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.

Association Insider Newsletter

Check out our latest newsletter:

January 2014 Issue    

Contents:

· Our Values
· 4H Dairy Conference Sponsorship
· Congratulations to our Scholarship Recipients
· Financial Status as of 9/30/13
· Upside Down Cranberry Pudding
· We Now Offer Business Consulting Services!
· Please Welcome our Newest Employees
· Do You Know What Your Modified Adjusted Gross Income is for Insurance Purposes?
· FarmStart Initiative

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

VT Grazing & Livestock Conference

Jean Conklin and Ryan Scelza attended the 18th Annual VT Grazing & Livestock Conference that was held January 17th - 18th at the Lake Morey Resort in Fariless, VT. This year's theme was "Farm Management Decisions: More Than the Sum(s) of Their Parts." The keynote speaker was Dr. Ben Bartlett of Log Cabin Livestock in Traunik, MI. There were various workshops available for all attendees ranging from Low-Stress Livestock Handling to Soil Health Basic and Grazing Fundamentals. Jean and Ryan reported that the event was well attended and offered a diverse variety of vendors.

FarmStart - Adam and Melissa Beaulieu

Adam and Melissa Beaulieu, of Ryegate, VT are Yankee’s newest FarmStart investment! 

Adam graduated from Vermont Technical College in 2010 and went on to be a herdsman at the Stuart Farm in Stratham, NH.  Melissa has a degree in Accounting and worked for a CPA out of college.  Adam and Melissa have two children, Jabin and Lexi and are excited to start their own family farm.

Adam and Melissa spent a good portion of 2013 planning for this move, finding the right farm to rent, and talking with their FarmStart Advisor, Clara Ayer, a loan officer in the White River Junction office.  Adam and Melissa are a great fit for the FarmStart program because they have a strong work ethic and are passionate about their future in farming.  The FarmStart program is designed to help startup farmers build credit history, sound financial skills and business management with the help of their advisor while they are beginning their business.

Adam and Melissa are currently renting a dairy farm in Ryegate, Vermont.  They are starting out milking 35 cows with plans to grow to 50 cows through internal heard growth.  FarmStart is providing funds to purchase dairy cows and some other start-up expenses.

For more information on FarmStart, please call your local Yankee Farm Credit office.  

St Albans Coop Young Cooperators Annual Meeting

On December 12th, Yankee Consultant Liz Bayne and Senior Vice President Mike Farmer attended the St Albans Young Cooperators Annual Meeting and gave presentations to the group.

Liz's presentation focused on farm transfers. She spoke about how to prepare and plan for a farm transition to the next generation, how to structure a transition plan and provided some basic information on estate and gift tax rules.

Mike spoke about financing strategies for inter-generational farm transfers and advised the group on the importance of good records and having open communication with their loan officer to share and meet their business goals.

 About 50 farmers were in attendance. The group had excellent questions and lots of positive energy for stepping up their involvement in their operations.

Ryan Scelza

Ryan Scelza, a Credit Analyst in our White River Junction office, was recently promoted to Credit Analyst/Participation Specialist. In his new role, Ryan will be working with the Association's purchased participation portfolio while continuing to assist the branch credit staff.

Please join us in congratulating Ryan in his new role.

Richard Doremus

Richard Doremus joined the Yankee team as a Credit Analyst in the White River Junction office on Oct. 28th. Richard is from Newport, NH and earned a Bachelor's Degree in Management/Finance from Plymouth State University in Plymouth, NH.

Anna Laggis - Farm Credit Fellow

During the week of December 9-13 Yankee hosted Farm Credit Fellow Anna Laggis. Anna is a senior at Cornell University. Anna grew up on her family’s Jersey farm in Hardwick, VT. Her interest in dairy has led her to many internships, including cheese making at Jasper Hill and in Italy, cattle nutrition with Cargill, and the Fellows program with Yankee. While visiting with Yankee she visited a variety of agricultural businesses including dairy farms and logging operations. Upon graduation this spring Anna will be making a trip to Alaska for a few months before beginning work for Cargill as an Animal Nutritionist in the fall.

The photo shows Anna in her garden at home earlier in the year.