Country Minute - Spring 2012

Spring 2012 News and notes on living the good life...

CountryMinute

expanding your options– Barns, sheds, garages and shops... whatever type of outbuilding you might need, these structures are an inexpensive, convenient, and maybe even an easy solution for multiple storage or usage needs. Simple though it may seem, the process and decisions can get rather complicated in no time.

Like all projects, your first step is to plan. Outbuilding design options are endless; you won’t regret putting extra thought and time into this process upfront. Consider what your needs are today—storage, hobbies,

livestock, or even just parking space—and then think through what your future wishes might include. Design your outbuilding to embrace them all.

Outbuildings are often crafted from one of two methods: platform framing or pole framing. Platform framing is the most common framing method, often seen in home construction. Pole framing uses vertical poles as the foundation to support the structure; you have likely heard individuals refer to their outbuilding as a pole barn due to

Growing Together with Gardening Gardening with your children can be a great way to learn and grow together. Whether you are a veteran green thumb, or a just a beginner yourself, here are a few tips to getting your little gardener going and keep them engaged.

Continued on page 3...

the framing method utilized. If you plan to construct your own building, regardless what framing system you opt to apply, it is important to find the right plans to properly support your structure and preferred layout.

Of course, there is much more to building than the structure itself.

The site selection can drastically alter those well thought-out blueprints. You may want to Continued on page 3...

This Country Minute is brought to you by your local country living lender:

Melissa Humphrey 989-224-9321 (ph) 989-224-7722 (cell) 800-622-9187 (toll free) melissa.humphrey@greenstonefcs.com 1104 S. U.S. 27 St. Johns, ­MI 48879

Harvesting Your Trees Your wooded acreage may be a hidden source of income. Here is some advice on making sure you don’t over cut your trees or undercut your profits.

If there are a lot of trees on your acreage, they could provide you with extra income. Wood from trees is used to produce furniture, boats, flooring, sports equipment, and much, much more. To help manage your woodlot and determine the value of your trees, you can contact a consulting forester.

They are professionals who, for a fee, provide forestry-related services. A forester can inventory your woodlot to assess its overall health and identify the trees available for harvest now and in the future. They will also show you which trees need to be thinned out to allow for growth of more valuable trees. He or she can provide a report

identifying the potential income from harvesting your trees and help manage the timber sale.

If you need assistance with the actual harvesting and selling of the trees, the consultant can also prepare the sale contracts, send out bid notices to reliable timber buyers, help you determine which bid to accept, and administer the timber sale.

Administering the sale should involve inspecting the logging of your woodlot to minimize cutting and skidding damage, develop proper roads and

Recipe Corner Sweet Potato Fries Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees.

Meanwhile, line baking sheets with foil and spray with nonstick spray. Place all of the

Ingredients

ingredients in a large zip-loc bag

2 large sweet potatoes

and shake until evenly coated.

1 ½ tablespoons olive oil 1 tablespoon dried rosemary, crushed 2 teaspoons garlic powder

Spread potatoes in a single layer on the baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes, turning potatoes every 10 minutes.

Serve up these sweet and tasty

½ teaspoon season salt

morsels with your choice of

¼ teaspoon black pepper

dipping sauce. Enjoy!

landings if needed, and cut only marked trees. It should also ensure that the woodlot is left in the condition specified in the contract. It is important that the correct trees be harvested so that the woodlot is improved and remains a valuable asset in the future.

Here are some things to keep in mind if you consider selling your timber: • T imber values vary. The value depends on the species and quality of your timber.

• T imber is not a widely traded commodity. It is sold in a “spot market” which means each sale is unique. There is not a source of quoted prices on a regular basis for the species and qualities of timber which makes it hard to compare prices.

•C ompetitive bidding is the best way to sell timber. It is not unusual for bids from different timber buyers on the same trees to vary greatly.

A consulting forester can help you achieve a fair market and profitable price.

You can find a list of consulting foresters by county at http://forestry. msu.edu/extension/extdocs/consulfor/ consult.htm and http://www.wiconsultingforesters.com/find.htm.

Sources: http://forestry.msu.edu

Information When and Where You Want It– Sign up at: greenstonefcs.com/communicationpreferences Keeping customers informed is important to everyone at GreenStone Farm Credit Services. Quarterly publications like the Country Minute provide us with an outlet to communicate important news and views about country living to our customers. Now, for the first time, the Country Minute will also be available via an email subscription.

GreenStone recently launched a Communication Preferences system that is designed to allow customers to select how they receive a variety of communications. Customers are able to select one of three methods to receive marketing communications: email, standard mail or both, email and standard mail.

