do you get all the benefits of the elderflower, in that it’s good for cold and flu, but it’s also a fun beverage that you can use to make cocktails.”

They were already growing ginger for chefs and decided to try making ginger cordial with it instead. It went so well, they also made a ginger soda. Since then, they have added a root beer made with natural ingredients, including carrots, beets, and a chamomile soda from their fresh chamomile flowers.

They now produce beverages made with the fresh ingredients from their farm, and they sell under the name St. Steve’s Cordials & Sodas.

“The main thing is we’re using real ingredients to make it, and it comes from here,” Kris said. “We use our fresh elderberries, elderflowers, chamomile, ginger, birch bark.

We have a limited number of ingredients because we want just fresh, simple ingredients. Most ginger ales and ginger beers don’t even have real ginger in them, so we see this as an opportunity to give people an amazing soda that still provides the functional benefits of using the real plant.”

“We have lots of people who buy our products just for the health benefits,” Steve added. “People going through cancer treatments love the ginger. People who struggle with sleeping love the chamomile. It so neat to make something that people really appreciate. We get so much amazing feedback from our customers.”

Financing opportunity

They soon looked into purchasing a canner for their own business.

“We’ve always had conventional loans before, and other banks didn’t want to work with us because we were now a farm,” Steve said. “We talked to Matt Alt, and it really seemed to fit together with what we were trying to do and what GreenStone offered.”

Matt Alt is a financial services officer out of GreenStone’s Grand Rapids branch. When Kris and Steve contacted him, they asked about a house refinancing loan, but also additional funds for a canner.
“It was such a unique situation, as they are growing the throughput and then producing the craft soda with it,” Matt said. “It was n exciting loan to help with, because it was obvious the benefits the canner would bring to their business.”

Matt added that when he visited the farm, it happened to coincide with a day his branch was meeting up for a potluck, so he brought a case of craft soda.

“We tried a bunch of different flavors, and it was a hit,” Matt said. “I’m glad we were able to help with their soda creation.”

In January 2021, Steve and Kris used GreenStone to finance their canning line, and they now are able to can their sodas and sparkling waters on the farm on their own schedule, producing 24 cans a minute.

Sustainability

Steve and Kris have designed their farm around sustainability measures.

They use LED lighting to provide supplemental light in their greenhouses. They heat the water in the hydroponic beds with a geothermal system, and they also use a biomass furnace to heat the air over the cooler months. For a heat source, they burn cherry pits that they buy from a supplier in Shelby, Michigan.

“We tried different materials like corn, and wood pellets, but they had issues like leaving residue and attracting rodents,” Steve said. “We also had an issue that corn is a food source. With cherry pits, they’re a carbon neutral product, they’re produced every year, and they’re also a complete waste product. We buy 15 tons of them every winter.”

Steve and Kris have a strong online presence, have won many awards, and have built a successful business with their produce and beverages.

“We believe in sustainable agriculture, and we’re looking forward to exploring more ideas to make it even more sustainable,” Kris said.

 

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

Ben Kasik is using a variety of resources to continually educate himself about farming, including conferences, networking, and business planning.

He farms with his grandparents, Jerry and Carolyn, in Henderson, Michigan, where they grow corn, soybeans, and wheat. He began farming full-time in 2018.

“I didn’t know I wanted to farm full- time until I went away to college at Michigan State,” Ben said. “Being away that first month was so awful. I couldn’t wait to come home and help. All through the fall harvest I drove home almost every day after class to help – I couldn’t stand not being there.”

Ben graduated with his bachelor’s degree in crop and soil science and brought back his new knowledge to his home farm. His main mentor and teacher on the farm is also his coworker – his grandpa Jerry.

“My grandfather has a vast amount of knowledge and wisdom he acquired from farming his entire life,” Ben said. “He’s a well-rounded farmer, and he’s good at everything, like fixing machines, agronomy, working with people. I’m so thankful I can work and learn alongside him.”

Ben went to his financial services officer Nicole (Nikki) Burke in the spring of 2018 to obtain an operating loan, and she not only assisted him with financing, but also introduced him to other GreenStone services.

“Every time I have a financial question or a business idea, I know I can call Nikki anytime and get help,” Ben said. “She’s always willing to give me good financial advice, and if she doesn’t know something, she points me to resources to find the answer.”

Nikki works with a number of young, beginning, and small farmers out of the Corunna branch. In her 11-year career with GreenStone, she makes it a point to reach out to her customers to share about available programs.

