2
CapitalPress.com
March 2, 2018
People & Places
Lender saw future in Idaho dairy
Dave Stout has
been involved in
industry during
its rapid growth
Western
Innovator
Capital Press
Calendar
Saturday, March 3
BEEvent Pollinator Conference.
8:30 a.m.-4 p.m. Linn County Fair &
Expo Center, 3700 Knox Butte Road
E, Albany, Ore. The 2018 Beevent will
focus on “Creating a Pollinator-Friend-
ly Landscape.” Learn how to make a
more friendly habitat for pollinators.
This conference is a full day of speak-
ers, vendors and citizens who are con-
cerned about the plight of our pollina-
tors. Visit http://extension.oregonstate.
edu/linn/beevent for a more detailed
schedule and speaker information.
Hosted by Oregon Bee Project and
Linn/Benton OSU Master Gardeners.
Cost: $30, with $10 lunch option. Web-
site: www.linnmastergardeners.com/
tickets.html
Tuesday-Thursday
March 6-8
FSPCA Preventive Controls for
Animal Food. 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Hilton
Garden Inn, 1741 Harrison St. North,
Twin Falls, Idaho. The new FSMA
Elizabeth Yutzie Sell .... Advertising Director
Dave Stout
Jessica Boone ........ Production Manager
Business: Agricultural
financing
Samantha McLaren .... Circulation Manager
Company: Rabo AgriFinance
Career: Northwest Farm
Credit Services, 1978-2011,
credit officer, regional credit
officer, dairy team lead and
vice president; Rabo AgriFi-
nance, 2011 to 2016, team
lead and vice president, Twin
Falls, 2016 to present, senior
relationships manager and
vice president, Twin Falls
Carol Ryan Dumas/Capital Press
Dave Stout, a 40-year veteran of agricultural financing, in his office at Rabo AgriFinance in Twin Falls, Idaho.
tions. Local dairymen men-
tored him and taught him
about the business.
In 1987, he moved to the
company headquarters in
Spokane, Wash., to further his
career. But he was only there
nine months before the farm
financial crisis put him back
in the field to help the compa-
ny survive.
“The company survived
under new leadership and did
very, very well,” he said.
Farm Credit’s philoso-
phy of working with farmers
— who are willing to work
with the company — through
tough times remains a tenet of
how he does business, he said.
But the company’s philos-
ophy changed after the 2009
dairy crisis.
“The company wanted to
reduce exposure and back
away from the dairy industry
a little bit,” he said.
It was a tough pill for Stout
to swallow, and he became
frustrated and discouraged.
“We worked hard to build
that dairy business. We built
a very good portfolio that I
probably had my heart and
Kelci Scharff,
Washington
FFA state
reporter
Mollee Gray,
Washington
FFA state vice
president
representing 24 states left the
U.S. on Jan. 4. The group trav-
eled throughout South Africa
while surveying the agricul-
tural landscape. FFA officers
met with U.S. Embassy offi-
cials to learn about U.S. and
South African trade relations;
toured crop and livestock op-
erations; met with business
and industry leaders; and ex-
plored a private game reserve
that is home to lions, leopards,
elephants, rhinos and buffalo.
The group also met with fruit
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Capital Press Managers
Joe Beach ..................Editor & Publisher
Carl Sampson ................Managing Editor
soul in,” he said.
Square one
His wife, Londa, told him
he needed to make a change
or retire, reminding him “it
was not my bank,” he said.
Rabobank
approached
him about switching com-
panies not long after, but it
was a tough decision. He had
worked with Farm Credit for
33 years. The company had
treated him well, and he was
loyal.
But he hit it off with John
Ryan, then CEO of Rabo
AgriFinance, and liked his
leadership style. The CEO
asked what it would take to
get Stout on board. The an-
swer was being able to bring
his team — loan officer Jon
Maughan and financial spe-
cialist Maria Deschane —
with him.
“I wouldn’t have come
without them,” he said.
Ryan approved and told
Stout to go build business.
That was 2011, and Stout
transitioned from being de-
termined not to let Rabo get a
foothold in the area when he
worked with Farm Credit to
building that foothold.
“Jon (Maughan) and I
knew everybody in dairy and
quite a few farmers, and we
were able to start building
business,” he said.
Rabo’s business in Idaho
has grown ever since, from
nine employees when Stout
took the reins to 32 today.
“Our growth has been
pretty phenomenal. In seven
years, we’ve grown to about
the same size as Farm Cred-
it,” he said.
That success comes from
great staff — those who took
a leap of faith and switched
companies with him and the
young staff he’s been able to
hire and “teach all my bad
habits,” he said.
