HeartBeat Insert Summer 2012

Photo by Mark Parker

For who you are. For what you do.

Photo by Mark Parker

Discover the FCS Financial Focused. Customized. Solutions.™ approach to service. It’s our way of bringing the right resources to you to make your business successful. Managing your business risk not only depends on having a variety of products that offer the best protection but the right person to provide accurate information and follow through. You can count on your FCS Financial team to be ready with the expertise you need to make sound decisions.

Story by Mark Parker

service to build on For Mike Hilsabeck, it often seems like the candle is burning at both ends. Just south of Maryville, near Barnard, Mo., the beef producer and his wife, Ragena, each have off-farm jobs. They also have a son and daughter — Zach and Allison — whose activities are important to them.

“Time can really be at a premium,” Mike admits, “but I enjoy the cattle. It started out as a hobby but now I’m trying to build something.”

And FCS Financial is an important part of that building process, Mike asserts.

“I have no complaints whatsoever,” he says.

“FCS Financial has been great to us — my loan officer, Curtis Luke, especially. I run a lot of different scenarios by him because he sees so many operations and he has a pretty good idea of what works and what doesn’t. He’s knowledgeable about more than just lending — he knows the cattle business and he’s been a big help to us.”

With Mike’s father, Gary, the Hilsabecks run a small cowherd in addition to a stocker enterprise.

Currently, the stockers run on fescue/clover pastures through the fall and receive hay and grain until January.

“We buy lightweight calves and add them Photo by Mark Parker to our own weaned calves and put a couple of hundred pounds of grass gain on them,” Mike explains. “The key for us is to get them bought right, keep them healthy, and get good growth. In a small operation like ours, the little things add up pretty fast and they make a big difference in your bottom line.”

In his lender, Mike also appreciates the little things and the big things — good service, financial savvy, solid advice and even an occasional phone call to see how the family is doing.

“It’s hard enough to make it in the cattle business,” Mike observes. “Sometimes it’s nice to have somebody who’s on your side.”

relying on solid expertise

Photo by Mark Parker

Back in 2007, Ben Bradley ordered materials for a new shop building and when the company expected payment much sooner than he’d been led to believe, he found himself between a rock and a hard place.

“I contacted FCS Financial and they told me the hard place would still be there but they could help lift the rock,” he says. “It made me really appreciate them and I’ve never worked with any other lender since. They’ve helped me buy a farm and now I’m building a house. I depend on them.”

Bradley has even received an assist from FCS Financial in a manner that didn’t involve dollars and cents. As a vocational agriculture teacher at Knox County High School, he tries to give his students a broad agricultural experience so he tapped into FCS Financial expertise to shine a light on the business side of farming.

“Debbie Ragsdale from the Macon office came and talked to my class about farm finance,” he explains. “She did a great job and I think the kids got a lot out of it.”

In his farming operation, Ben and his wife, Jenny, who teaches ag at North Shelby, grow corn, soybeans and wheat near Novelty. Ben also helps Photo by Lorrie Peters his father, Dennis, on the family farm in exchange for using his equipment.

Farming is something that always has been, and always will be, part of his life, he says. “I grew up doing chores and driving the tractor with Dad. I had calves growing up and when I was in college I started farming on shares with some of the neighbors. I love teaching but I love farming, too, so I’m lucky to be able to do both.”

At school, Ben’s main focus is on shop and ag mechanics — expertise that comes in handy on the farm where he and his dad do most of the maintenance and repairs. For financial expertise, though, he turns to his friends at FCS Financial. “They take good care of me,” he concludes.

a lender who knows your name Photo by Mark Parker

Daniel Prenger and his family are into their third year of continuous no-till, a system that saves them fuel, costs, soil, and time without sacrificing yields.

Undoubtedly, the Jefferson City grower likes saving dollars. Time, however, can be just as hard to come by when you have offfarm employment.

“If rainy days coincide with your days off, you can have a real problem,” he points out, “but farming’s in my blood. I enjoy it and it’s a great way to raise a family.”

The family operation includes Daniel’s brother, Allan; Daniel’s wife, Diane; and their sons Wesley and Eric.

There are disadvantages to a small farm but Daniel would tell you there are significant advantages. “I think we’re better able to match hybrids and practices to different soil types,” he explains. “We have our own test plots. The best money we spend is in picking the hybrids that will perform the best on our farm — we really study them.”

Prenger is just as thoughtful about his choice for ag credit. The service and expertise FCS Financial brings to the table is appreciated but there’s more: “My dad started with Farm Credit in the 50s and now my son, Wesley, has a loan so that’s three generations,” Daniel says. “They know your name. They know the family and the farm.

We’ve built up a lot of trust with Doug Westhues in the Jefferson City office. I value his opinion. He identifies with me and puts himself in my shoes. He doesn’t try to sway me to borrow more or less. He just tries to help me accomplish my goals.”

The Prenger family’s Missouri River bottom ground is highly productive but prone to flooding. A row of nails on a machine shed about 400 yards from the river marks the water level in 1993 — 11 feet, 2 inches.

“That was pretty rough,” Daniel admits. “It’s times like that when you really appreciate doing business with people who are on your side — people like the ones at FCS Financial.”

Focused. Customized. Solutions.™ For Who You Are. For What You Do.

Visit www.myfcsfinancial.com or call 1-800-444-3276 to find an FCS Financial team member in your area and learn how we can put our expertise to work for you.

Focused. Customized. Solutions. is a trademark of FCS Financial, ACA. FCS Financial is an equal opportunity provider.