2015 FCW Winter Spotlight

spotlight

Winter 2015

HUMANITY OF BUSINESS PAGE 3

CALENDAR PHOTO CONTEST Page 9

MEET OUR REGIONAL VICE PRESIDENTS Page 12

spotlight WHO WE ARE One of the West’s leading agricultural lenders, Farm Credit West and it’s wholly owned subsidiaries are cooperatively-owned lending institutions providing financial services to farmers, ranchers, and agribusinesses with offices located in Arizona, California’s Central Coast, Imperial Valley, Southern San Joaquin Valley and Sacramento Valley.

SPOTLIGHT is produced for the customers, employees and friends of Farm Credit West. Comments and story ideas can be submitted to the Marketing Department, Farm Credit West, 1478 Stone Point Drive, Suite 450, Roseville, CA 95661.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS Blake Harlan, Chairman of the Board .........................Woodland, CA Joey Airoso, Vice Chairman of the Board ...........................Pixley, CA Robert Amarel, Jr. ........................................................Yuba City, CA

TA B L E O F C O N T E N T S

President’s Message. . .................................... 3 New Board Members..................................... 4 CoBank Named to “Worlds 50 Safest Banks”........ 4 Financial Highlights . . ................................. 5 Community Center.. .................................. 6 – 7 Scholarship Program....................................... 8 Smartphone Security....................................... 8 Business of Agriculture . . ................................ 9 Farm Credit West’s Calendar Photo Contest....... 9 Five P’s of Successful Business Planners. . ..... 10 Meet Our Regional Vice Presidents................12 2015–2016 Holiday Schedule........................... 13

Alben F. Barkley ..............................................................Oxnard, CA

2016 Events Calendar................................... 14

Gregory O. (Butch) Dias, Jr. .............................................Visalia, CA

Territory and Office Locations....................... 15

J. Dick Eastman .............................................................. Powell, WY Catherine Fanucchi ....................................................Bakersfield, CA Douglas C. Filipponi ......................................................Creston, CA

Mission Statement

Adam B. Firestone .........................................................Buellton, CA Craig C. Gnos ....................................................................Davis, CA John O. Grizzle ........................................................... El Centro, CA Robert N. Hansen ......................................................... Hanford, CA Colin Mellon ......................................................................Yuma, AZ Barry Powell .............................................................Sacramento, CA Edgar Terry .....................................................................Ventura, CA Sureena B. Thiara ........................................................Yuba City, CA

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Farm Credit West will ensure THE CUSTOMER COMES FIRST by providing superior service at competitive rates, in a timely, professional and ethical manner.

Winter 2015

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE Mark Littlefield, CEO

Humanity of Business The Holiday season is upon us and with it comes the opportunity to reflect, not on what we are as a business, but who we are.

This means understanding how important the Farm Credit West staff is in facilitating success within your operations and our Association. We have shared many times with you what we do to optimize our operational efficiencies by leveraging technology now and by developing a digital strategy that will better serve you in the future. These efforts are designed to further add value to you in your business and to engage our staff in nurturing those strong business relationships we have already built.

The staff here at Farm Credit West is made up of dedicated individuals each of whom are recognized as having high integrity and a passion for helping our customers meet their financial needs. Our staff understands our mission and purpose, the priority of superior customer service and they recognize the importance of working collaboratively to advance and achieve our business objectives. These are the characteristics of personal excellence that have stood the test of time and have contributed to the historical success of Farm Credit West and its predecessor entities.

In 2016 the Farm Credit System will commemorate its centennial. This is an achievement reached by few, and it is a testament to the unparalleled commitment of the System and Farm Credit West to support agriculture. This commitment is a reflection of the respect our staff members have for you, while constantly striving to provide quality products at competitive rates, timely service and a robust and reliable return on your investment.

Farm Credit West has gone through material transformations over time, moving through numerous mergers and consolidations which have allowed us to better serve your financial needs.

The Farm Credit System as a whole was once a network of over 5,500 separate institutions nation-wide. Today the System is an extremely sound and efficient family of 76 local associations and four district banks focused on supporting agriculture.

