Making Connections:

GreenStone hosts inaugural CultivateGrowth conference

In early March, 75 young, beginning, and small farmers gathered in Lansing, Michigan for the inaugural CultivateGrowth Conference hosted by GreenStone.

This conference is part of GreenStone’s CultivateGrowth program that offers flexible financing options for young, beginning, and small farmers, along with resources to help them grow their operations.

Participants arrived at the conference center on Monday afternoon and were given the opportunity to mingle and meet with other young, beginning and small farmers – something that Tucker Mays, a cash crop farmer in Dansville, Michigan enjoyed most.

“It was kind of cool being around a group of young farmers,” said Tucker. “It was fun to see what other people thought about different situations and what different people were doing on their operations. I really liked the time that we could talk in small groups and have conversations.”

Rachel Harmann, a beef cattle farmer in Algoma, Wisconsin, echoed that sentiment.

“It was nice to be able to connect with young, beginning, and smaller farmers and have the opportunities to learn more about topics that interest you,” she said.

Comments like that are music to the ears of Ann Allen, a Regional VP of Sales and Customer Service for GreenStone. Ann serves as one of the leaders for GreenStone’s CultivateGrowth committee, and played a major role in planning the conference. She said it was important for these farmers to have time to connect with one another.

“When we were planning the conference, we kept our customers in mind. We wanted the topics to be relevant and time well spent away from the farm. The networking time was a key session because they were able to make connections and share their story,” said Ann.

Once this group of farmers mingled and made some new friends, they were able to enjoy a welcome ceremony over dinner followed by the first keynote speaker: Greg Peterson of the Peterson Brothers. Greg and his brothers post entertaining videos online educating the world about agriculture and life on the farm.

The following day, the group of farmers learned about risk protection for their farm from one of GreenStone’s Senior Crop Insurance Specialists, along with financing and cash management skills from GreenStone’s tax and accounting experts and financial services officers. “I think they did a good job showing what kind of resources are out there, including working with the FSA,” said Tucker.

“The most important piece was to make sure that this next generation knows that they have an entire team on their side and that they are not going at this alone,” said Ann. “We have loan officers at GreenStone to assist with financing options, and we can partner our farmers with tax and accounting specialists and crop insurance specialists who are able to provide additional products and services.”

The conference also featured a panel of young, beginning, and small farmer peers who shared their insight, and the obstacles, they have endured in their journeys.

“I really liked the panel that you all had selected and some of the situations they had discussed,” said Tucker. “They all had a different story to tell.”

Rachel Harmann especially enjoyed the presentation on legislative outreach by GreenStone’s VP of Loan Administration and Legislative Affairs, Becky Taylor. The presentation outlined upcoming legislation that could impact the agriculture community and how each of us can get involved.

“I really enjoy hearing about the legislative side of things,” said Rachel. “It’s so important because it really impacts our farms.”

Farmers were also able to learn about personal branding and advertising from keynote speaker Dr. Marissa Hake, a popular veterinarian, who is known on social media as the "Calf Vet," and posts educational material related to the agriculture and dairy industry.

The conference was able to meet its core goal: To bring young, beginning, and small farmers of all backgrounds together under one roof to connect, share ideas, and learn about the resources that GreenStone has to offer.

“GreenStone’s inaugural CultivateGrowth conference was marked as a success based on positive feedback and comments from those who attended, and we hope to use this feedback to help shape and elevate future programming,” said Ann. ■

APRIL

GreenStone Annual Meeting Corporate Office, East Lansing, MI

MAY

GreenStone Election Ballots Mailed to members

GreenStone Offices Closed for Memorial Day

6

JUNE Small Town & Rural Development (6-8) Crystal Mountain, Thompsonville, MI

Wisconsin State FFA Convention (10-15) Alliant Energy Center Madison, Wisconsin

GreenStone Election Ballot Deadline

Voting polls close at midnight

Michigan 4-H Exploration Days (21-23) MSU, East Lansing, M

JULY

GreenStone Offices Closed for Independence Day

Michigan Livestock Expo (13-15 & 19) MSU, East Lansing, MI

Michigan Dairy Expo & Michigan 4-H Youth Dairy Days (17-21) MSU, East Lansing, MI

Wisconsin Farm Tech Days (18-20) Loyal, WI

Directors’ Perspective: