Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Exceptional Crop


Each year it amazes me the number of exceptional applicants we get for our scholarship program. Just when I think they can’t get any more talented, they impress me again. Our customers certainly know how to raise great families!


Congratulations to the following students, who will be receiving over $18,000 in awards:



  • Denise Beam from Elverson, PA

  • Jacqueline Binkley from Shenandoah Junction, WV

  • Ashley Caroff from Quakertown, PA

  • Carissa Doody from Union Bridge, MD

  • Samantha Garst from New Windsor, MD

  • Earl Gwin III from Berlin, MD

  • Mark Holloway from Darlington, MD

  • Shelby Hurley from Mardela Springs, MD

  • Samantha Martz from Martinsburg, WV

  • Julie Schmidt from Federalsburg, MD

  • Laura Claire Vogler from Winchester, VA

  • Lauren Williams from Lebanon, PA

We’ll be honoring these students and their parents (as a fellow parent, I know how important they are in the development of these bright young adults) in April at our annual stockholder meetings that I mentioned last week. If you know any of these folks, be sure to wish them well in their college endeavors.

Friday, March 25, 2011

Returning Profits

I get so excited this time of the year, and it’s more than just the great spring weather. I’m excited each April to announce the amount of patronage we’ll be distributing to our customers this year. For the year 2010, that amount is over $25 million - $25,755,634 to be exact.

Our structure as a cooperative is even more important today than ever. When we have a good year, we can return those profits to our customers. And last year we had a great year – one of the highest years in net income earnings (check out our annual report at mafc.com to learn more).

It is a great feeling to know we are growing our association to be here for years to come, while being able to help our customers with their lending needs.

Now you can understand my excitement!

Tuesday, March 22, 2011

Defining Leadership

We talk about leadership a lot here at MidAtlantic Farm Credit and often I have to stop and remind myself of what does it mean to be a leader? How do we define leadership as an association and how can I lead as an individual?

So I sat down and put some of those ideas to paper:

1. Failing to prepare is preparing to fail. Like a lot of people, I like to start new projects. It’s exciting. But I try to slow myself down and remind myself that there is great value in preparing for a task. Whether it’s researching a new law that will impact our members, or studying the loan products available to serve our members, doing the required legwork first will always pay off in the end.
2. Don’t fall into the visually-challenged porcine syndrome. I put this into my presentation last year because I like to see people’s faces when I say it. Here’s the background: They say that even a blind hog will find an acorn occasionally. Leadership is like that—sometimes, you just stumble on the right answer to a problem. Or you accidentally uncover an idea that will help our association move forward and continue to serve our members in the best way possible. It’s important for leaders to recognize that there is a good deal of luck involved in success—and not become so enamored of their own brilliance that they forget the impact that luck can have.
3. Lend cautiously in good times and in bad times lend courageously. This is a leadership trait that speaks directly to Farm Credit employees, and I learned it early in my career from one of my first supervisors. Farm Credit isn’t like other lenders…we have a mission, and we will not stray from it. As the leader of this association, I try to make sure that we’re living up to that mission, and serving our membership.
4. Never is a long time. Finally, I think a good leader is one that recognizes that everything changes, and we can’t see all of those changes coming. That’s why it’s important to never say never…the world could change in an instant (remember September 2008 when the stock market plummeted?) and what had seemed like never could suddenly be now.

That’s a short overview of some of my thoughts on leadership. But I’d like to know your thoughts? After all, being a leader means listening as well as talking (or writing). It’s your turn – what is your insight?

Friday, March 18, 2011

Meet and Eat


In about three weeks, our annual stockholder meetings will begin.

If you’re free, I hope that you will join us. One of the things that sets cooperatives apart from other types of lenders is the fact that you have an opportunity to be a part of the cooperative—whether you want to be very active, and serve on our nominating committee or board, or whether you simply want to attend the stockholder meetings and vote.

(Of course, one of the other things that sets cooperatives apart from other types of lenders is the quality of food that we serve. If you can find the time to join us, I guarantee that you won’t go home hungry!!)

Here’s the schedule:
April 5 The Fountains Salisbury, MD
April 6 Modern Maturity Ctr Dover, DE
April 7 Yoder’s Restaurant New Holland, PA
April 12 Walkersville Fire Hall Walkersville, MD
April 13 Millwood Station Winchester, VA

The meetings start at 6:45…but come a little earlier, especially if you have a patronage check to pick up. And look for me and say hello. I’d love to see you!

Wednesday, March 16, 2011

Feel the Love

Have you seen our latest Leader magazine yet?
Every quarter, we put out a member publication, called the Leader. It’s full of stories about leaders in our area—men and women who have overcome obstacles and established successful ag businesses in our area.
You can find our latest issue at www.mafc.com. But let me give you some highlights: this month, the theme is all about love, from the heart-shaped wreath on the cover to the members that we know and love and feature inside the pages.
You’ll read about Al and Jennifer Cassinelli, who had a dream of owning their own vineyard. They moved from farm to farm—finally ending up on their current property in Queen Anne’s county—before they found the right soil and the right place for their beloved grapes to grow.
And who can think about wine without thinking about a nice slab of cheese to go with it? Not me…which is why I enjoyed the story on Wakefield Dairy in Peach Bottom, PA. I don’t know a whole lot about cheese-making, and enjoyed learning about “cheese cave” that they use to age their tasty product.
Cheese isn’t the only dairy product we featured this month—there’s a great article on Kilby Cream, a dairy farm based in Rising Sun, MD. They make amazing chocolate milk, and people line up for their ice cream, even in the coldest weather.
Speaking of the weather, I know I’m like a lot of you, dreaming about when it’s going to get warmer and finally start greening up. If it’s too grey for you, too, it’s a great time to visit a local nursery. We featured one on page 8 of the magazine, Weber’s Nursery in Winchester, VA. Seeing all of the colorful blooms is a great reminder that Spring is just around the corner.
With Spring, comes our annual stockholder meetings. I hope you can make it to one of them. If you want more information, just stop by any of our offices and ask for an annual meeting information statement—you’ll have all the info there that you need to sign up for one of the five regional meetings we’re planning. They start April 5, and end the 13th…so you’ll still have time to get out in the fields!
In the meantime, enjoy the longer days and try to carve out an hour or so to flip through our latest Leader. I think you’ll love it.