System volume is currently at $283 billion in total assets, financing approximately 39% of all U.S. farm business debt.

The evolution and success of the system over the last century could not have been possible without the relationships fostered with you and encouraged within Farm Credit West. I have the profound honor to work with committed and passionate individuals including employees and customers of Farm Credit West. Daily I see demonstrations of respect, collaboration, integrity and unselfish sacrifice from our staff. I truly believe these qualities are what separates us from other financial institutions and are the foundation of our success.

This is a time of celebration, not only for completion of another highly successful year, but also for the successful completion of the combining of Farm Credit West and Farm Credit Services Southwest. The joining of these two great organizations isn’t just about the bottom-line but also about leveraging our experienced staff so that we continue to fulfill our mission that THE CUSTOMER COMES FIRST.

The entire staff and Board of Directors of Farm Credit West thank you for your business and continued support. We wish you a very happy Holiday season and prosperous New Year.

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spotlight New Board Members The merger of Farm Credit West and Farm Credit Services Southwest has provided the addition of three new Directors to the Farm Credit West Board ensuring equitable representation throughout our territory. Please join us in welcoming our new Directors to the Farm Credit West Board.

CoBank Again Named to “World’s 50 Safest Banks” by Global Finance Magazine

John O. Grizzle El Centro, CA John Grizzle is a retired farmer and a commercial and residential land developer from El Centro, California.

He also co-owns a custom dairy heifer feeding operation. Prior to his new position on the Farm Credit West Board he served on the Farm Credit Services Southwest Board since 1997.

J. Dick Eastman Powell, WY Dick Eastman owns and manages a diversified farming enterprise consisting of pecans, walnuts, grapes, peaches, cherries, alfalfa, and chilies in Bowie, Arizona. Prior to his new position on the Farm Credit West Board he served on the Farm Credit Services Southwest Board since 2000.

Colin Mellon Yuma, AZ Colin Mellon is an owner and manager of a diversified farming operation in Yuma, Arizona farming produce in the winter and wheat, alfalfa and sudan in the summer. He is also a director of the Yuma County Water Users and Yuma Fresh Vegetable associations.

Prior to his new position on the Farm Credit West Board he served on the Farm Credit Services Southwest Board since 2007.

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CoBank, a leading cooperative bank serving agribusinesses, rural infrastructure providers and Farm Credit associations throughout the United States including Farm Credit West, has been named to Global Finance magazine’s list of the world’s safest banks for a fifth consecutive year.

Global Finance, which covers the financial services industry, publishes the “World’s 50 Safest Banks” list annually. Banks are ranked using a methodology that includes total assets and an evaluation of long-term ratings from major rating agencies. CoBank was first named to the list in 2011.

“Financial strength is a critical part of the value we offer to our customers,” said Robert B. Engel, CoBank’s Chief Executive Officer. “Our customers operate in industries and markets where conditions can be both volatile and unpredictable, and they look to CoBank to provide them with dependable credit and financial services in good times and bad. We’re very pleased to have earned this distinction for the fifth year in a row, as we believe it reflects our bank’s consistent and sustainable commitment to sound stewardship and our mission in rural America.”

The ranking was published in the November issue of Global Finance. Further information is available at the magazine’s website at www.gfmag.com.

Winter 2015

Financial Highlights With the support of our stockholders, funding bank and regulator, Farm Credit West, ACA and Farm Credit Services Southwest, ACA (FCSSW) moved forward with the Plan of Merger. Effective November 1, 2015, FCSSW stock was exchanged for Farm Credit West, ACA stock, and FCSSW became a wholly owned subsidiary of Farm Credit West, ACA. The legal and financial aspects of this transaction take the form of Farm Credit West, ACA acquiring FCSSW and its subsidiaries. The accounting rules governing the purchase transaction can be complex, but in a nutshell here is what you can expect to see in the financial information going forward.

