Today
AgStar
SPRING 2015
INSIDE:
Producer Profile: LB Pork
of Martin County, Minn.
■ New Technology in Ag
■ Market Intelligence:
What to Do in Uncertain Times
■
AGSTAR IN ACTION | PRODUCER PROFILE
Producer Proﬁle
A partnership for the peaks
and valleys
“They have a large
network that we’re able
to take advantage of.
They bring opportunities
to us and open doors to
relationships.”
— Lynn Becker
T
he Becker Family Farm got its start shortly before the depression. “My grandpa
bought the ﬁrst land for $165 per acre in 1920,” explained Larry Becker. “He said
that some people were paying $300 per acre and many of them didn’t survive the
depression.”
The family farm has not only survived since the depression but thrived. Today, LB Pork
markets approximately 95,000 pigs each year. They receive all of their pigs from two sow
farms that they jointly own with other producers and raise corn on 1,700 acres.
A big part of achieving this success is a blending of the ﬁnancially sound decision
making that launched the family farm and smart, innovative investments — such as building
one of the ﬁrst slatted barns in Martin County in the ’60s. This combination has helped the
farm through multiple peaks, valleys and changes in the industry as well as in the family
business.
Transitioning to the fourth generation
One of those changes came in 1995 when the Becker Family Farm made its transition to LB
Pork, Inc. The family farm was incorporated to ease the transfer from Larry and his wife Linda
to sons Lonny and Lynn. “Lonny and Lynn were very interested in farming,” said Larry. “So, we
started giving them some ownership.”
Larry has since handed off much of the day-to-day operations of the farm to Lynn and
Lonny, and Linda has given up her responsibility for the farrowing barns. But like many farm
families, Larry and Linda continue to be involved and help on the farm.
One of Linda’s responsibilities is cooking for and keeping supplies stocked for the
trainees from the Minnesota Agriculture Student Trainee (MAST) International program
through the University of Minnesota. More than 100 trainees from 16 countries representing
every continent except Antarctica have trained at LB Pork. Lynn participated in the MAST
program when he was in college, working on a farm in Denmark, and brought the program
to LB Pork shortly after returning from college.
Partnering with AgStar
Another thing that happened when Lonny and Lynn returned home from college was a fair
amount of growth for the farm. It was about this time that LB Pork also started working with
AgStar. “We grew beyond the capabilities of the local bank,” said Lynn. “That’s when we
started working with AgStar. I feel like they have grown up right alongside us.”
AgStar was large enough to provide the ﬁnancial capability LB Pork needed, but with its
strong focus on agriculture in Minnesota and western Wisconsin, they were still tailored to
the needs of a southern Minnesota hog operation in Northrop, Minn.
In AgStar, the Beckers found more than expanded ﬁnancing capabilities. They found a
partner. “Working with AgStar is a two way street,” said Lynn. “They look out for us, and
they’ve stood with us through a lot of peaks and valleys.”
2
A G S TA R T O D AY
Lonny, Larry and Lynn Becker
Part of what contributes to that partnership is the expertise of AgStar’s team. “They
have a deep agriculture knowledge and a world leading swine team,” said Lynn. “You
can’t do it all. For example, we don’t have a CFO on staff. AgStar can provide some of
those services.”
One of those experts the Beckers work with is Steve Malakowsky, an industry specialist
vice president at AgStar, who has worked with the Becker family for more than ten years. He
is a true partner for LB Pork, even serving on the board of advisors for LB Pork along with
Rick Proehl, a senior credit officer at AgStar.
Another advantage for the Beckers has been the access to connections. “They have a
large network that we’re able to take advantage of,” said Lynn. “They bring opportunities to
us and open doors to relationships.”
One example of AgStar’s network and expertise beneﬁting LB Pork came in 2008 when LB
Pork purchased a sow farm jointly with another producer. “Steve informed us of the opportunity
and made a lot of trips down there with us during due diligence,” said Lynn. “Without AgStar, we
wouldn’t have found it or closed as quickly as we did. And AgStar has been a liaison with the
producer we own the facility with, making it easier to manage the partnership.”
The Becker family
AgStar TODAY
is published by AgStar Financial
Services, ACA. The mission of TODAY is
to educate, inform and connect with
our clients and supporters. TODAY is
copyrighted in its entirety.
Continuing the tradition
The Becker family has been in the business of farming for nearly a century and in the
business of producing pork for more than 60 years. This tenure in the industry has given the
farm a strong foundation to ensure that LB Pork will remain part of the pork industry as the
ﬁfth generation of Beckers prepares to continue the family tradition. Larry has two
grandsons currently in college studying ag-related ﬁelds.