But he’s winding down his
career. He was 55 when he
went to work for Rabobank
and promised the company
he would give a year’s notice
before he retired. He did that
last August and turned down
the company’s offer to be its
new business development
manager, saying it wouldn’t
be fair to take the position
Education: Bachelor’s de-
gree in agricultural business
from University of Idaho,
1978
regulation requires every processing
facility to have a trained resource per-
son who has completed a specialized
training course (such as this one) de-
veloped by the Food Safety Preventive
Controls Alliance that is recognized by
the FDA. Cost: $720/Individual or $648
per person for 2 or more. Website:
http://www.techhelp.org/events/400/
fspca-animal-food-2-5-day-course-
twin-falls/
Wednesday, March 7
Walnut Training and Breeding Up-
date. 9:30-11:30 a.m. Nichols Ranch,
128 Nichols Road, Wheatland, Calif.
Website: http://cesutter.ucanr.edu/
Thursday, March 8
Part 2: Farm & Ranch Succes-
sion Planning Workshop. 6-8:30 p.m.
Clackamas Small Business Devel-
opment Center, 7726 SE Harmony
Road, Milwaukie, Ore. This workshop
can be accessed remotely from any-
where in the state. This program is
offered and taught by the Clackamas
Small Business Development Center,
along with guest presenters such as
attorneys and CPAs. In addition to
informative topics and experienced
ag professionals, courses include
confidential, one-on-one business
counseling. A complimentary light din-
ner will start each evening at 6 p.m.
To register, call 503-594-0738. Cost:
Free. Website: http://bit.ly/2CX1jvl
Sydney
Klaveano,
Wash. FFA
state treasurer
Taylor Enns,
Washington
FFA state
secretary
exporters, abalone producers
and others.
The experience was truly
once in a life time, the officers
reported.
“It was interesting to see
how extra virgin olive oil was
made — I use it often to cook,
but never realized how com-
plex the process is,” Klaveano
said.
The trip included oppor-
tunities they would not get to
see in Washington.
“Getting to see the differ-
ent types of animals on the
safari was truly thrilling, as
I’ve only ever seen them in
the zoo,” Gray said.
“The embryo transfer fa-
cility that we visited interest-
ed me as it is a potential career
option for me,” said Scharff,
who raises cattle.
“The indigenous plants in
South Africa were extrava-
gant, as we use many of them
here as medicine,” Enns stat-
ed.
“We hope that through a
structured experience like
ILSSO, students will not only
see the importance of agricul-
ture on an international level
but understand it is essential
to feeding the world,” Eric
Nelson, program manager
with the National FFA Orga-
nization, said. “This seminar
exposes students to culture
and food production prac-
tices beyond what they are
Friday, March 9
Farm, Ranch, and Forest Succes-
sion Planning Workshop in Douglas
County. 5-8 p.m. Lookingglass Grange,
7426 Lookingglass Road, Roseburg, Ore.
To help growers take the next step in plan-
ning, Douglas County Farm Bureau, OSU
Extension, and Rogue Farm Corps are
coordinating a Farm and Ranch Succes-
sion Workshop. Cost: Free (dinner includ-
ed). RSVP: to Nellie McAdams: nellie@
roguefarmcorps.org, 971-409-6806
Saturday, March 10
Farm and Ranch Succession
Planning Workshop. 10 a.m.-2 p.m.
Klamath Community College, Build-
ing 6, Room H138, 7390 S. Sixth St.,
Klamath Falls, Ore. To help growers
take the next step in succession
planning, OSU Extension, Klamath
Community College, Klamath Small
Business Development Center, Klam-
ath Watershed Partnership and Rogue
Farm Corps are coordinating a farm
succession workshop. Presenters will
include Diana Tourney of the Oregon
Small Business Development Center
Network on how to create a plan with
your family, attorney Joe Hobson of
Schwabe, Williamson & Wyatt on how
to prepare your estate, local farmers
who have been through the process,
and Nellie McAdams, Farm Preserva-
tion Program Director at Rogue Farm
Corps. The event is free and lunch is
included. RSVP to help make sure
we provide enough food. Cost: Free.
Contact: nellie@roguefarmcorps.org
or 971-409-6806 Website: http://bit.
ly/2EvUzpB
Monday, March 12
Farm Land Access and Succes-
sion Planning Workshop. 2:30-8:30
p.m. Pine Grove Grange, 2835 Van
Horn Drive, Hood River, Ore. Rogue
Farm Corps, Gorge Grown, OSU Ex-
tension, Hood River Soil & Water Con-
servation District, Wasco Soil & Water
Conservation District, Friends of Fam-
ily Farmers and the Small Business
Development Center are coordinating
a farmland access and succession
workshop for farmers and ranchers
throughout the Columbia River Gorge.
The afternoon session will concentrate
on land access, followed by dinner at
5 p.m. The farm succession workshop
will follow dinner. RSVP by March 5 or
send any questions to Nellie McAd-
ams, nellie@roguefarmcorps.org, 971-
409-6806.
Friday, March 16
Ten Acres and a Dream small
acreage workshop. 8:30 a.m.-4:30
p.m. Ponderay Events Center, 401
Bonner Mall Way, Suite E, Sandpoint,
Idaho. Topics include living on the
land, growing crops, raising livestock,
managing pastures and forestry fun-
Capital Press (ISSN 0740-3704) is
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Family: Wife, Londa,
children Kelly and Clay (both
graduates of Stout’s alma
mater, University of Idaho)
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knowing he was retiring.
“I’ve been very fortunate
to work 40 years with two
very good ag lenders and
spend most of my career in
the Magic Valley,” he said.
