PAC Progress

PAC Progress:

THE ART

Political Action Committees (PACs) often take center stage in legislative outreach, as the purpose is clear and participation is relatively easy. The process might be thought of as a science: collect contributions from individuals and distribute funds to candidates. However, the art of the PAC process lies in all the characters on stage and their movement to and from center stage. For GreenStone, the legislative outreach stage is characterized by interrelated tales that converge in the continuing story of building the network of elected officials that support and take time to understand our rural communities and agriculture. The complex production unfolds with nimble and evolving backdrops, characters, and story lines. Some are familiar, someare not, but the story captures the mind and invites the audience to join the stage in the whirlwind of political scenes. The first scene is filled with Farm Bill discussions. As the input is shared, the stage moves to meetings across Farm Credit and results in the formation and staffing of the Farm Credit Council. Structurally, the predecessor GreenStone associations participated since the beginning, but if we fast forward to 2008 your Board of Directors recognized the expanding impact of legislative decisions on Farm Credit and agricultural businesses. As a result, the intertwined and concurrent tales expand from the federal lens to include state level backdrops with new characters and special effects.

This transition brings in customers, local lobbyists, additional PACs and GreenStone staff, and new technology. The federal and state levels of government play out in three actions: agricultural advocacy, PAC, and lobbying. Agricultural advocacy consists of industry collaborations and outreach. It is also direct individual, audience contact with elected officials through meetings, calls, and emails. These scenes are generally shorter but may be the most effective due to the timely, succinct, and constituent impact communication. The entrance of PAC scenes come at scheduled reoccurring intervals to be effective without being overwhelming, and again brings the audience to the stage. Today, lobbying is the final part that makes entrances and exits as professionals to influence political decisions on our behalf. However, this is not a final act and the show goes on as elected officials and priorities are constantly changing. The rapid change of scenes and characters is unpredictable and drives the nature of the art being made. We each have parts to play on the stage as champions of the agriculture industry. Your role as interactive audience members is essential, commended and greatly appreciated, but we all must continue to work closely to ensure that the role of rural communities and agriculture are not seen as a minor story in the grand play. Instead, it is an essential component to a thriving economy and safe food system in the United States and across the world. ■

First Quarter Updates:

• Over 20 legislative meetings • 5 PAC checks have been delivered

Country Living Customer Feature

Ryan Hauser has experience as a do-it-yourself worker. As a side hobby, he flipped four houses to generate enough profit to buy vacant land in Monroe, Michigan.

“Once I had the land, I had aspirations of building the house myself,” Ryan said. “It’s not for everyone to be the general contractor of your own house. Some people think you’re crazy. If you’re dealing with legitimate contractors though, it’ll go well.” Through GreenStone, Ryan and his wife Annie were able to easily make the transition from a homesite loan to a construction loan. “Other places told me there was no way they would finance a loan where I was the general contractor on my own house,” he said.

Loans through GreenStone

To make it all happen, the Hausers worked with Brian Young from GreenStone’s Monroe branch. “We have quite a few homesite loans that turn into construction loans,” Brian confirmed. “However, Ryan knew from the beginning that he wanted to be the general contractor on his home. He also wanted to start the construction and then get financing when he was halfway done with his house. That doesn’t usually happen.” Since GreenStone does appraisals up front, the lender can take into account what’s already built. “Part of what makes GreenStone different is that we’re flexible, and we’re willing to take on a loan on a building that’s already in construction,” Brian said. “Ryan and I set that up from the beginning. We got the plan together so we knew what he needed to make it a smooth process.” Ryan used a builder to set the foundation, do the framing, and install the windows. From there, he took over and contracted out the rest of the house. “GreenStone worked with us to do it all, and it was extremely beneficial,” he said.

Homesite and Construction Loans

Homesite vacant land loans differ from construction loans, but both have a variety of options. Homesite loans have no acreage restrictions, typically require a 20 percent down payment, and customers can choose from a variety of rates and length of loan terms. Construction loans are available for do-it-yourself customers like Ryan or fully contracted construction. People can choose to pay interest only during construction, and there are flexible draw options. The Hausers worked together to make sure that the loan transition worked well. “We continually talked through the process, ran the numbers, and Ryan kept me up to date as the project moved along. He knew what he needed, and together we worked it all out. He built a beautiful house,” Brian said.

Hard work

Ryan has a history of working hard. He grew up in Monroe, in the same town as his parents’ business Hauser Auto Glass. He played football at the University of Toledo, then lived in Nashville and Atlanta. However, family has a strong pull, and he moved back to be near them. “My mom is one of eight kids, and my dad is one of seven kids. I have 52 first cousins,” Ryan said. “We spend a lot of time hunting, and fishing, and watching our kids grow up together.” Ryan and his wife Annie have four daughters – twins Sylvia and Vera (8), Hazel (5), and Naomi (3). The house is designed especially to fit the family’s tastes, including a wine room, a private nook, a playroom, and custom design touches. “The wine room was a Mother’s Day gift for my wife,” Ryan said. “It has a few cabinets, a repurposed walnut accent wall we took out of another house, and we’re able to display the wine on the wall.” Annie and an architect partnered together to design the house from scratch. “The little nook she designed might seem like a closet in size to anyone else, but for us it’s a perfect nook,” Hauser said. “Elevated, cushion platform – it’s great.”