Farmstart - Jordan Kane

Jordan Kane is Yankee’s most recent FarmStart investment. In addition to working full time as a service technician for a local sugaring equipment manufacturer as well as cutting and selling fire wood,  Jordan, his father and grandfather operate a sugaring operation in Richford, VT. While most of the syrup is sold in bulk, Jordan retains some for retail sale and manufactures chocolates and maple cream, all of which are sold at local farmers markets and craft shows.

Jordan began sugaring with his grandfather when he was just 14 years of age, starting with 300 buckets. Today Jordan is up to almost 2,300 taps all of which are on vacuum system pipeline (no more buckets).

After a great deal of thought and planning Jordan decided that he wanted to own and operate his own sugaring operation. In 2011, Jordan, with help from his parents, began building a new sugarhouse next to the family home. The sugar house, which is basically completed except for minor changes and additions, is ready for service.

Jordan came to Yankee seeking funding for the purchase of a pellet fired evaporator and a reverse osmosis system. Jordan put together and presented a business plan to his FarmStart advisor showing where is operation is now, where he plans to take it 2014 and beyond, as well as how he plans to get there.

The goal of FarmStart is to provide working capital to help start-up farmers establish a positive business and credit history during the early phases of their business careers. Within five years, recipients should be positioned to graduate to a conventional line of credit from Yankee or another lender.

Loan Officer Suzanne Petig in the St. Albans office is Jordan’s FarmStart advisor. To find out more about the FarmStart program contact the branch nearest you or e-mail FarmStart@Yankeeaca.com.

VDIA/VFD Fall Conference

The Vermont Dairy Industry Association and Vermont Feed Dealers held their annual meeting on Tuesday, September 10th at the Stoweflake Resort in Stowe. Ken Button and Mike Farmer represented Yankee. The day began with VDIA President Julie Smith welcoming everyone to the new location. She then introduced Agri-Mark’s Bob Wellington for a lively discussion about milk prices. He noted Class IV prices are keeping the Blend price up right now and wanted everyone to be aware of the value Agri-Mark gains from selling whey. Twenty years ago it cost them to dispose of whey, it’s now a source of revenue and the non-dried whey they produce from white cheddar is in demand as a food ingredient. We then learned about Bob White Systems experience developing a low investment low impact (LILI) on-farm milk pasteurizer. Their initial goal of building a system that costs less than $20,000 has now resulted in a much more efficient and unit but one that cost over $80,000. Brett Denny from VT DHIA updated the group regarding services they are now providing since their merger with Lancaster DHIA. They are still operating as VT DHIA but have gained access to much more lab testing. After lunch the Vermont Dairy Farm of the Year winner, the Gervais Family from Bakersfield, gave us a presentation about their dairy business. This three generation dairy includes almost 10 family members and they produce milk at two locations, raising all their own replacements and livestock. They also have a methane digester and produce maple syrup. A related company Boston Post Dairy, owned by the sisters, produces goats milk cheese. Yankee staff and directors sampled their cheeses in our 2012 Christmas Baskets. Following the presentation by Clement Gervais, the Keith Tupper Award was presented to Gene Archambault who is a quality control inspector for St. Albans Co-op. The final sessions of the day were presentations by farmer and author Michele Payn-Knoper discussing how to portray agriculture in a positive light and to tell our own story. She shared insight from around the country dealing with attacks on agriculture and tries to get farmers to act to share with the non-farm public just what it is that farmers do. We also received copies of her most recent book “No More Food Fights”.

Our last activity was the evening banquet where we were joined by the Vermont Feed Dealers and Manufacturers Association. With over 100 people in the crowd we were challenged by Trent Loos of Quincy, IL to also take action to advocate for agriculture. Trent has a nationally aired radio broadcast called Loos Tales launched in 2001. In 2008 he was recognized as the “Voice of Rural America” by the West Quest organization. He has accepted the challenge to speak for rural America advocating for agriculture and speaking on behalf of the folks who would rather stay home and tend to their crops and livestock than take on those attacking their life-sustaining industry. 

