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.
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