They will continue to deliver on LB Pork’s mission to be a family-owned business
dedicated to enhancing quality of life through progressive agricultural practices. It is a
mission and tradition that AgStar will continue to support as LB Pork evolves, changes and
grows despite the peaks and valleys experienced in agriculture. ■
Editor Terri Fast
Assistant Editor Jessica Fenske
Contributors Rod Hebrink, Staci Martin,
Krystal Ohlhaber, Christine Reitsma
Design Stevenson Creative, LLC
Send comments or suggestions to
[email protected].
S P R I N G 2015
3
AGSTAR IN ACTION | TECHNOLOGY
Now’s the time
to be in agriculture
T
New technology
enables farmers
to connect with
the industry like
never before.
he world population is expected to grow to 9 billion people within the next 35
years. With that growth, the average household income and standard of living is
also expected to rise. The increase in income will lead to higher demands for
quality foods and protein.
As farmers, you have more than likely heard these statistics over and over again. The
one question that remains in the minds of many producers is “how do we meet the growing
needs of the world?” The answer, according to New Mexico State University’s Dean of the
College of Agriculture, Consumer and Environmental Sciences Dr. Lowell Catlett, is already
happening — we’ll keep up with the growing demands via technological development.
“Technology is allowing farmers to be more efficient than they ever have been before.
Using real time data collected by drones and remote sensors allows for resources to be
allocated more efficiently, which in turn, raises the productivity of a crop or livestock
operation,” Dr. Catlett said. He presented his concepts to more than 150 attendees at
AgStar’s recent Technoledge Conference in the Twin Cities, and believes, “It is a phenomenal
new time to be in agriculture.”
From the ﬁrst tractors to genetic modiﬁcation, technology has always impacted farming
and the agriculture industry. Recently, remote sensoring and data acquiring tools aid in the
collection of ‘big data,’ allowing scientists to better understand what different soils and ﬁelds
need throughout the growing season.
“It all starts with data,” Dr. Catlett stated. “The more data observations you have, the
more accurate the conclusion and solutions of the research will be. The research and big
data can be broken down and applied to individual farms, something that has never been
done in agriculture before.”
Big data leads to big ideas
Dr. Lowell Catlett,
Dean of the College of
Agriculture, Consumer and
Environmental Sciences,
New Mexico State University
Accurate data can be used to better measure nutrients and water levels for not only
individual ﬁelds, but also individual sections within that ﬁeld. From an ecological standpoint,
farmers can better monitor nitrates running off the ﬁelds or the carbon sequestered during a
growing season. Using that information, farmers can work with fertilizer companies and
local communities to better manage nutrients and become even more sustainable in future
years. The biggest issue when it comes to sequesters is agriculture not being at the
discussion table within government and local agencies. If agriculturists can ﬁnd a seat at that
table, any regulations that may come about will have input from someone with a wellrounded agronomy standpoint.
Dr. Catlett highlights that data can be used in animal operations as well. Livestock
comfort and protein management are two key areas where data has helped farmers more
efficiently manage their resources. With a growing consumer population and a higher
standard of living demanding more high quality food, agriculture is going to have to double
its protein output within the next 20 years to meet the demand.
The “information revolution”
According to Catlett, “We have entered into an information revolution and it will be larger
than both the mechanical and chemical revolutions.” The revolution he is referring to will
4
A G S TA R T O D AY
reshape the agriculture industry. The grain
industry, for example will likely make changes in
the way crops are marketed. Cooperations may
begin to play a larger role in managing the
marketing of crops while giving farmers up-tothe-minute information about market prices and
selling points for crops. Technology and
information sharing will allow other people to
help farmers manage the different tasks of
running their businesses and allowing their
operations to grow.
While technology can be expected to
increase efficiencies and production levels, it
won’t happen without perseverance. One of the
biggest challenges ahead for agriculture
technology is government regulation. Take, for
example, drone technology. According to Dr.
Catlett, Australia is ten years ahead of the United
States due to the fact that legislation has been
passed allowing farmers to use drones on their
farm, but not on a neighbor’s farm. In the United
States, air crafts and air space regulations are
largely regulated by the Federal Aviation
Administration. This administration and the U.S.
government are continuing to look into the
safety and privacy of drones and unmanned air
crafts. As these discussions are set to continue, it
is important that agriculture becomes more
involved in the conversation to ensure that these
technologies continue to be used on farms.