He also aid he feels for-
tunate to have worked with
great staff and customer-pro-
ducers who have treated him
so well, he said.
He’s seen a lot of changes
in agricultural financing over
40 years, but it’s still all about
building relationships and
trust, he said.
“At the end of the day, it’s
still a people business,” he
said.
accustomed to in the United
States.”
Before departing the U.S.,
the students completed eight
weeks of online coursework
related to cross-cultural
adaptability. The program
was made possible by corpo-
rate sponsors Bunge North
America and John Deere. Stu-
dents shared their experience
throughout their trip on Twit-
ter and Instagram.
The National FFA Orga-
nization provides leadership,
personal growth and career
success training through agri-
cultural education to 653,404
student members who belong
to one of 8,568 local FFA
chapters throughout the U.S.,
Puerto Rico and the U.S. Vir-
gin Islands. The organization
is also supported by 345,812
alumni members in 2,051
alumni chapters throughout
the U.S.
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Entire contents copyright © 2018
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Home: Kimberly, Idaho
Four Washington FFA state officers tour South Africa
Four FFA leaders from
Washington state recently re-
turned from a 12-day educa-
tional and cultural experience
in South Africa.
State
reporter
Kelci
Scharff of Cheney, treasurer
Sydney Klaveano of Pullman,
vice president Mollee Gray of
Medical Lake and secretary
Taylor Enns of White River
participated in the 2018 Inter-
national Leadership Seminar
for State Officers, an annu-
al international opportunity
through the National FFA Or-
ganization.
The trip allows FFA mem-
bers to experience a foreign
culture, learn about interna-
tional agriculture and become
more knowledgeable about
the global marketplace, ac-
cording to a Washington FFA
press release.
Seventy-four past and
present state FFA officers
Established 1928
Board of directors
Mike Forrester
Steve Forrester
Kathryn Brown
Susan Rana
Mike Omeg
Corporate Officer
Heidi Wright
Chief Operating Officer
By CAROL RYAN DUMAS
TWIN FALLS, Idaho —
Landing in southern Idaho
as a newbie credit officer in
1979, Dave Stout knew noth-
ing about milking cows or the
financial needs of dairymen.
And Idaho was not the
behemoth milk producer it is
today.
Back then, the state had
141,000 cows and produced
1.7 billion pounds of milk
annually as the 18th largest
dairy state. Today, the state’s
dairymen tend about 600,000
cows, producing 14.7 billion
pounds of milk and vie for the
No. 3 spot in the nation.
Stout was not only part
of that phenomenal growth,
he championed the financial
backing that would fuel it.
After graduating from the
University of Idaho in 1978,
he landed a position with the
Federal Land Bank, which
later became Northwest Farm
Credit Services.
“When I got to Gooding,
the dairy industry was just
kind of getting going in the
valley. My boss at the time
… did not want to do dairy
loans,” he said.
Seeing opportunity, both
in the industry and lending,
Stout didn’t give up on try-
ing to convince him that dairy
was a good bet.
“We had pretty good dis-
cussions about it, and finally
he agreed that we should get
into dairy lending and that it
had a pretty bright future for
the Magic Valley,” he said.
But the dryland farm boy
from Genesee, Idaho, knew
nothing about dairy opera-
Capital Press
1-800-765-9055
damentals. Cost: $15. Website: http://
bit.ly/2Gxia5S
Saturday, March 17
Ten Acres and a Dream small
acreage workshop. 8:30 a.m.-4:30
p.m. Centennial Distributing Co., 701
West Buckles Road, Hayden, Idaho.
Topics include living on the land, rais-
ing crops and livestock, managing
pastures and forestry fundamentals.
Cost: $15. Website: http://bit.ly/2Gx-
ia5S
Sunday, March 18
Fruit Propagation Fair. 10 a.m.-4
p.m. Clackamas County Fairgrounds,
694 NE Fourth Ave., Canby, Ore.
The fair offers attendees hundreds
of varieties of free scions and cut-
tings. If you graft, this is paradise.
Or you can choose custom grafting
by experts for only $5. Free with ad-
mission are hundreds of varieties of
apple, pear, cherry, plum and per-
simmon scions. There will also be
cuttings of grapes, kiwis and figs to
root. Arrive early for the best selec-
tion. Home Orchard Society experts
will be available to answer your
fruit-growing questions. Mason bee
supplies are available for sale, as
well as fruit-growing publications.
Cost: $7 per person or $12 per
family for non-members. Website:
http://homeorchardsociety.org
News Staff
Idaho
Carol Ryan Dumas .......... 208-860-3898
Boise
Sean Ellis .......................... 208-914-8264
Cent. Washington
Dan Wheat ........................ 509-699-9099
W. Washington
Don Jenkins ...................... 360-722-6975
E Washington
Matthew Weaver .............. 509-688-9923
Oregon
George Plaven ................. 406-560-1655
Mateusz Perkowski .......... 800-882-6789
Graphic artist
Alan Kenaga ..................... 800-882-6789
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Index
Dairy ...................................... 8
Markets ................................11
Opinion .................................. 6
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