For financial reporting purposes, Farm Credit West, ACA will continue to report on a consolidated basis, including the newly acquired FCSSW subsidiaries. On the balance sheet, the assets and liabilities of FCSSW will be adjusted from book value to fair market value, with the aggregate adjustment recorded as an adjustment to members’ equity.

The resulting FCSSW net equity going forward will then be reflected as “Additional Paid-In Capital” in the equity section of the consolidated balance sheet.

On the income statement, FCSSW operating results will be consolidated with Farm Credit West, but only prospectively. That means year-end 2015 consolidated financial results will reflect only the last two months of FCSSW’s 2015 operating results added to the full year 2015 operating results for Farm Credit West, ACA. Thus 2015 will be a challenging year when comparing to prior or future periods. The 2015 annual report, available in March, will explain all of this in greater detail.

In the meantime, to give you some perspective as to where both entities stood heading into the merger, here are some third quarter year-to-date financial highlights.

September 30, 2015 Year-to-Date $ in millions

Farm Credit West

Farm Credit Services Southwest

CAPITAL

Retained Earnings

$1,327

$152

Core Surplus Ratio

13.9%

13.0%

$7,320

$894

$99

$27

$131

$8

24.4%

76.8%

ASSET QUALITY

Average Earning Assets Nonearning Assets (year-end) EARNINGS

Net Income Operating Efficiency Ratio

2015 Interest Payments To help you achieve your tax planning objectives, we would like to remind you of your Association’s year-end procedures regarding interest paid on IRS Form 1098. For payments, the date received is the determining factor. Payments received by the Association on or before 2:00 p.m. on December 31, 2015 will be reported as 2015 interest paid. Payments received after that date and time, whether or not they were mailed in 2015, will not be reported as 2015 interest paid. Payments received after 2:00 p.m. on December 31, 2015 will be processed on the following business day. Consult your tax advisor regarding the deductibility of payments in transit. For payments made from your Future Payment Funds account, the date applied is the determining factor. If your tax-planning objectives are better met by having the interest portion of your January 1, 2016 installment reported as 2015 interest paid, you must register an early transfer of Funds Held to pay your installment in 2015. Written requests for early transfer must be received by the Association by December 28, 2015.

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spotlight Community Center

Tom Gulliver Receives President’s Award from the Santa Barbara County Farm Bureau Santa Barbara County Farm Bureau (SBCFB) President Victor Tognazzini and SBCFB Executive Director Teri Bontrager presented Tom Gulliver, Farm Credit West Senior Vice President and Portfolio Manager of our Santa Maria Branch, with the 2015 President’s Award at their Celebrate Harvest event. Tom’s 31 year career with Farm Credit West has allowed him to know and help many farmers and ranchers along the Central Coast. He has a strong passion for production agriculture and is happy to be a part of the amazing success of the local farmers. In addition, Tom provides numerous hours giving back to his community through volunteerism.

2015 Stock Trailer Winner Since 1998 our Southwest region has donated a stock trailer to the Arizona Cattle Growers’ Association as a raffle item for their annual meeting. Over $1,135,000 has been raised by this raffle through the years to benefit the Arizona Cattle Growers’ litigation fund, which provides funds to represent Arizona Cattle Growers.

To advertise for the event the trailer is showcased at Arizona livestock auctions throughout the year. The winner is drawn at the Arizona Cattle Growers convention in July. This year’s winner was Seth Nichols of Valley Farms, Arizona.

Dan Bell, previous President of Arizona Cattle Growers Association and Doug Norton, Vice President of the Rural Arizona Safford branch present the trailer to winner Seth Nichols along with Clay Parsons owner of Marana Stockyards.

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Trap shoot attendees take turns trying their hand and shooting clays.

Trap Shoot Over the years the Rural Arizona Safford Branch has held an annual trap shoot near Double Adobe, Arizona. Initially the trap shoot began as a way to get together with members and key agribusiness leaders in the area. Over the last few years it has evolved to include young beginning and small farmers and ranchers as well as prospective customers. The addition of an agricultural tour has given the group the opportunity to visit and learn about different commodities grown in the area. This year the group toured a pecan orchard.