“I care a lot about my customers, and I want to see their businesses succeed and grow,” Nikki said. “Putting the customer first is the most important thing to GreenStone, and everyone on the team truly cares about making the experience positive for our customers.”

Mentorship Program

One of the programs she suggested trying was the GreenStone mentorship program, which pairs new farmers with more experienced producers to share knowledge and help equip them for the future of the industry.

Ben was matched with mentor Eric Blaine of Blaine Farms in St Charles, who also is a cash crop farmer. Eric brings his 21 years of knowledge to the mentorship.

“He’s a really sharp young man,” said Eric Blaine. “I like working with him. He already has a great understanding of the industry, and he just wants to fine tune his skills, which is really admirable.”
Since Ben has the leadership of his grandpa, he already has a great mentor on the farm, but like most business owners, he enjoys talking with people who have the same job.

“It’s so interesting talking to Eric, because some of the things he’s doing are so different,” Ben said. “If you take three farms within ten minutes of each other, even if it’s the same crop, everyone is doing things a little bit differently. I like bouncing off ideas from him to get his completely different perspective.”

“That’s a big part of farming,” he added. “You can never know enough. I asked my friend Tony Motz, also a farmer, why he always talked to everyone, and he said – you can always learn something from everybody.”

Grant Program

The next program Ben has taken advantage of is the grants from GreenStone. Each year, GreenStone commits $40,000 to young, beginning, and small farmers for the grants, which they can use toward agricultural programs and events, GreenStone services like accounting and tax services, and resources like business and farm consultants.

Ben has made use of the grant multiple times. For example, he’s attended conferences like the Great Lakes Crop Summit, attended industry meetings, and had the GreenStone tax and accounting department prepare his tax return. GreenStone has a full array of tools and services to support farmers like Ben, including new tools as a part of GreenStone’s refreshed CultivateGrowth program (see page 25).

“Being a young farmer, it’s nice to have someone help,” Ben said. “I like that GreenStone takes a chance on young farmers, so then we can turn around and show we’re doing our part, learning and using the resources they’re giving you.”

Future Opportunities

Ben doesn’t live far from his parents, Jerry and Ellen Kasik, and joked with them that he was going to be a bachelor farmer his whole life. Instead, when he matched with his now-wife Megan on the Farmers Only dating site, he called his mom after their first date to tell her he met the woman he was going to marry. They married in the summer of 2021.

“Our wedding happened right during wheat harvest, and I was so glad it rained, so I wasn’t thinking I could be combining wheat,” he said.

“Megan isn’t from a farm, but now she wouldn’t have it any other way,” he said.
“I think a farm is the best place to raise a family. There are so many opportunities for responsibility, even at a young age, and it gives you a connection to nature. Not every kid gets the chance to smell a rain coming or feel a frost melting in the spring.”

He looks forward to the future of farming with his grandpa and living with his family on the farm. As he plans for his farming future, he knows he’ll continue to use the resources available to him, as well as let other people know about them.

“I would encourage any other farmers to take advantage of these opportunities,” Ben said. “Go for it. I plan on using every resource I can, from financing, programs, grants, meetings, anything like that – where I have the chance. Without GreenStone’s assistance with getting started, I wouldn’t be where I am now.”

 

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

More and more of Santa’s elves transitioned to online shopping this past year instead of going into their local Santa workshop. According to a recent survey, between 2019 and 2020 there was a 20% increase in online shopping revenue in the United States. It is estimated that by 2025 that figure revenue figure will reach an astonishing $563 million per year. With the increased number of consumers choosing to shop online we need to be extra vigilant to protect ourselves from the cybercriminals regardless of the holiday or reason you’re shopping online!

Here are four tips to make sure your online shopping trips are safe and secure!

• Keep your devices up to date and clean: Make sure all of your internet- connected devices (PCs, smartphones, and tablets) are current on all operating system and application software updates, including antivirus and antimalware software. In my house, it is my second job making sure that these updates have been applied to all my families’ devices. These updates typically contain security fixes to make it harder for cybercriminals to gain unauthorized access to the device or application.
  • Update Android and iOS (Smartphones or Tablets)
    • Open your phone’s “Settings” app.
      – Android – Click on “System” > “System Update”
      – iPhone – Click on “General” > “Software Update”
  • Update Windows Operating System (Personal Computers)
    • Click on “Start” button > type “Update” > Click “Check for updates” • After you review the updates – Click OK > Click “Install updates”

• Watch out for spam and phishing emails: The more we shop online, the more
 receive email messages from
 highlighting upcoming sales or promotions. This is always a great time for cybercriminals to send their phishing emails to your inbox. To help you identify when things just aren’t quite right, here are just two of the of the more common phishing emails you might receive.
  • Fake shipping notification emails – these emails appear to be coming from USPS or FedEx and contain shipping numbers, barcodes, and other items to make them appear legit and cause you to click to see the status.
  • Fake retail store/product emails – these messages appear to be coming from retail stores offering great deals on hard-to-find items they contain deals that would be hard to pass up to entice you to click the link.

