President's Message September 2013
As we approach fall this the year, we come to a time when we
typically look toward harvest and begin to assess how the year has gone thus
far. We then begin to turn our attention to making sure we take care of tasks
and details that need to be accomplished to assure we finish the year strong.
2013 has been a very different year in many respects especially as it relates
to weather and rainfall. It seems that many years in the last decade or so we
have ended up having good growing seasons however, many times we needed rain at
critical stages throughout the entire growing season. In other words we were
one good rain from a disaster and we got just what we needed most of the time.
Well, 2013 has been a year when we have not wanted for moisture. If fact, it’s
been the exact opposite and most everyone I have talked to needed a drying out
period at some point during the season if not all season long. So it goes with
agriculture. Most people who are not involved in agriculture or do not live in
rural America have no idea of the risk farmers face each and every day.
Agriculture is one of the few businesses that are critically dependent on the
weather and the very thing that you must have to survive can come in abundance
and hurt more than it helps.
I write this at a time when America’s farmers and rural
communities need certainty about farm policy and our government officials can’t
agree enough to pass a new Farm Bill. In an historic vote the House of
Representatives failed to pass the Farm Bill that was brought to the floor for
a vote. Without a Farm Bill our government is asking our farmers to take on the
complete financial risk of ensuring that our Nation has an adequate supply of
food. As I am writing this piece, House
leadership has decided to split the farm bill into two separate bills, a farm
programs bill and a nutrition bill.
While there are varying opinions on whether this is good or bad, even if
a stand-alone Farm Bill is passed in the House, the differences with the Senate
Farm Bill that includes a nutrition component would still have to be negotiated
by conference committee and avoid a Presidential veto to become law. Regardless
of how it is accomplished, we are hopeful that clearer heads will prevail and a
new 5-year Farm Bill will be passed prior to the expiration of the current bill
at the end of September.
It is time again for our Director elections. This year we
have 2 director positions up for election and this is your opportunity as
members to have a say in how your cooperative is governed. You should have
received your 2013 Annual Meeting Information Statement and ballot in the mail.
Please make sure to return your ballot prior to the polls closing on September
30, 2013.
We are in the process of planning fall customer appreciation
events (CAEs) to be held in each of our local service centers during the month
of October. Your board has approved revolvement of allocated surplus this fall
and these checks will be distributed during the CAEs. Please be looking for an
invitation to your local CAE and make plans to attend. These events provide an
opportunity for us to show our appreciation to you for doing business with
Carolina Farm Credit.
Finally, July 2013 marked Farm Credit’s 97th
anniversary. In 2016 we will become one of the few institutions to reach 100
years in business. As we approach this
milestone, we will have an opportunity to reflect on how Farm Credit has been a
long-time business partner to farmers and the agriculture community in our
Country. It will also allow us to showcase our legacy of this successful
partnership, the strength of our cooperative ownership model and our unique
governance structure. Carolina Farm Credit is proud to be a member of the Farm
Credit System and more so, we are proud to serve you, our members in the
western half of North Carolina. Agriculture and Agribusiness continues stand
head and shoulders above all others as North Carolina’s number one industry.
Thank you for your efforts to Keep Agriculture and rural North Carolina Strong
and thank you for allowing Carolina Farm Credit to serve you and provide credit
and related services to meet your financial needs.