A Day on the Farm with Farmer Veterans This August the Farmer Veteran Coalition, Farm Credit West, Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), and Farm Service Agency (FSA) partnered with Paul Greive and his family farm, Primal Pastures, to organize A Day on the Farm. The event focused on helping veterans learn more about following a career in agriculture. Sessions included business planning, understanding financial guidelines and the production methods of Primal Pastures who specializes in pasture-raised poultry and grass-fed lamb and beef. The event was attended by over 90 veterans who were actively engaged during the sessions. Len Monaco, Veteran Coordinator for Farm Credit West, presented basic business plan concepts of agricultural financing and the many different types of careers in agriculture.

Winter 2015

Community Center

Farmer Veteran Stakeholders Conference In November, the 2015 Farmer Veteran Stakeholders Conference held in Sacramento, CA brought together leaders of government, agriculture, and farmer veterans to create and extend solutions to assist U.S. military veterans establishing their careers in agriculture. The Farm Credit System sponsored the conference and Len Monaco, Farm Credit West Veteran Coordinator, spoke as a panelist regarding agricultural lending.

Len also organized a panel discussion on careers in agriculture.

Len Monaco has been a great resource for Farm Credit West as he has a passion for agriculture and veterans who have served.

Crystal Norris, Stephanie Borba, John Maus, and Anna Fricke from the Woodland Branch bag rice for the Yolo Food Bank.

Woodland Office Supports Yolo Food Bank

FCW employees Ken Tatami, Stephanie Salmon, Evie Portugal, Ryan Olfert and Ryan Camara collect food for the Community Food Bank.

Feeding Families Food Drive In September staff members from Farm Credit West participated in the Feeding Families Food Drive in Fresno, CA. Sponsors of the event included Farm Credit West, Fresno Madera Farm Credit, KMJ Radio, Gar Tootelian Inc., The Market, and Community Food Bank. The event raised both funds and food donations for Community Food Bank to help feed the many hungry families that currently live in the Central San Joaquin Valley of California that are suffering from the current drought.

KMJ Radio broadcasted live from the event while volunteers collected donations from the public. Along with being a sponsor, Farm Credit West provided volunteers to aid the event. At the end of the day, nearly $75,000 in cash donations and 5,000 pounds of food donations were collected. The cash alone will provide nearly 500,000 meals to needy families.

In honor of Hunger Action Month (September), the Woodland office staff volunteered their time at the Yolo Food Bank.

The office staff repackaged a large bulk rice donation from local farm, Conaway Ranch, into individual two pound bags. The individual bags are distributed to Yolo County residents in need as part of the Yolo Food Bank’s delivery program.

The Yolo Food Bank Francisco Bocanegra from the Woodland has been so successful Branch weighs a bag of rice. in obtaining generous rice donations from local farmers and coordinating volunteers to repackage the product that they are now supplying rice to neighboring county food banks that don’t typically have access to rice.

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AP

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spotlight

FCW Scholarship Program Application Deadline February 15, 2016 Farm Credit West is committed to supporting the role of education in agriculture’s future. For the past 21 years Farm Credit West has provided scholarships to 179 scholars and committed over $670,000 to this program.

Scholarship applications are due February 15, 2016.

Applicants must be an entering or current college student enrolled in agricultural programs and exhibit academic excellence by achieving a GPA of 2.7 or higher. They must also be a customer of Farm Credit West or the spouse or dependent of a Farm Credit West customer.

The application and guidelines can be found at www.farmcreditwest.com under Community Support.

For those renewing your scholarship you will need to submit final 2015–2016 college transcripts to Farm Credit West by July 1, 2016. If you have any questions about the scholarship program please email scholarships@farmcreditwest.com

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Smartphone Security If you still consider your smartphone to be merely a phone, think again. Today’s smartphones such as iPhones and Androids are capable of doing so much more than smartphones from just a few years ago. With this greatly extended range of features and capabilities there are new security risks you need to plan for.

