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A Chat With The Chief
by Dave Owens, President & CEO | Farm Credit "Pre-Pays" With a Focus on the Future
 "Just as many farmers decide which input expenses will make their pre-pay list for 2012, Farm Credit has our own list of priorities to "pre-pay". Instead of income tax advantages or the opportunity to lock-in a lower price, Farm Credit Services of Illinois makes the decision to pre-pay because of the long-term investment opportunities."
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Farm Credit Offers $1,500 Scholarships | |
 Farm Credit Services of Illinois announced plans to award twenty $1,500 scholarships next year to college-bound high school seniors who are pursuing agriculture-related curriculum and careers. "Farm Credit is proud to invest in young people who have a passion for agriculture. We need some of the brightest of today's youth to become tomorrow's agricultural leaders," says Dave Owens, Farm Credit Services of Illinois President & C.E.O. "The Agriculture Scholarship program promotes the positive opportunities of exploring careers in the agriculture industry - including production agriculture."
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Grants Available to 4-H Clubs and FFA Chapters | |
 Farm Credit Services of Illinois is awarding up to sixty $250 community improvement grants to 4-H clubs and FFA chapters.Eligible clubs and chapters must be located in the 60 county region served by Farm Credit Services of Illinois.
Read How To Apply for a Community Improvement Grant |
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Business Results | |
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Price Check | |
The following is a sampling of land sales results reported from various farm real estate auctions that were held in the past 90 days throughout the Farm Credit Services of Illinois geography:
 
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| Customer Connection: Hoover Farms | |
'Tis the season to meet a farm family whose enterprises include a Christmas tree business near St. Peter, Illinois! Hoover Farms is a five-generation family business in Fayette County. Current family members involved in the operation are brothers Greg and Steve Hoover and Steve's son, Matt. They grow corn, soybeans and wheat, and operate a Christmas tree business. In the past, they have also grown pumpkins, Indian corn, gourds, shocked corn, sweet corn, white corn, and non-GMO soybeans for specialty markets.
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INTERESTing Times: An Outlook on Interest Rates
By Tom Tracy, Senior Vice President | 
As I was considering the content of this edition of "INTERESTing Times", I had a flashback from a couple decades ago when my grandfather and I used to work together installing drainage tile. Now this wasn't the "sissy" plastic tile of today; it was the heavy and sometimes sharp clay tile of 20 years ago. My grandfather used to often tell me, "Get to the point!" when I was a teenager babbling away at him back when two guys, a backhoe, and a transit were the equivalent of a tiling machine. So in keeping with Grandpa's advice from long ago, I am going to try to limit the economics language that sounds impressive - but ultimately says very little. I will try to stick with the language we used when we were outside installing drainage tile. On second thought, I may need to edit out some of Grandpa's more colorful language! Hopefully, I can also convey the importance of my grandfather's experience in the text below while following his "Get to the point!" instruction. So here it goes...
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| Staff In The Spotlight: Greg Peterson | |
Raised on a farm near Milledgeville, Illinois, Greg was active in 4-H and FFA activities as a youth. He graduated from high school as a Milledgeville Missile and earned his bachelor's degree in agribusiness management from the University of Wisconsin - Platteville. After a 6-year store management career with Blain's Farm & Fleet in Madison WI, Davenport IA, and Urbana IL, Greg joined Farm Credit as a sales account executive in Champaign on August 19, 1991. Greg and his wife of 27-years, Laurie, reside in Mahomet and have a 22-year old daughter, Casandra, a 12-year-old son, Jacob, and a 5-year-old family dog, Bella. Casandra is married to Michael Laird and resides in Bloomingdale, Illinois.
Greg was recently recognized by the Farm Credit management team and his peers during the Fall Lending Conference for his extraordinary business contributions. By year end, Greg will have closed nearly $40 million of real estate loans which ranks as the most productive year for a loan officer in the history of our Farm Credit Association.
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Sign Up & Win One of Four Winter Roadside Emergency Kits
Drawing to be held Friday, January 4, 2013. |
Be prepared when you're on the road and the weather outside is frightful! Farm Credit is giving away four "Road Warrior Deluxe" Winter Emergency Kits. If you drive in snow and freezing temperatures, you'll have greater peace of mind with the Road Warrior Deluxe along with you in case of emergency.
Contents include: Reflecting triangle, Folding 37" snow shovel, 12' Jumper cables heavy duty 6-gauge, Revolving signal light with magnetic base plugs into your vehicle's DC power source, Flat tire fixer, Tow rope that tows up to 6500 pounds, 54-Piece first aid kit, High visibility yellow highway blanket, Safety vest neon mesh with reflective stripes, Utility Knife, 14-in-1 Multi-tool, Heavy-duty work gloves, Duct tape, Ice scraper with glove, Flashlight (2 D cells included), Solar blanket, Adult poncho, 10" adjustable wrench, 6-in-1 Screwdriver, Two 12-Hour light sticks, and Two Hand warmers all in a Deluxe sports bag with 2 end pockets, a front pocket, double zipper center compartment, and shoulder strap. (Weight: 17 pounds)
Congratulations to the winners of the Farm First Aid Kits given away in the drawing after the Fall Edition of "essentials":
- Gary Buchanan of Allendale (Wabash County)
- Kevin Luthy of Red Bud (Randolph County)
- William Norton of Tolono (Champaign County)
- Edwin Ruppel of Tallula (Menard County)
- Bradley Thomas of Clinton (DeWitt County)
- Cathy Vitous of Saint Anne (Kankakee County)
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| FCS Team Milestones | |
A special salute to these employees who reached significant milestones in their years of service to Farm Credit since September 15, 2012 :
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| Farm Credit Sponsors WSIU-TV's MARKET-TO-MARKET | |
 Through the sponsorship of Farm Credit Services of Illinois, "Market to Market" will be joining the programming line-up on WSIU-TV, beginnining in January. Produced by Iowa Public Television, the series hosted by Mike Pearson focuses on issues affecting farmers and rural America. Market to Market is scheduled to air on Sundays at 12:30pm with a repeat showing on Monday at 6am. Programming is also included at 7am Saturdays on WSIU World.
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| Access Your Year-End Tax Information Early | |
Sign up for FC Connect & be eligible to win one of four $250 gas cards!
With FC Connect, you can view your 2012 annual interest on January 15 and 2012 year-end statements as early as January 2, 2013. (This is before they arrive in the mail!) And if you sign up for FC Connect or log in anytime during the month of January 2013, you'll automatically be eligible to win one of four $250 gas cards. Winners will be selected February 4, 2013.
Enroll in FC ConnectToday! |
| Want To Visit About Interest Rates, Loan Products, or Crop Insurance? | Make an online request to get a quote on today's interest rates or request that a loan officer or crop insurance specialist contact you by filling out a Get A Quote form.
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Thank you for reading Farm Credit "essentials". We welcome your candid feedback and suggestions for future editions. Email your reactions and ideas to info@fcsillinois.com. |
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