“There has never been a better time to be
involved in agriculture,” Catlett stated. “Between
the new technological advances reducing labor
requirements, and the growing protein, food and
ﬁber needs of the world, agriculture will continue
to play a large role in shaping both local and
global economies.”
Technology and continuous data input and
analysis will create opportunities for
advancements and innovations that are currently
unfathomable. Technology is always evolving
and will continue to impact the way growers,
large and small, approach their business. So
whether you operate a small family farm, a large
cooperative operation or anything in between,
advancements in technology certainly make this
an exciting time to be engaged in the world of
agriculture. ■
AgStar Technoledge®
Conference
How tweet it was!
In February AgStar hosted the ﬁrst of its kind conference, called
Technoledge. Twenty-two independent authorities shared their
expertise and knowledge on all things technology as it applies to
farming and agriculture. This is the ﬁrst AgStar Conference with both a
twitter feed on display and live tweeting from every general and break
out session. In total, over the course of the two day event, there were
nearly 300 tweets with the hashtag “AgStarTechnoledge.” Here are a few
of the top tweets:
S P R I N G 2015
5
AGSTAR IN ACTION | FARM FINANCE
Market intelligence
W
About Dr. Danny Klinefelter
Dr. Klinefelter is director of The
Executive Program for Agricultural
Producers, co-director of the Texas
A&M Family and Owner-Managed
Business Program and he serves as
executive secretary for the
Association of Agricultural
Production Executives. He is also a
member of the board of AgTexas
Farm Credit Services and president of
his family’s Illinois farm corporation.
Dr. Klinefelter also serves as chairman
of the Top Producers Executive
network advisory board.
6
A G S TA R T O D AY
ith the extended period of compressed margins the grain industry is facing, are
you working to develop a plan for your operation? At AgStar, we’re all working
hard to help our grain clients understand the cycle, how it impacts their operation
and what their options are. Now is the time to evaluate ﬁnancials and position yourself to
withstand — or even grow—during and after the downturn.
Another way to help clients sift through the noise and obtain the best information is by
bringing outside experts in agriculture and economics to client events and workshops. One of
these experts is Dr. Danny Klinefelter, who presented a keynote address at our 2015
GroundBreakers Conference to an audience of nearly 300 young and beginning farmers.
Dr. Klinefelter is a professor and extension economist with Texas A&M AgriLife Extension and
Texas A&M University. AgStar Today had the pleasure of catching up with him to garner his
perspective on the climate in the grain industry and what producers can do to emerge
successfully.
At AgStar, we believe it’s important for producers to be prepared for what could happen
versus waiting to see if grain prices go up. What’s your view on that?
Dr. Klinefelter: There’s a lot of differing views regarding what’s going on with the grain
markets. I’m hearing a lot of producers saying this is just another dip; it’s no big thing.
Others are almost paranoid.
It’s no secret that agriculture is cyclical. It always has been. We’re going to have to
manage through it. During good times you prepare yourself for the bad times: you build
up liquidity, consider long and hard before making large capital purchases — is it really
necessary to replace of equipment every two or three years? Be mindful, but don’t cut
back on fundamentals.
It’s all about balance. Being overly leveraged is a risk. If that’s your situation, it’s
something to be concerned about. There’s no other direction for interest rates to go but
up. Managing debt and evaluating your long-term versus short-term debt is important.
What actions would you challenge producers to take in evaluating their operations and
better positioning themselves for this downturn?
Dr. Klinefelter: Improving liquidity. If you have a reasonably strong balance sheet and own
land, one way to improve liquidity is by reﬁnancing some debt. Maybe move to longterm, ﬁxed rates and pay off some short-term debt. This strategy protects against
surging interest rates. Sometimes farmers say they can get short-term money for a
lower rate. If they move it to a long-term ﬁxed rate, it could be a percent higher. But
think of that as insurance. Interest rates will go up, but you have yours locked in. The
little extra expense is kind of an insurance premium.
Review your ﬁnancial position. Look at your earned net worth. It changes only as you
contribute capital and increase the amount of retained earnings. It might be
reasonable to think that since land values have risen, net worth increases. This can
result in a false sense of security. Many factors impact market value net worth other
than business performance.