Take a second and consider what you use a smartphone for today — from social networking and online shopping to online banking and account review. All these activities require sensible precautions to ensure your phone and information are safe from malware attacks and cybercriminals.

Here are a few steps to make your smartphone more secure: •

Keep it locked — make sure your smartphone screen lock feature is enabled. This will require a passcode be set to access your phone. Even better, enable the smartphones auto-lock feature. The combination of a passcode and auto-lock will ensure your phone is locked should it fall into the wrong hands.

•

Encrypt your sensitive data — if your smartphone has an encryption feature make sure you use it. If your phone was stolen by a criminal they would not be able to access its contents due to the encryption.

•

Physically protect your phone — often forgotten is that the best security for a smartphone is to keep it with you. Don’t leave the phone unattended as it only takes a few seconds for a thief to pick up your phone. Keeping your phone physically secure will go a long way toward keeping you and your data secure.

Winter 2015

Business of Agriculture:

Teaching Financial Management Skills to the Next Generation

By Liz Bayne The skills needed to manage the successful agricultural business of today are not gained overnight. Some skills are gained in school, some with “on the job training” and others through the “school of hard knocks.”

Many older farmers are looking to slow down and transition their operations to the next generation. The challenge is to transfer all the management skills learned in a lifetime to the next generation.

Agriculture production oriented skills are often well taught on our family farms, with the younger generation learning a great deal from their parents. They are also eager to embrace new technologies on the farm. The area that is often less emphasized is the financial management of the business, which can be argued is actually the most important skill transferred to the next generation. If the farm is well managed financially and is profitable, then there is a great deal of flexibility available for both the older and younger generation.

If the financial management skills are not part of this transition, the farm can find itself limited and strained in other areas, as well.

Farm Credit West’s Inaugural Calendar Photo Contest

Here are some ideas for transferring financial management skills: 1. Have regular meetings and discuss the farm’s finances.

2. Involve the younger generation in the day-to-day process of paying the bills and managing the records.

3. Allow the younger generation to take part in decision making, such as the purchase of equipment. Discuss your thought process and the pros and cons of the purchase.

Have the younger generation do a partial budget on the purchase and present it to you.

4. Talk about your goals for the farm — short, intermediate, and long term. Prepare a budget as a team to test your goals and then measure the success.

5. Have the younger generation sit in on a financing discussion with your lender.

6. Have the younger generation attend farm meetings with you — especially meetings where farm finances are discussed.

7. Let the younger generation suggest and carry out a change on the farm. Have them present a plan and then be accountable for the results. This is a great learning tool.

Starting financial training early, and consistently finding ways to involve your successors, will ensure that the younger generation has the skills necessary when the time comes for them to take over the farm.

Help us fill Farm Credit West’s inaugural customer calendar with fresh imagery that illustrates agricultural lifestyle with an emphasis on the generations of people who live it every day. Farm Credit West will be producing a 2017 monthly calendar to be distributed in late 2016. Your photo could be showcased in the calendar and you could earn a cash prize.

Entry Ideas •

Multi-generation photos showing people working, living or educating the next generation on the farm.

• Children living on the farm or filling previous generations’ shoes/roles •

County fairs, 4-H or FFA events illustrating the next generation

• Seasonal photos, such as holiday decorations, 4 th of July events, pumpkins, winter scenes, etc. are encouraged in these generational photos Email entries to photocontest@farmcreditwest.com by 5:00 PM PDT, July 31, 2016.

Official contest rules can be found at farmcreditwest.com

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spotlight Five P’s of Successful Business Planners Dr. David M. Kohl Professor Emeritus, Virginia Tech

The agricultural economic reset ballgame is now in its initial innings post the great commodity super cycle that bestowed profits to many involved in the agricultural industry.

The reset will place increased importance on business planning, execution and monitoring as one navigates current economic challenges as well as opportunities. Successful business planning can be summarized in five categories or what I have named the “five P’s.”