Whether you are shopping with the gift card you received over the holidays, or just waiting for a normal delivery, always go directly to the company’s website using your preferred internet browser and check the status or inventory there. Do not click on links or open attachments from unknown senders.

• Protect yourself from suspicious purchases: Checking your financial account statements is not only a great way to keep track of spending but also a great security measure to make sure that the cybercriminals are not making purchases for themselves this holiday.
  • Limit the number of accounts you use to make holiday purchases and if possible, do not use a debit card linked to your bank account; instead use a single credit card.
    Most banks will attempt to help you recover funds if your account is compromised, but it can be a lot easier to get charges reversed when a credit card number is stolen.
  • Enable any notification services offered by your bank to alert you of suspicious purchases.

Early detection is a great way to limit the headache that a compromised account can cause during this holiday.

• Another online site, another login – Keeping track of your usernames and passwords for all the sites that we use day- to-day requires a lot of effort. Protecting your logins with a password manager is a great step.
  • Creating unique strong passwords for all your sites is the best way to protect your online identity. A password manager like LastPass or 1Password helps you manage all these passwords. My family’s password manager contains over 500 passwords for different online sites that we have registered for over the years.
  • Enable multi-factor authentication on sites that support that feature. Amazon and Google both support multi-factor authentication, by using MFA you are making it harder for cybercriminals to gain access to those online accounts.

Hopefully, with the help of these tips, you will be ready to put coal in the stockings of the cybercriminals next year and you will be able to enjoy the season knowing that you are secure!

 

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

Tom and Robbin DeMeester had been actively looking for land to purchase for some time. Even before they sold their family home in Ada, they’d been searching for a large place that wasn’t clear-cut farmland. They wanted something with some character, trees, and maybe even water.

While driving around the area, Tom spotted a wooden sign.

“I think the only reason this parcel was available is because it was for sale by owner, and the wooden sign had fallen down,” Tom said. “I saw it amidst the roadside trees and thought – I wonder if it’s still for sale? I made the call, and odd as it was, the seller was a guy that I went to high school with.”

Tom, a manager at Greenleaf Trust, and Robbin, a Forest Hills Central High School teacher, planned on downsizing their living space and upsizing the property around them. The almost-25 acre plot seemed just right. Now, they had to start the process to finance vacant land.

“I had seen the billboards for GreenStone that referenced land loans, and I knew conventional lenders didn’t focus on that,” Tom said. “It’s a specialty service to provide financing expertise tied to vacant land. I reached out to GreenStone in December 2017, Devon Feldpausch was the individual that followed up, and that started our journey.”

Devon Feldpausch, a financial services officer who also started his career with GreenStone in 2017, dug in and worked through all the details with the DeMeesters.

“Tom and Robbin were some of my first customers,” Devon said. “I’m blessed to have worked with them. The first closing
 was getting married. The second closing my wife was pregnant. We’ve been through a lot of life stages together, and at this point they feel more like family. Honestly, you’re not just a number here…I don’t remember the last time I haven’t chatted on the phone with him without the call ending in a smile.”

Starting out

The property in Ada, Michigan was a split off of a larger parcel, and as a result, it needed a lot of work to make it buildable. First, there was the clearing.

“There were quite a few trees on it, so the next step was we had to cut in a roadway,” Tom said.

“It was quite the endeavor,” Tom said. “My son-in-law, my son and I forested the property, which included taking down 125 trees, and cut the drive in. We used a road builder to install what the civil engineers developed.”

As with most building projects, it became more involved along the way. The road had to be 18 feet wide, have culverts, correct drainage, grading, and they also encountered unstable soil.

Building the Better Life

In February of 2020, Tom and Robbin began the construction of their home.

“With the road being more involved than we had anticipated, we pivoted and decided to build our home as a barndominium,” Tom said. “Again, that was something that was a little unique, and GreenStone had more of an appetite for that than another lender would have.”

Working with J. Visser Design out of Grand Rapids, the DeMeesters built a timber frame barndominium. They also designed the home to be energy efficient. They used structurally insulated panels (SIP) which have a foam core that creates a tight envelope for the building.