Create a coordinated risk management program. Risk management should be a top
priority, particularly in an environment of compressed margins. While it’s always
important, when things are good, the fact of the matter is you don’t have to be that
good at risk management. Things pretty much take care of themselves. But in an
environment of compressed margins, you need to balance crop insurance, interest
rate risk strategy and a marketing risk strategy with pricing your commodity. It makes
sense to enlist the help of experts. Build relationships with your lender, crop insurance
specialists and folks who understand commodity marketing.
Perform managerial accounting. Do you understand your cost of production? To the
furthest extent possible, apply cost accounting by enterprise or even by enterprise by
farm. You can see if each rental property is contributing to or taking away from the
overall business’s ﬁnancial performance. And if you don’t have this specialized
expertise, why not collaborate with someone who does?
Your balance sheet does not just have to be prepared at the end of the year. Use it
as an ongoing tool. Include inventories (including work in process), prepaid expenses,
accounts receivable, accounts payable and accrued interest. Look at adjustments you
can make to determine your accrual adjusted income.
“It’s no secret that
agriculture is cyclical.
It always has been.
We’re going to have to
manage through it.
During good times you
prepare yourself for the
bad times: you build up
liquidity, consider long
and hard before
making large capital
purchases.”
AgStar is encouraging clients to consider re-balancing their ﬁnancial structures now to
create the necessary working capital to position their businesses for an extended
downturn. Do you have any advice regarding what producers can do now, at this point
in the cycle?
S P R I N G 2015
7
“Ask yourself: am I really
doing the best I can?
The most successful
people ﬁgure out the
key areas and do just a
little better than the rest
of the herd and they do
it over and over and
over again. Highly
effective producers see
the possibilities. They
continually ﬁnd ways to
make adjustments,
even minor tweaks.”
Dr. Klinefelter: The thing that differentiates the top 10 percent of farmers compared to the
top 25 percent is timing: when they get in, expand, cut back or deploy assets.
Before deciding on a plan of action, it’s vital to know where you stand, even with
taking a compressed margin. Understanding your breakeven price is critical. Some
farmers I talk to have not broken their costs down at all, let alone the different costs on
different farms. There are variables between farms: labor time, machinery time, fertilizer,
yields.
Next, monitor what’s actually happening relative to projections. Look at budget versus
actual variances. This allows you to spot problems early on and adjust budgets
accordingly. Conversely, it may also position you to take advantage of opportunities that
pop up.
Finally, start the year off with planning, including contingency planning. Corporations
and companies do this and so should farmers. How would certain scenarios affect you
and what would you do?
There are many risk management tools out there, like AgStar’s Grain Margin Manager.
These tools allow you to consider your options so you can implement them. Coaches and
generals all develop alternative game/battle plans. They don’t know what the opposition
is going to do, and farmers don’t know what the markets will do. You can’t buy insurance
after the barn has caught on ﬁre.
In your presentations and articles, you talk about the characteristics that separate highly
effective farmers from the average or good performers. One key trait highly effective
farmers seem to exemplify is the notion of always improving and not accepting the
status quo. Can you elaborate on that?
Dr. Klinefelter: In his book, “In Search of Excellence: Thriving on Chaos,” Tom Peters says, “If
it’s not broke, you haven’t looked hard enough.” Everything can be improved some and
the little “sums” add up. Successful farmers consistently look for ways to get better.
Ask yourself: Am I really doing the best I can? The most successful people ﬁgure out
the key areas and do just a little better than the rest of the herd and they do it over and
over and over again. Highly effective producers see the possibilities. They continually ﬁnd
ways to make adjustments, even minor tweaks. They understand that if they keep going,
it will have a big payoff. If their yield is a percentage higher than their neighbor’s, over
time, they’ll do much better because everything is cumulative. Over time, a little bit of
extra margin builds net worth or can be used as a source of growth. The little stuff can
make a big difference.
What would be your advice to a producer who is seeing occasional price bounces and is
concluding that rather than making signiﬁcant strategy changes, they just need to sit
tight and wait for prices to rebound?
Dr. Klinefelter: You are shooting craps and rolling the dice.
Identify and correct any issue before it becomes too severe, just like with your health. If
you catch a cancer when it’s a conﬁned tumor, and hasn’t metastasized, your chances for
survival are much better. Waiting can reduce the odds. And by then, even if you ﬁx it, you
are not going to be as strong as you were before. ■
8
A G S TA R T O D AY
Leaders Wanted
2015 AGSTAR BOARD/NOMINATING COMMITTEE
Do you know someone who is
passionate about agriculture and wants
to gain leadership experience? AgStar is
looking for new Board members and
Nominating Committee members!