Paradigms During the reset, the economic landscape will require changing paradigms of thinking. Conversations with a successful business planner will focus on profitability along with a systematic approach to production and operations. Efficiency will outweigh growth as a priority; and an applicable motto describing the business could be, “better is better before bigger is better.”

In this reset paradigm, an effective manager must be receptive to new ideas and innovations, including emerging technology.

An open-minded concept will advance the business forward at a much greater pace. When budgeting, a successful manager must utilize different cash flow scenarios. Judgement and evaluation of profitability within different price, production and cost variances will be required to determine bottom line success.

Additionally, another new paradigm is the approach to people.

In order to productively guide the business, a manager must view people, both inside and outside the business, as important resources. Employees, vendors, suppliers, lenders, peers and family are each a valuable factor in business success. A business planner that wants to be profitable, but also sustainable in the long-term, must commit to education and training as a priority.

This helps support and encourage new paradigms of thinking.

People An efficient business planner realizes the value of good people surrounding the business. Instead of being independent we are

PAGE PAGE 10 10

now entering an era of interdependency and a new level of connectivity. Components of your business plan such as job descriptions and accountability will be critical. A business manager must recognize ability and appropriately match the skill set with the business need. In turn, employees, vendors, peers and others will appreciate being valued and recognized.

Evaluation is critical and a good manager needs to ask if the people surrounding the business, including family members, have the skill sets and attitude to be productive. Especially during a ballgame of economic reset, it is important to make sure you have the right players on the team. Sometimes, the best draft picks reside outside the family.

Plan plan plan The years 2016 to 2020 will be an era of planning. Identify the core values of the business. Determine and evaluate the short, intermediate and long-term goals of the business, family and personal lives. Well-defined, realistic goals are required for successful planning. Good record systems for production, marketing and finance will differentiate successful from vulnerable businesses. Ultimately, even the best planning is no good without adequate communication. Insert your business plan into both daily and long-term, strategic decisionmaking. The ultimate test of a good business planner is whether the business continues to run smoothly while he or she is way for a week or even a month.

Problem solver The ability to problem solve will be essential. Identifying problems before they are obvious and ensuring the same problem does not continuously occur are top business priorities.

An ideal problem-solver manager seeks input from agricultural and non-agricultural sources, takes decisive action and then accepts responsibility for the decision.

Proactive In my many years working with agriculture industry, I have observed the top 20 percent of producers take a proactive approach as compared to the average producer who is often reactive. Top producers have the ability to make decisions and accept consequences. They do not operate from a place of emotion or uncertainty but are able to be decisive because they know the business’ goals and plan. They are not afraid to make mistakes, but also learn from their mistakes and move forward.

Continued on page 14

Winter 2015 2014

BEFORE THE TURKEY WAS STUFFED, the potatoes mashed and cranberries became relish, there were people growing them – farmers and ranchers, individuals and families – who planted, fed, nurtured, worked, worried and proudly harvested them.

Nobody beats the American farmer when it comes to producing food, and for that we can be truly grateful.

This message is brought to you by Farm Credit on behalf of its customer-owners, who work every day to produce the safest, most abundant food supply in the world.

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spotlight Meet Our Regional Vice Presidents John Braas

Regional Vice Presidents oversee the credit responsibility within their respective region and manage staff, customer relationships, and external relationships important to Farm Credit West’s mission and customers.

With 31 years of agriculture lending experience John Braas found a passion for agriculture as a child visiting his grandparent’s farm in the Delta near Stockton, CA. Like his father, John chose a career in agricultural finance assisting farmers and ranchers through financial means.

Doug Berg Doug Berg has 35 years of Farm Credit and agricultural lending experience having worked for Farm Credit West and predecessor entities in the Visalia and Tulare, California area. Since 2011, he has served as the Regional Vice President of the Southern San Joaquin Valley region covering the Kern County, Hanford, and Tulare branches.

Prior to starting with Farm Credit, Doug worked his Doug Berg, Regional Vice President – way through college by Southern San Joaquin Valley spending summers working in production agriculture. He chose to work in agriculture because of the strong work ethic and commitment to community the industry portrays. Over the years Doug has been involved in and supported many community events including fundraisers for charitable organizations, chamber events, and youth programs like 4-H, FFA and coaching youth sports.