“We were very conscious as we built this to preserve the exterior envelope of the home,” Tom said. “We didn’t even run electrical through the outside walls – we ran it in the interior.”

The home also has radiant floor heat, and everything is tied to a radiant hydronic system, which means there isn’t any duct work or forced air. They have supplemented the radiant system with mini-split systems, so each room has its own ability to run air conditioning or a heat pump. This has allowed them to keep the perimeter of the home very efficient, as well as preserve a great view.

“Because of the timber frame and SIPs, we’ve been afforded the freedom to have open, expansive views. It’s a unique building,” Tom said. “Ninety percent of the time, it’s just the two of us, but we built large common areas that allow space for our expanding family.”

Tom said he and his family enjoy visiting around their 750-lb, 12-seat table made of reclaimed beams from a company in England.

“It’s the centerpiece of our home, and it’s the central gathering place for our family,” Robbin said.

Ada journey

The property has beautiful, rolling hills, lots of trees, and is surrounded by a stream at the bottom of a ravine. They overlook the Grand River. The DeMeesters have developed trails on the property, and they’re landscaping their yard over time. Robbin started a small garden, and next season they’re building a raised bed garden.

Their daughter, Emily, son-in-law Spencer, and grandsons Grayson and Hudson are planning on building on one of the other spots on the property. Their son Jared and daughter-in-law Jessica currently enjoy living in Chicago, and everyone knows they have a spot if they move back, too.

Tom has enjoyed his years working with GreenStone.

“I say it’s a journey with Devon, because we really started this in December of 2017 and took occupancy of our home in June of 2021. Over that timeframe, we got to know quite
a bit about each other. We’ve met in person several times, Devon started a family, I had a grandchild, and we shared many life events.”

The DeMeesters look forward to many happy years enjoying their home and property.

“Working with Devon and the rest of the GreenStone staff exceeded our expectations, and we love the end result,” Tom said. “We’ve built homes before … but being part of this specific process, having the right setting, and working with the right people, has been a very good experience.”

 

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

Service Agency (FSA) programs, allows us to better understand the business cycles and details of each operation as we provide specialized loans for young, beginning or small farmers.

An exciting part of CultivateGrowth is a new emerging farmer loan program, specifically designed for beginning farmers, since many may have low or no credit, or don’t have a lot of collateral. This financing program has even more flexible standards, allowing GreenStone to provide the financial support to customers who may not have previously been able to qualify. That means more aspiring farmers will be able to obtain the financing for their dreams.

Education

Knowing agriculture is a rapidly changing, and challenging, industry, GreenStone has prioritized its support by providing our customers with learning opportunities and resources. Yet, no two farms, nor farmers, are the same. Which is why we’ve developed diverse educational program opportunities that offer a customized approach to each member’s needs.

Beyond the opportunities, those members in the emerging farmer loan program also have the opportunity to earn a reduced interest rate after completing a slate of educational activities.
All emerging loan customers can take advantage of:

• Financial training

• Educational conferences

• Instructor-led workshops

• Industry consultation

• Tax and accounting services
• Mentorship program

• Business plan creation

• Financial checklist assistance

Funding

To help provide producers with many
 the educational opportunities and support necessary for success, GreenStone once again is committing up to $40,000 annually to young, beginning, and small farmers through the CultivateGrowth Grant program. Grants are available or customers ($1000/year) and non- customers ($500/year) for reimbursement of activities and resources that will help them learn and grow their business – including the educational opportunities outlined above. This money can be used for educational programs and events , business related GreenStone services like accounting and tax services, and resources such as business and farm consultants.

Networking

In reaching the goal to prepare the next generation of industry leaders for success, GreenStone is working to connect producers through the CultivateGrowth Mentorship program. Through this partnership, new and experienced farmers are connected to help share industry knowledge, pass along on-farm lessons, and help equip them for the challenges of the agricultural industry. The next class of mentee/mentor pairs will kick off this fall. Watch for applications to open in the summer!

As a mission driven cooperative, focused on the success of our members – which excitedly includes the diverse future of farmers, markets and production practices – the refreshed and expanded approach to serve our members through the CultivateGrowth program is one way we’re continually working to provide the solid foundation to grow together!

Get all the details and resources on our website: greenstonefcs.com/cultivategrowth.

 

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

The hardest time of year to stay active is definitely during the winter. It is cold and it’s easy to want to just stay in and bundled up! But we found some fun ways for you to get outside of your comfort zone and try some new ideas.