The Board includes 15 elected directors
plus outside directors. The purpose of
the Board is to provide high-level
direction to ensure growth and success
of the association. The Board sets
policies to guide management in daily
operations and serves as a trustee for
the investments of shareholders.
Board members attend 16 to 18 meetings and other events, totaling an annual
time commitment of approximately 45 days.
The Board has adopted the following key leadership traits for current and
prospective directors:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Strategic Leadership
Governance & Accountability
Core Business Knowledge
Agility
Client Focus
Engagement Practices
Ethics, Integrity & Transparency
Stewardship
The Nominating Committee is a crucial group of people who are a major part of
the election process. The objective of this committee is to place into nomination
the names of qualiﬁed voting stockholders for election to both the Board of
Directors and Nominating Committee. The Nominating Committee meets once or
twice in the spring.
If you think you or someone you know would be a good candidate to ﬁll one of
these positions, please apply! Applications are due May 5, 2015.
2015 AGSTAR BOARD/NOMINATING COMMITTEE APPLICATION
I am interested in or know someone who might be a good candidate for: ■ Board of Directors ■ Nominating Committee
Please return by May 5, 2015 to:
Election Coordinator
c/o AgStar Financial Services
1921 Premier Drive
P.O. Box 4249
Mankato, MN 56001
Or contact Bridget Cosgriff by email at
[email protected]
or by phone at 952-997-1250
Name ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Address _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
City, State, ZIP ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Phone # _________________________________________________ Email _________________________________________________________
County __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
All interested parties will be required to submit a written biography to the Nominating Committee.
S P R I N G 2015
9
AGSTAR IN ACTION | AGVOCACY
Make your voice heard
A
griculture and rural communities are constantly impacted by legislation and regulation. I am
often asked, “Can I really make a difference with elected officials?” My answer is always a
resounding YES! With state legislatures in session and lots of activity happening in Washington,
D.C., here are the top seven reasons why YOU should make your voice heard.
7
Main street needs you. It’s no secret that rural populations are shrinking. Don’t be discouraged
by that. It just means that we need as many voices as possible sharing their stories and helping
others understand our communities. This will help ensure that our rural main streets will be able
to thrive well into the future.
6
If you aren’t sharing your story someone else will. Thousands of meetings occur each day at the
local, state and federal levels. If you aren’t sharing your story, I guarantee you that someone else
will share their version of your story for you. You don’t need to go to Washington or St. Paul to do
it. Contact your national and state legislators. And, don’t forget to share your story with local
officials.
By Staci Martin
Director of Legislative
and Regulatory Affairs
5
Put a face to farming. You know your story better than anyone else. Share it. Let elected officials
see who you are, why you care and the impact that decisions and policies have on you, your
family and your farm. You have a great story to tell; start sharing it today.
4
Numbers count. Elected officials pay close attention to how many constituents they hear from
on each issue. I’ve had state elected officials share with me that on most issues if they hear from
ﬁve to ten constituents they know it is a big issue. Make sure you are one of the ﬁve weighing in.
3
Don’t over complicate it. Making contact is as easy as picking up the phone, dropping an email
or sending a letter. Each member of Congress and U.S. Senator has local offices. Stop by and
introduce yourself, attend a state legislator’s town hall meeting or take time to introduce yourself
to your local officials. It’s as simple as that.
2
You are a great resource. You know more about your farm, your family and how policies impact
you than anyone else. This makes you an expert on you and your farm. Let your elected officials
know that you are there to serve as a resource for them.
1
And, the number one reason why you should share your story — the next generation is
depending on you. We all have a duty to help ensure that future generations have the
opportunity to live and work in vibrant rural communities if they choose. It’s our responsibility
help to make that happen. ■
10
A G S TA R T O D AY
SPRING 2015
I
write this during National Ag Week — a week set aside to celebrate American agriculture. It
wasn’t long ago most Americans were directly involved in agriculture in some way. Today that’s
not the case. With the continual barrage of anti-ag propaganda from special interest groups and
misinformed individuals spreading their views via the media and social platforms, the noise has
become deafening. We in agriculture have a lot of work to do to share our message and celebrate
the amazing work our great producers do on a daily basis to feed, clothe and fuel the world.
While having a week set aside to celebrate agriculture is wonderful, we, as an industry, need
to focus on sharing our story daily.