“Farm Credit West’s staff inspires me through their willingness to do whatever it takes to provide what I consider to be the best customer service in the business.”

— Doug Berg He believes the environment at Farm Credit West is like family where everyone supports each other and genuinely cares about the success of the customers and staff. Now that Farm Credit Services Southwest and Farm Credit West have joined forces, Doug is looking forward to expanding relationships, reviewing best practices and sharing ideas that add value to serving our customers.

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As Regional Vice President of the Central Coast region, John provides John Braas, Regional Vice President – guidance and assistance Central Coast to the Templeton, Santa Maria, Carpinteria, and Ventura branches to serve their agricultural communities. John admires his team and their commitment to provide superior customer service.

Eighteen years of his career have been with the Farm Credit System, where he has served in multiple capacities including Credit Reviewer, Loan Officer, Branch Manager and Regional Vice President. John has a lot of experience in many areas, including volunteering in third world countries to drill water wells, working in orphanages and fundraising for charitable causes.

Marc Ehlers

Marc Ehlers, Regional Vice President – Southwest

Marc Ehlers, Regional Vice President of the Southwest region covering Imperial Valley, Rural Arizona Safford, Tempe and Yuma branches provides 28 years of agricultural lending experience. Twenty-two

Winter 2015

years have been utilized at Farm Credit associations in Arizona, California and Nebraska. His exposure to different farming and ranching practices, climates, and cultures provides our customers and the Association another experienced agriculture advocate.

2015–2016 H O L I D AY S C H E D U L E

Marc chose a career in agriculture because he wanted to get back into the family business of farming and be around agriculture on a daily basis. He appreciates working in an industry where people have a passion for what they grow or raise and serving the general population through the food and fiber they produce.

Christmas Day Friday, December 25 ◆

Most recently he has seen the true character of his region’s staff as they pulled together to take care of their customers at every opportunity. He is proud that they continue to provide a positive influence in the agricultural communities in which they live.

Marc believes Farm Credit West’s business structure will allow the Southwest region to be even more competitive in the marketplace and bring additional products and services enhancing the value our customers receive.

New Years Day Friday, January 1 ◆ Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Monday, January 18 ◆

Gary Olson

President’s Day Monday, February 15

Gary Olson chose a career in agriculture because of his involvement in his high school’s FFA program. His passion for agriculture led to a degree in agribusiness at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo and ultimately a 35 year (and growing) career at Farm Credit West and its predecessors.

◆ Memorial Day Monday, May 30 ◆ Independence Day Monday, July 4 ◆ Labor Day Monday, September 5

Today Gary serves as the Regional Vice President for the Sacramento Valley region (Woodland and Yuba City branches) Gary Olson, Regional Vice President – and the Dinuba branch.

Sacramento Valley Working with the portfolios’ staff to find solutions to meet the needs of their customers is one of Gary’s favorite job responsibilities. He is proud of the commitment and dedication his team has shown to customers over the years.

◆ Columbus Day Monday, October 10 ◆ Veterans Day Friday, November 11 ◆

Giving back to the same community that provided Gary his passion for agriculture, he currently serves on the local Ag Advisory Boards for the Gridley FFA and River Valley FFA and serves as a board member of the Gridley Education Foundation. His involvement in FFA over the years has given him great appreciation for agriculture education and a commitment to develop the next generation.