One of those is winter rafting. It may be something you have never heard of before, but it is becoming more popular
- especially in Michigan! Bundling up and floating down a river to see ice formations, beautiful snowy trees and bushes, and maybe even some wildlife could be the best workout you have done in a long time.

Winter usually brings lots of snow and cold temperatures, so there are several places for you to check out and do winter rafting!

Michigan

In Gaylord, the Sturgeon River allows for you to capture all the glorious nature experiences while floating with a guide. This scenic river allows for a memorable trip with family members, and it is something different to do during the winter!

Jordan Valley Outfitters is packed with fun adventures for the wintertime. They are best known for their winter rafting services! Your guide will help you steer the raft, so you are able to take pictures of this wonderful experience.

For more information on fun activities to do during a Michigan winter, please visit the State of Michigan’s Tourism website: Pure Michigan | Official Travel & Tourism Website for Michigan.

Wisconsin

Granite Peak is Wisconsin’s biggest ski resort and has the highest vertical drop for those more advanced! This is a resort for all sorts of enthusiasts, with 75 trails and slopes for beginners. There is lots of room for a great family trip as it is one of the largest resorts in the Midwest!

After a huge renovation project a couple of years ago, the Edgewater Hotel added a new ice skating rink with views of the Wisconsin state capitol in Madison! This new rink is 4,000 square feet, with plenty of room for your family and friends!

For more information about winter fun and exercising in Wisconsin, visit Winter Activities in Wisconsin | Things to Do & Attractions (travelwisconsin.com).

There are several fun winter activities that can keep you moving and in shape. These may include cross country skiing, snowboarding, ice skating, and shoveling snow!
Don’t make this winter gloomy and sad – get out to experience some fun while making good memories with those you love!

 

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

When you’re considering your financing options, you need to take the time to evaluate your business decisions.  When you’re just getting started, having an experienced financial partner can ease the load. At GreenStone, we specialize in working with beginning farmers. In 2020, young, beginning, and small farmers totaled more than 22,000 of our Farm Credit Services customers across the nation. We are committed to helping the next generation launch and successfully run their farms, and we can provide the financing to help make that happen.   

Let’s look at the top five questions to ask before securing financing:  

1. How much should I borrow?

This is a great discussion to have with your business partners, family, financial advisor, and lender. There are also a variety of online loan payment calculators you can use. Of course, being able to easily make the payments is the main consideration. However, even if you have the ability, you don’t want to borrow more than you need, because that makes the loan more costly over the life of the loan. Take the time to go over all your financial records, income statements, add up your debts and anticipated expenses, and figure an ideal loan amount that works best for you and your business. Our loan officers will go through the figures with you to come up with the perfect number – one that allows you to do what you want, without causing too much financial stress. 

“It’s essential to start a lending relationship with your financial services officer,” said Ann Allen, GreenStone regional VP of sales & customer relations. “Even if you don’t have a loan request today, and maybe your financial documents are not completely organized, it is vital that you start communicating with your lender. This relationship will ensure you provide all the information needed to make the loan decision in a timely manner.” 

2. What’s the interest rate?

Your interest rate is the cost of borrowing money, so you of course want to seek the best one you can. The lower the interest rate, the less you’ll be paying. You will want to take loan length into account as well, since the length of the loan will affect the interest rate. The rates fluctuate depending on many economic factors, so be sure to take advantage of them when they’re low. You’ll also want to know if your loan has any pre-payment penalties, so know if you can pay it off early if you get the opportunity.  

3. What are the fees?

Fees that may be charged included appraisal, title, closing, flood, credit, report, recording, survey, and inspection. There are both fixed and variable fees associated with borrowing money. The fees will be explained and disclosed ahead of time by your financial services officer so there will be no surprises at the closing. 

4. How long will the loan process take?

The more prepared you are, the less time it takes. Make sure you have your financial documents in order, so you can have an informed discussion with your lender. Your loan officer will ask for tax returns, pay stubs, bank statements, credit history, identification, and other documents as needed. You will work closely with your lender to make the process as smooth as possible.  

5. How do I choose a lender?

Our customers choose to work with GreenStone for many reasons. Here are a few. For over 100 years, GreenStone has partnered with farmers to provide the capital to help support and grow businesses. We have the expertise to help customers achieve their farming goals. We’re also a member-owned cooperative, which means that we’re able to share our profit through our patronage program; we’ve returned $605 million to our members since 2005! GreenStone provides financial services to the agricultural industry – including short, intermediate and long-term loans, equipment and building leases, life insurance, crop insurance, accounting and tax services. We have great rates available today.