Country Minute - Winter 2010

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WINTER 2010

Rewards or low rate, the choice is yours!

Are you searching for a more effective way to manage your finances, while increasing your

buying power? Look no further than the GreenStone Farm Credit Services Visa Credit Card.

GreenStone, in partnership with InfiBank, N.A., offers its own Visa Credit Card, with no annual fee, various rewards programs and competitive rates.

Consumers can choose from one of two different GreenStone card programs—the Maximum Rewards Visa Card offering 1.5 rewards points per $1 spent on qualifying purchases, or the Platinum Edition Visa Card with a 0% APR on purchases for the first six billing cycles after the account

Win Free Groceries for a Year!

Through the Michigan Farmers Feed US sweepstakes program, you can register for a chance to win free groceries for a year (a $5,000 value).

Register at www.FarmersFeedUs.org and you will hear directly from local Michigan farmers as they share their stories about the food they raise and the stewardship, production, and food safety practices they utilize. Visit the site each day to learn from the 10 featured Michigan farmers and register for the sweepstakes. You can also choose to take a virtual farm tour or meet each farm family. And, don’t miss the fun farm facts, recipes and news. Visit www.FarmersFeedUS.org before February 12, 2010 for your chance to win! GreenStone is a proud sponsor of Farmers Feed US.

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has been opened. Business owners can apply for the Business Edition Visa Card, which not only offers rewards points, but also provides the opportunity to request multiple cards for either family members or employees, with separate credit limits and one consolidated statement with segmented purchase detail.

Applying for either the consumer or business GreenStone Visa Credit Card is easy…simply complete and return an application today! All applications are available at GreenStone offices and are accepted and underwritten by InfiBank, N.A., a trusted partner in the credit card industry. For more information about the GreenStone Visa Credit Card, call 1-800-444-3276 or visit your local GreenStone office.

The Country Minute is brought to you by your local country living lender: Melissa Humphrey 989-224-9321 (ph) 989-224-7722 (cell) 800-622-9187 (toll free) melissa.humphrey@greenstonefcs.com 1104 S. U.S. 27 St. Johns, MI 48879

Beating Cabin Fever With the short, gray, gloomy days of winter, it’s easy to get cabin fever and long for the warm days of spring and summer. Trudging through snow banks and avoiding “slip and falls” on ice-covered sidewalks isn’t fun, but there are many winter activities that you can do with the whole family to brighten the season.

Sports like downhill skiing and snowboarding are popular winter sports, but you have to invest time and money on lessons, equipment, lift tickets and traveling to the ski resorts.

But, there are several fun, inexpensive options for outdoor activities to explore during the winter months.

Sledding and Tobogganing The rush of flying down a hill at rapid speeds is a thrill for young and old. Many city and county parks offer sledding hills and toboggan runs at no cost. You may have to pay a small park entry fee to access the hills.

There are many options for inexpensive sleds and tobaggans.

New sleds, toboggans and saucers start around $5 and increase based on design and features. Save money by

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visiting resale sporting goods stores to pick up a used one.

Skating Another inexpensive activity is ice skating on a local pond/river. The ice may not be as smooth as a local indoor skating rink but there is no cost to maintain the ice, so there is no cost to skate on it. Always be sure, if skating on a frozen waterway, to know if it is safe to skate on before getting on the ice. You should have five to seven inches of ice thickness for safe skating. For equipment, skates are available at many stores that sell sports equipment or larger toy stores. They can start as low as $20 or $25 for figure skates, and hockey skates start around $45.

Snowshoeing Who said you can’t take a nature hike in the dead of winter? By strapping on a pair of snowshoes, walking down unplowed trails is a lot easier. Most county parks have designated trails for hiking which can be used for snowshoeing and some rent snowshoes. If you plan on purchasing your own pair of shoes, your investment can run from $70 to $200.

Cross Country Skiing Like snowshoeing you can cross country ski at many county parks, along with some state parks that have designated trails. Many local golf courses offer cross country skiing too.

Equipment can often be rented at these facilities for skiing. New ski packages start at over $200. Like used Continued on next page...

Bring your family out and visit GreenStone at one of these 2010 trade shows: Huntin’ Time Expo January 29-31, 2010 Delta Plex Arena, Grand Rapids, MI www.huntingshows.net Michigan Deer & Turkey Spectacular February 12-14, 2010 Lansing Center, Lansing, MI www.deerinfo.com/michiganhome.asp Wisconsin Deer Classic & Hunting Expo Feb. 26-28, 2010 ShopKo Hall, Green Bay, WI www.greenbaysportshows.com Outdoorama Sport & Fishing Show February 25-28, 2010 Rock Financial Showplace, Novi, MI www.showspan.com/OUT/Home.aspx Michigan Horse Council International Stallion Exhibition & Trade Show March 12-14, 2010 MSU Pavilion, Michigan State University East Lansing, MI www.michiganhorsecouncil.com/Expo.htm Ultimate Sport Show March 18-21, 2010 DeVos Place, Grand Rapids, MI www.showspan.com/USG/Home.aspx Wisconsin Public Service Farm Show March 30-April 1, 2010 EAA Grounds, Osh Kosh, WI www.wisconsinpublicservice.com/farm/ farmshow.aspx Ag Expo July 20-22, 2010 Michigan State University Expo Grounds East Lansing, MI http://www.agexpo.msu.edu

Social media–this popular tool is virtually limitless!