Thanksgiving Day Thursday, November 24 ◆ Christmas Day Monday, December 26

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spotlight 2016 Events Calendar January 8 -10: CA Women for Agriculture Annual Convention Ventura, CA January 11-15: CalCot Meetings Various locations in AZ, CA, NM, TX January 27-29: Unified Wine and Grape Symposium Sacramento, CA January 27-29: Cattle Industry Convention and NCBA Trade Show San Diego, CA January 28-30: CA Holstein Convention Modesto, CA February 2-4: Colusa Farm Show Colusa, CA February 9-11: World Ag Expo Tulare, CA February 17-18: CA League of Food Processors Expo Sacramento, CA

Customer Appreciation Dinners Save the Date for your Local Customer Appreciation Dinner, Invitation to Follow Templeton and Santa Maria Branches — March 22 Woodland and Yuba City Branches — March 23

February 17-19: FCW Young Farmer and Rancher Institute Avila Beach, CA

Rural Arizona Safford Branch — March 28

February 23-26: AgSafe Conference Monterey, CA

Tempe Branch — March 29

February 25: Harvest Dinner Yuma, AZ February 25-27: NAIDC Western Region Dairy Challenge Tulare, CA March 1: CA Ag Leadership Reception Sacramento, CA

Yuma Branch — March 30 Imperial Valley Branch — March 31 Carpinteria and Ventura Branches — April 5 Kern County Branch — April 6 Dinuba, Hanford and Tulare Branches — April 7

March 3: Citrus Mutual Showcase Visalia, CA March 5-8: CA Small Farmer Conference Sacramento, CA March 8-10: Pinal 40 — Arizona Ag Experience Pinal County, AZ March 16-17: Western United Dairymen Rohnert Park, CA April 4-6: Women of the Vine Symposium Napa, CA April 9: Bar T Bar Bull Sale Farm Credit Customer Appreciation Lunch Crater Ranch Headquarters, AZ

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Five P’s of Successful Business Planners continued from page 10 Focus on productivity more than putting in time. Adopt a business culture that is focused and action-oriented in order to efficiently accomplish the tasks at hand.

Economic resets inevitably bring challenges but the opportunities will be abundant. Valuing people, planning for different scenarios, problem solving and accepting paradigms of change, all in a proactive manner encompass successful business planning.

Aligning your business with “the five P’s” will cultivate profitability and sustainability, regardless of any cycle.

Winter 2015

Territory and Office Locations

Administrative Office 1478 Stone Point Drive Suite 450 Roseville, CA 95661 916.780.1166

Yuba City Woodland

ÂŤ Roseville

Farm Credit West Administrative Office

Capital Markets 1446 Spring Street Suite 201 Paso Robles, CA 93446 805.237.0998

Hanford

Dinuba

Tulare Capital Markets Templeton Kern County Santa Maria

Carpinteria 1135 Eugenia Place, Suite A Carpinteria, CA 93013 805.684.8771

Carpinteria Ventura

Dinuba

Santa Maria

531 N. Alta Avenue Dinuba, CA 93618 559.591.9378

1178 Tama Lane Santa Maria, CA 93455 805.922.7991

Tempe Imperial Valley Yuma

Hanford

Tempe

1111 W. Lacey Boulevard Hanford, CA 93230 559.584.2681

3003 S. Fair Lane Tempe, AZ 85282 602.431.4100

Imperial Valley

Templeton

Woodland

485 Business Park Way Imperial, CA 92251 760.355.0291

175 Cow Meadow Place Paso Robles, CA 93446 805.434.3665

440 Pioneer Avenue Woodland, CA 95776 530.666.3333

Kern County

Tulare

Yuba City

19628 Industry Parkway Drive Bakersfield, CA 93308 661.39 9.7360

200 E. Cartmill Avenue Tulare, CA 93274 559.684.1478

900 Tharp Road Yuba City, CA 95993 530.671.1420

Rural Arizona Safford

Ventura

Yuma

1120 S. 20th Avenue Safford, AZ 85546 928.348.9571

2031 Knoll Drive Ventura, CA 93003 805.477.1020

2490 S. 5th Avenue Yuma, AZ 85364 928.344.3200

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Rural Arizona Safford

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1478 Stone Point Drive Suite 450 Roseville, CA 95661

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Each farm is unique, every ranch is different. What works for your neighbor might not be right for you. We’ll meet you, listen to you and customize a financial solution that works — for you.

We believe in service. We believe in you.

We are Farm Credit West.

800-909-5050 • www.farmcreditwest.com