I recently attended Leadership Advisory Council (LAC) meetings at all of our office locations
throughout Minnesota and Wisconsin. We hold these meetings twice a year to hear from our
clients about what’s impacting them and to open up a dialogue about how AgStar can help and
better meet their needs. Advocacy for agriculture was a topic on the agenda.
It’s clear that advocacy means a lot of different things to different people. From a
conversation at a local high school basketball game, chatting with another shopper in the
grocery store to explain more about the pork chop they’re buying, sitting on a panel and
answering consumer questions or sharing more information about your daily work on social
media channels like Facebook or Twitter, there are many ways to share our message. Advocacy is
information, intentional strategies sometimes, random conversations others, living by example,
education and everything in between.
The reality is we all have opportunities to be advocates for agriculture. However, being
confident you have the right messages can be daunting. What are the right efforts? You’re
already working way more than 40 hours a week; how do you have time for this? What do you
say? Who do you tell? These are typical questions we hear from producers.
We want to help. As your partner and a player in the industry, AgStar is committed to
advocacy. We want to do our part to help foster a positive image of agriculture. Towards that
goal, we’ve combined resources with other organizations on a number of efforts to advocate for
agriculture and try to reach and educate consumers about the importance of the industry and
how their food is produced. These are just a few examples of those partnerships:
• For the past 30 years, AgStar has supported the MN Ag in the Classroom program to
promote understanding and awareness of the importance of agriculture for K-12 students
through a variety of resources and initiatives.
• AgStar proudly sponsors Celebrate Ag and Food Day, hosted by the University of
Minnesota and the University’s College of Food and Agriculture and Natural Resources.
Held annually at a Gopher’s game, the pre-game, game and post-game activities feature
education about agriculture, its impact on our economy and highlight all the great work
of the industry across Minnesota.
• Connecting hunger relief to where our food comes from has been a powerful way to share
messages.
• Let’s Kick Hunger Day – For the second year, AgStar partnered with 830 WCCO, Taste
of the NFL, General Mills and Land O’ Lakes to raise $236,000 for Second Harvest
Heartland for hunger relief. Not only helping feed Minnesota and Wisconsin, this
initiative gives us a platform for sharing the story of where our food comes.
• March is Minnesota Food Share Month and the AgStar team has launched a
campaign every March for the last five years, raising nearly $100,000 to help local
food shelves in our service area.
In discussions at our LAC meetings, I asked participants to share with me how we can do an
even better job. I ask you the same questions. What tools and resources do you need? What are
you doing on your own right now? Are there efforts you see working particularly well? Let us
know! We love to hear from you and, where it makes sense, we want to partner. Please send us
an email at [email protected] if you have thoughts to share.
Henry Ford wisely said, “Coming together is a beginning; keeping together is progress;
working together is success.” Continued success for our industry includes us all working
together — no matter the industry — to share the messages of agriculture.
Let’s keep working together and having dialogue to find ways to share the powerful story
of agriculture and how we feed the world.
View
from the
Field
by Rodney Hebrink
President and CEO,
AgStar Financial Services, ACA
“As your partner
and a player in the
industry, AgStar is
committed to
advocacy. We want
to do our part to
help foster a
positive image of
agriculture.”
Rod Hebrink
President & CEO
S P R I N G 2015
11
PRESORTED
STANDARD
U.S. POSTAGE
PAID
1921 Premier Drive
P.O. Box 4249
Mankato, MN 56002-4249
TWIN CITIES, MN
PERMIT NO. 4444
Contact Us
866-577-1831
AgStar.com
AgStar Financial Services is an equal
opportunity employer and provider.
© 2015 AgStar and AgStar Financial
Services are registered trademarks of
AgStar Financial Services, ACA.
All rights reserved.
YOUR AGSTAR
CROP INSURANCE TEAM
When a front
moves in,
AgStar’s got
your back.
Chances are your crops will have to stand up to Mother Nature’s unpredictability—including hail and adverse weather as well as
drought, fire, insects, disease, price decline and more. So, why not back your operation with a team of crop insurance experts from
AgStar? No one has more experience and resources to answer your questions and off
ffe
ff
er you advice to mitigate your risk. You
o can count
on a full range of crop insurance coverage plans that assure you’re getting the exact protection you need. Contact us today—we’ve
got your back for
o wha
w t’s ahead.
Don’t tak
ake chancces
e with you
our crops
r —cont
o act yo
our AgSttar exp
x ert today
at 866-577-1831 or visit AgSttar..cco
om.
© 2015 All rights reserved. AgStar Financial Services is an equal opportunity employer, lender and provvider.