Personally or professionally, social media is really all about building relationships. Personally you might be looking for another way to stay in touch with family, reconnect with friends or even locate past colleagues.

On a professional level, businesses utilize these tools as a way to better communicate and share information with customers, staff, and the growing public.

Regardless of your intentions, the avenues seem endless: Facebook,

...Beating Cabin Fever continued sleds and toboggans, you may find used skates, snowshoes and cross country ski equipment at resale sporting goods stores. If you’re determined to find a good bargain, you can also plan ahead by searching for equipment at local garage sales during the off season.

Last, but not least, nothing beats a good, old snowball fight. Whether throwing from behind a snow fort you’ve built with your kids, or just a free-for-all, having a snowball fight is an easy, fun outdoor winter activity.

Source: Suite101.com

Twitter, LinkedIn, MySpace, YouTube, Flickr, blogs, as the list grows, so does the overwhelming sensation felt by many potential users. Though this article doesn’t offer near enough space to identify and define each option, there are two we’d like to elaborate on, those which we have presently chosen for our professional concentration: Facebook and Twitter.

Facebook, now supporting relationship building for an audience of over 350,000,000 (yes, million) active users, is viewed as one of the most popular social media tools. One key attraction for Facebook is that it allows you to take advantage of many components of social media in one convenient and easy to use location.

Users share status updates, post photos, start discussions, announce events, post videos, and the

possibilities go on and on.

Twitter, widely known for its simplicity of comments containing 140 characters or less, takes advantage of the quick to write and easy to read communication. Though Twitter ultimately asks the question “What’s Happening,” users have branched out and have expanded their tweets to more than just status updates, now including short web links to news and other social media sites such as links back to Facebook where they have posted photos, videos, blogs, etc.

To find GreenStone on either of these sites, go to our web site www.greenstonefcs.com and click on the Facebook and/or Twitter logo found in the lower right-hand column of the home page. Facebook users—be sure to select “Become a Fan” from the GreenStone Facebook page in order to receive information and updates as they become available. Twitter users — be sure to select “Follow” from the GreenStone Twitter page to receive tweet posts and informational links.

Recipe Corner Try an old fashioned approach to this seasonal favorite...

Creamy Hot Cocoa

INGREDIENTS: 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder 3/4 cup white sugar 1 pinch salt 1/3 cup boiling water 3 1/2 cups milk 3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract 1/2 cup half-and-half cream

DIRECTIONS Combine the cocoa, sugar and pinch of salt in a saucepan. Blend in the boiling water. Bring this mixture to an easy boil while you stir. Simmer and stir for about 2 minutes. Watch that it doesn't scorch.

Stir in 3 1/2 cups of milk and heat until very hot, but do not boil! Remove from heat and add vanilla. Divide between 4 mugs. Add the cream to the mugs of cocoa to cool it to drinking temperature.

Top with garnish of your choice. Enjoy!

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1104 S. U.S. 27 St. Johns, MI 48879

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Brought to you by your local GreenStone FCS lender: Melissa Humphrey

Inside this issue: - Credit Card Choices - Beating Cabin Fever - The Social Media World

GreenStone Member notes...

Annual Report Notice This is official notice that the 2009 GreenStone Farm Credit Services Annual Report will be available for viewing online at www.greenstonefcs.com by March 16. In addition, the Annual Report will be mailed to all stockholders within 90 days of year-end.

Customers who receive The Country Minute will not receive GreenStone’s agricultural member publication, Partners. Therefore, the following is a snippet of news and feature stories found in the most recent issue of Partners.

More information and complete articles can be viewed at www.greenstonefcs.com by clicking on the “Partners” image found on the left side of the Web page.

A Look Back in Time It was 10 years ago this month that four Farm Credit Associations in Michigan officially merged into one and became GreenStone Farm Credit Services. Yet, there were plenty of discussions, ideas and uncertainty in the years leading up to making that merger a reality. Four of the key principals within the Farm Credit System in Michigan in those days were the four

greenstonefcs.com

association CEOs. A decade later, these four individuals sat down together to reminisce about the System back in those days, and to discuss the vision that has made GreenStone what it is today.

Patronage Checks—for the Fifth Consecutive Year!

In a show of strength and stability during these uncertain times in the financial industry, GreenStone Board of Directors recently approved a payout in cash patronage for 2009 that will be approximately $12 million. Each eligible customer’s patronage check will be available at his or her local branch on March 12, 2010. Those checks not picked up will be mailed on the next business day.