2014 and Beyond - Health Insurance Changes

Starting October 1, 2013 changes are coming in the way we all choose and pay for health insurance coverage. We have put together a list of resources by state to assist you and your employees in making healthcare decisions for 2014 and beyond.

If you are a Vermont resident-

Visit http://healthconnect.vermont.gov, there is a wealth of information available on this site.

Call the Small Business Hotline at 855-499-9800.

Visit http://vbsr.org/health_exchange_help

Call the general information line at 855-899-9600.

Contact a navigator or your insurance broker; Navigators have received specific training in this area and are available at no cost to you; contact information for the navigators is available on the Health Connect website.

If you are a New Hampshire resident or small business owner please visit- https://www.healthcare.gov – The site has limited information currently but should be fully up and running by October 1. This is the Federal Healthcare site as NH decided not to set up its own exchange.

If you are a New York resident or small business owner please visit- http://healthbenefitexchange.ny.gov - This is New York’s state healthcare exchange, a lot of information is available here.

Brodie Shephard - Farm Credit Fellow

Farm Credit Fellow Brodie Shephard of Cazenovia, NY visited the St. Albans office the week of August 12^th. While not growing up on a farm, she has roots in agriculture as her grandparents farmed. She is entering her Junior year at Cornell University majoring in business economics. While visiting the St. Albans office she had the opportunity to learn about the dairy and maple industries in Franklin county. She also visited a winery in Grand Isle and a large farmstand/greenhouse operation in Chittenden county.  She sat in on office visits with customers and helped key loan application information to be analyzed.  After graduation she has interest in a career involving finances.

Andrew Whitney - Farm Credit Fellow

Farm Credit Fellow Andrew Whitney of Hardwick, VT visited the St. Albans office the week of August 21^st.  Andrew is entering his senior year at UVM as part of the 2+2 program. He spent the summer working at Jasper Hill Farm in Greensboro, VT. Andrew hopes to own a dairy farm after graduation and realizes the challenges of getting started. While visiting the St. Albans office he had the opportunity to visit a modern dairy farm with robotic milkers.  He also visited maple operations, a winery in Grand Isle, and a large farmstand/greenhouse operation in Chittenden county. He sat in on office visits with customers and helped key loan application information to be analyzed.

Emilie Strand - Farm Credit Fellow

Emilie Strand visited the Newport office last week as part of the Farm Credit Fellows program. Emilie is from Cazadero, California. In high school Emile became interested in livestock, especially dairy cattle, through FFA and cattle judging. She also participated in high school rodeo events. She caught the “bug” and earned money through her first two years of college at Modesto Junior College (Modesto, CA) by clipping cattle for shows, pictures, and registered cattle classification. She is about to start her senior year at Cornell University where she will graduate with a BA in Animal Science, concentrated in dairy. While visiting the Newport office Emilie participated in construction inspections, learned about maple production, saw her first robotic milking system, and learned more about Farm Credit, as well as the agriculture in Vermont. Prior to her one week Fellow internship, Emilie spent the summer doing an internship with Alta Genetics in the mid-west, spending most of her time in Wisconsin and Minnesota.   

Association Insider

Check out our latest newsletters:

September 2013 Issue    

Contents:

·         Our Vision
·         Keeping Information Safe in the Cyber World
·         Did You Know - There is a New Version of the I-9 Form?
·         Crop Insurance
·         Financial Status as of 6/30/13
·         Scalloped Corn and Tomatoes
·         FarmStart Initiative 

May 2013 Issue    

Contents:

·         Our Mission
·         Farm Services Agency Review Processes - What do They Mean to You?
·         Aunt Bridget's French Toast
·         Largest Patronage Refund in 18 Years!
·         Financial Status as of 3/31/13
·         FarmStart Initiative 

As always, we welcome your feedback and suggestions, please drop us an e-mail or call Ruchel at 800-639-3053.