NOFA Vermont's 32nd Annual Winter Conference

Yankee has been attending NOFA's winter conference for quite a few years now and during that time we have seen this conference grow tremendously. The theme for this 3 day event held at the University of Vermont was "Growing Outside the Box". NOFA put together a great variety of workshops and speakers that directly related to that theme.

Yankee had a variety of staff attend the conference. Some even broke away from the booth to listen to a few presentations. Dave Lane, Senior Loan Officer, participated in a lenders panel titled "Financing Your Dream Farm."

Attending the NOFA Winter Conference emphasized something here at Yankee that we have always known: Vermont farmers are unique and innovative. There are some exciting things happening out there and at Yankee, we are interested in financing all types of Agriculture - big or small, organic or conventional. If your ag operation is somewhat unique and you aren't sure if you would qualify, give one of our loan officers a call - let's talk!

NH Farm and Forest Expo

'Tis the season for trade shows! Yankee staff have been busy attending various industry meetings and conferences. Last week, Ken Nelson, Assistant Vice President, Jean Conklin, Senior Loan Officer and Clara Ayer, Loan Officer, all of the White River Junction office attended the NH Farm and Forest Expo held in Manchester, NH. This year marked the show's 31st year.

Not only is this event an industry trade show, but this year they offered over 20 educational workshops. Jean participated in the "Accessing Business Capital: Pathways to Successful Financial Relationships" workshop put on by the NH Ag Financiers group. 

Overall, the show was well attended with lots of young people involved with 4-H and FFA. It's always exciting to see the younger generations at these events showing an interest in agriculture!

Vermont Vegetable and Berry Growers Association Annual Meeting

With all the extreme cold weather we have gotten this winter its hard to think about growing veggies! But on January 27th, a large group of growers gathered at the Capital Plaza in Montpelier for the Vermont Vegetable and Berry Growers Annual Meeting to do just that. The Association, who has about 235 members, put on a meeting which included a variety of speakers that covered topics from labor laws to pest control.

Clara Ayer, a loan officer, from the White River Junction office was in attendance to chat with producers on what Yankee can offer to this growing industry.

2013 Patronage Refund

2013 proved to be a good year for Yankee. We are fortunate to have a great group of hardworking employees but also a strong member base who strive for good financial performance within their businesses. Due to efforts at both the employee and member level, we are pleased to share our success with members by again issuing a patronage refund.

The Board of Directors approved a patronage refund for 2013 of $4,934,000, which is 1.125% of average member loan volume. Payment of the patronage refund is contingent upon satisfactory completion of the 2013 audit and the Association's receipt of its 2013 patronage refund from CoBank. It is expected that both of these conditions will be satisfied in March. Members can expect their checks to be mailed on or about March 25th. Those who are signed up to receive theirs electronically should see the refund hit their accounts on March 27th.

To all those who contributed to Yankee's success in 2013, thank you!

2014 Director Nominees

Our 2014 Annual Meetings are fast approaching. This year's meetings will be held April 7th-10th. As always, votes will be cast at each meeting to determine who will be elected for a 3 year term as an Association Director.

Yankee's Nominating Committee has nominated the following individuals for Association Director:

Region 1:
Dr. Heather Darby
Celeste Kane-Stebbins
Dr. Marco Turco

Region 2:
Walt Gladstone

Region 3:
Cliff Allard
Paul Franklin

If you are a Yankee member, be sure to attend your regional meeting. Not only is it a chance to vote for Association Director, but you can also learn more about your Association, socialize with other members and we usually have a tasty meal too!

Annual Meeting Schedule:

Monday April 7th @ 7 pm - Eastside Restaurant, Newport
Tuesday April 8th @ 7 pm - Middlebury Inn, Middlebury
Thursday April 10th @ 10 am - Jesse's, Hanover, NH
Thursday April 10th @ 7 pm - American Legion in St. Albans

New Employee - Jesse Taft

Jesse Taft has been hired as a full time Financial Services Assistant in the White River office. Jesse joined Yankee in late November as a part-time clerical position and has quickly made himself part of the team in the White River office.

Jesse graduated from Wesleyan University with a B.A. in history and resides in Cornish NH with his wife Holly and their three children, Ayla, Marin and Abe.

Please join us in welcoming him!

2014 Vermont Farm Show

Did you make it to the 2014 Vermont Farm Show? We did and as always it was a great event! This year marked the Farm Show's 82nd year and it did not disappoint. Whether you run a dairy, vegetable farm, maple operation, or are just interested in agriculture, the Farm Show truly has something for everyone. It provides an opportunity to learn about new technology and advances within the field (no pun intended), check out some new equipment and perhaps most importantly, socialize with other farmers!

Over the course of the three day event, held at the Champlain Valley Exposition in Essex, VT, various Yankee staff were there to chat about all the Yankee has to offer to the agricultural community. Feedback from our booth was that the level of attendance was outstanding this year and there seemed to be a lot of young farmers in the crowds.

If you couldn't make it this year, pencil it into your calendar for January 2015, we will see you there!

2014 Vermont and New York Maple Conferences

In January, the University of Vermont Extension, Addison County Maple Sugarmakers Association and Vermont Maple Syrup Makers' Association put on the 11th annual Vermont Maple Conferences in three different locations; Middlebury (Jan 11th), Bellows Falls (Jan 18th) and Hyde Park (Jan 25th).  These are educational meetings that update sugarmakers with the latest industry knowledge and research. These meetings provide marketing opportunities and networking with other sugarmakers throughout the state.


Rob Guay, Yankee Appraiser at the NY Maple School

On February 1st, the 2nd Annual Maple School was held in Brushton, NY. This meeting was hosted by the Brushton-Moira FFA and offered a variety of presentations relating to the maple industry.

Yankee staff were in attendance at each of these meetings to discuss what Yankee has to offer in regards to credit as well as financially related services. Ken Button, Senior Vice President and Manager of the Middlebury branch, gave a presentation at the Middlebury meeting on the importance of a realistic business plan. Here at Yankee, we have seen substantial growth in our maple portfolio in recent years, if you would like to learn more about what we can offer to your maple operation, give us a call!

Dairy Challenge Workshop at Miner Institute

Mike Farmer, Senior Vice President, and Loan Officer Chuck Custeau, from the St Albans office, recently led a workshop with students at Miner Institute preparing for the Dairy Challenge. Eight students participated in the workshop which focused on a specific case study. The students were put in the position of a farm business advisor to a fictitious dairy farm. Following the review of the case study, the students gave a presentation to the "family" with recommendations that could make meaningful changes within the business.

The 2014 National Dairy Challenge will be held April 3rd - 5th in Fort Wayne, IN, hosted by Michigan State University, Ohio State University, and Purdue University. The 2014 Northeast Regional Dairy Challenge will be held on November 13th-15th in Doylestown, PA, hosted by Deleware Valley College.