“The new Communication Preferences system is an important initiative that

will help GreenStone better serve our more than 21,000 members,” said Melissa Rogers, vice president of marketing and public relations. “With the option to receive email subscriptions of GreenStone marketing communications like the Country Minute, our customers will be able to stay informed on the go, while not having to slow down from their busy lifestyles.”

The Communication Preferences system will allow customers to choose if they would like to receive the Country Minute and Partners via email subscription. A new notification, called the GreenStone Monthly Update, will also be available in addition to Crop Insurance Alerts and Notifications, Annual Report and Annual Meeting

...Outbuildings continued

evaluate the slope of the land, wind direction, sun and water runoff patterns. Each of these factors will be more, or less, important based on the intended use of the structure.

Building code is another key component to research.

Each state, county, and even township differs in building requirements and site improvements. Make sure you are fully aware of the requirements for your project prior to designing plans, purchasing building materials, or moving forward with other components of the process. Some of the critical decisions, such as the size, placement, and ridge height, can be influenced by insurance issues, zoning, and building permits. So don’t

Information Statement, and GreenStone Career and Internship Postings.

After making your selections, you will be sent an email verifying your subscriptions. Once verified, requested emails will begin arriving conveniently in your email inbox. In addition to customers, non-customers will also be able to register to receive marketing communications to learn more about the products and services offered by GreenStone.

To register, visit www.greenstonefcs. com/communicationpreferences.

...Gardening continued

forget to look into these three areas before making a purchase.

While building permits may not be required for all buildings, such as agricultural structures in certain areas, it is best to check with your local government and insurance agent to make sure you are building the best structure and following the right rules the first time.

In the end, building an outbuilding is not much different than any other project. You must do your research, establish a budget, and know your needs.

Following some of these key steps will help set the stage for a much smoother construction process.

• Start with easy plants that can take a lot of neglect (overwatering or underwatering, etc). Some examples of easy to grow vegetables are green beans, carrots and potatoes.

• Growing plants in pots or containers means less weeding, less likelihood of attack by disease or slugs, and more control over the growing environment, so container gardening with kids is a fairly safe alternative to creating a plot in the garden.

• Buy some gardening tools for kids which are designed specially for them. Your kids will love having their very own set of ‘proper’ gardening tools and be really keen to use them.

• For really small kids or quick results, buy ready-grown plants rather than growing from seed. Or choose quickly germinating vegetables such as beans and radishes so that the little ones don’t lose heart.

Finally, just enjoy it! Look at your gardening routine as quality time spent with your kids as well as an excellent learning experience for them.

Source: www.kiddiegardens.com

1104 S. U.S. 27 St. Johns, M ­ I 48879

CountryMinute Brought to you by your local GreenStone FCS lender:

Inside this issue:

Melissa Humphrey

- Outbuilding options - Gardening for the family - Harvesting trees

- Sweet potato fries - Communication preferences - Member notes

Greenstone member notes Customers who receive The Country Minute do not receive GreenStone’s agricultural member publication, Partners.

Therefore, the following is a snippet of news and feature stories found in the most recent issue of Partners. More information and complete articles can be viewed at www.

GreenStoneFCS.com by selecting “Publications” found under the news and media drop down.

Michigan FFA Foundation Partnership GreenStone celebrated National Ag Day on March 8 at the 2012 Michigan FFA Convention where GreenStone pledged $25,000 to the Michigan FFA Foundation, and Dave Armstrong, CEO, received a special recognition.

Scholarship Opportunities GreenStone is proud to offer six $2,000 scholarships to graduating high-school students who are pursuing their agricultural interests at the University of Wisconsin or Michigan State University.

For more information and eligibility requirements, visit www.greenstonefcs.com/ scholarships.

Political Action Committee If you have been following the ongoing Republican Presidential primaries, you have probably heard a lot about so-called “Super PACs.” We thought we would take this chance to provide a brief primer on the role of PACs, Super PACs, and the MI GreenStone PAC in the upcoming 2012 election.

www.greenstonefcs.com

Annual Meeting GreenStone’s annual meeting is slated for Tuesday, April 24 at 2:00 p.m. at the corporate office in East Lansing, Michigan. Stockholders are invited to attend and participate in the approval of 2011’s annual meeting minutes, candidates for the board of directors in regions five, six and seven, and candidates for the 2013 Nominating Committee for all regions.

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Submit your “Candid Comment” to marketing@ greenstonefcs.com.