From the field to the food on our table. While some face challenges, others celebrate successes, and on both fronts your cooperative is working to ensure we’re providing the proactive support and foundational stability to assist customers through it all.
We asked two directors to share their perspective on the discussions occurring in the board room with your management team. These directors had been serving on your GreenStone board of directors, yet going forward will be offering perspective on two different boards. While Peter remains on GreenStone’s Board of Directors, in March Mike Timmer was elected to and transitioned to the AgriBank board of directors. Their account of GreenStone’s priorities and actions emphasize your cooperative’s proactive, committed culture to work with customers through challenging times, providing superior customer service and satisfaction, all while ensuring we remain a reliable partner for our customers for years to come.
Peter Maxwell, Midland County
GreenStone is a team of highly skilled and successful members, employees and leaders. We love to compete and win. Part of that competitive mentality is a focus on being the best in the business and the Farm Credit System. Staying at the top is not only a goal, but an expectation in our culture to be the best. As a shareholder and board member I have been fortunate enough to take a deeper dive into our association and “buy in” to the Farm Credit mission. The mission of supporting our farms and communities with credit has been an integral part of GreenStone and has allowed many of our family business not only to continue, but to grow and thrive. It has also become a passion for our board, management teams, staff and our members.
As a board we are very focused on many facets.
Our board meetings generally last two days with committee meetings, reports from management, and board action items that generally include policy items and things like Patronage! Discussions and priorities include a positive customer experience and satisfaction, the financial health of the industries that our customers are coupled with, as well as credit quality of the association members.
We examine how changes in interest rates impact our customers and their businesses. Annually, we utilize a stress test model where we dive into worst case scenarios for our customers and GreenStone to ensure we have enough capital and capacity to continue with our mission.
We are also hyper-focused on information technology and house technology for several other associations with our CTC technology collaboration. This allows us to lead the industry in security of our shareholders in an ever-changing landscape that we must stay ahead of. The cyber environment is rapidly changing, and we are focused on staying ahead of the threats with technology, training, and personnel.
Audits are also a focus: external, internal, regulatory, as well as audit framework for long term success.
In addition, as chair of the compensation committee, I am acutely aware of our employee retention and satisfaction ratings. I am a firm believer we are only as strong as our weakest link and highly value our staff and their well-being.
As a former young farmer (I turned 40 last summer), I have a passion for our young, beginning and small farmer programs and always want to make sure it is successful, collaborative and an open door for our beginning producers.
These are just a few examples of some of the topics we focus on as a board. I hope our members have the confidence in our cooperative today and into the future as we fulfill the mission of Farm Credit in good times and challenging times. Our Board of Directors are fully invested in the success of our organization for our shareholders. Our focus stays clear: the long-term success and health of our cooperative.
Mike Timmer, AgriBank Board Member, former GreenStone Board Member
The Farm Credit System depends on the financial strength of the associations like GreenStone that work closely with their members to provide financing and financial related services. GreenStone is one of the strongest performing associations in the AgriBank district.
The GreenStone board of directors works closely with executive management to maintain adequate levels of capital and focus on efficiencies that reduce costs for the association. These efforts have consistently allowed GreenStone to meet the needs of the diverse loan portfolio that it strives to support. This diversity helps the association remain strong through the financial cycles in the industry. While some segments may be struggling, others are looking to expand or increase market share during their good times. GreenStone must keep the financial stability and capital necessary to meet the needs of all the market segments in its portfolio.
GreenStone is here to help you reach your goals and be a constructive financial partner. Some of the tools you can utilize are the GreenStone accounting and tax services, as well as the crop and livestock insurance programs. GreenStone has worked diligently to strengthen these services. During these times of slim margins, it is so important to know your costs, estimate income potential, and minimize risks. Whether you need help gathering good financial information for your operation or need to discuss how GreenStone can help you minimize risk and develop marketing plans using crop and livestock insurance, GreenStone has the staff and expertise to help.
GreenStone wants to build relationships with our members you can trust to be there during the challenging times and prosper with in the good times!
To view the spring 2025 issue of Partners magazine in its entirety, click here.
