GreenStone is a cooperative governed by a board of 16 members, 14 of which are elected by our members and two are appointed to provide specific areas of expertise. While our members might assume that means these directors attend board meetings, what you might not realize is they also provide a great deal of support and engagement in the agricultural and financial industries. In this Directors’ Perspective, a few of your board members share insight into how they represent GreenStone and interact at other opportunities throughout the year!
Mike Timmer,
Allegan County, MI
The opportunity to serve on the Greenstone board has given me a greater appreciation of all the hard work that goes on behind the scenes. The first board meeting left me feeling overwhelmed with all the financial terms and acronyms we discussed. It made me wonder if I would ever be able to remember them. The educational experience, however, has been great! There are many resources that are available to the board members if we have questions or would like a better understanding of topics we discuss. The staff is extremely helpful and willing to answer questions, and the board training sessions are a terrific way to learn about technology, security, and other areas of interest to the board.
Outside of the board room the annual meetings are a wonderful place to talk with board members from other Farm Credit associations. These meetings allow us opportunities to share ideas and learn from each other about the challenges and successes each association has as we strive to meet the needs of our customers. As a board member it is important to stay up to date on the challenges so GreenStone can be a great partner through both the good times and the challenging ones. n
Gene College,
Appointed Director
The 16-person board of directors for GreenStone is an outstanding board, consisting of 14 elected and two appointed members. I am one of the appointed directors and live in Omaha, Nebraska. The GreenStone board meets quarterly and has four committees with specific responsibilities, each of four members, which meet separately as a part of each quarterly meeting. I serve on the Audit Committee, which I thoroughly enjoy as it involves many aspects of financial, internal audit, credit, technology, and other key areas. The board also has periodic training sessions as a part of the regular meetings dealing with a variety of areas that involve potential risks to the organization such as cybersecurity, possible adverse regulations, etc.
I also annually attend the AgriBank, our funding source, annual meeting as well as a Farm Credit systemwide director leadership conference where directors from essentially every state have a variety of joint and breakout sessions meant to challenge us with ideas and concepts that we can take back to our regular board meetings. Although I live outside GreenStone's lending territory of Michigan and Wisconsin, I still get the opportunity to be involved with congressional leader events in Nebraska to continue to press the importance of current agricultural and Farm Credit matters. The GreenStone board has also had a joint meeting the past couple years with two other Farm Credit association boards. These sessions have been very helpful to gain insights into other association practices, challenges, and more.
No board has all the answers, and ideas gained from such meetings are helpful as we oversee our own association activities.
The external conferences are particularly helpful to me. They delve into many issues including agricultural and general economic conditions, political and legislative landscape, collaborative leadership, futuristic thinking, strategic decision making, technology risks, and artificial intelligence to name a few. These events also provide the opportunity to develop relationships with directors from across the nation and to "pick their brains" relating to matters of interest.
The learning process never ends, and thankfully so!
Scott Roggenbuck,
Huron County, MI
As a board member we are asked to attend some conferences outside of our regular board meetings.
These may include the AgriBank Annual meeting, the Farm Credit Annual Meeting, or the Directors Leadership Council. System business is discussed, and valuable training is included. One of the most enjoyable parts of attending these nationwide functions is the networking we get to do with farmer and rancher directors from across the country, many of which have become great friends over the years.
I do try to attend the Michigan AgriBusiness Association winter annual conference here in Michigan to gain insight and to broaden the GreenStone reach, and I stop by our branch office on Patronage Day to say hi to the staff and the customers who are picking up their Patronage checks. I do enjoy the board meetings though as much as anything. It is where we really get to dive into the business and work closely with management as GreenStone navigates the ebbs and flows of the economy and works with our customers to help them thrive.
If you see the hardworking GreenStone staff at a trade show or event manning a booth, stop by and say hello!
To view the fall 2024 issue of Partners magazine in its entirety, click here.
