Friday, December 31, 2021
CapitalPress.com
23
Northwest Farm Credit Services sponsors Women for Ag reception
Before Google, You-
Tube, cell phones and such,
the Northwest Ag Show was
the only place farmers could
go to see all the latest farm
equipment under one roof.
Mickey Hatley, Salem
branch manager of North-
west Farm Credit Services,
was there in the early days.
His branch became an Ag
Show exhibitor in 1988 as
he served on the Oregon
Horticulture Society board.
“Jim and Shirley Heater
started and managed the
Ag Show for many years
before their daughter Amy
Patrick took over,” Hatley
said. “They are responsible
for the Ag’s Show’s long run
and success.”
While the nursery indus-
try was already going strong
in the 1980s and 1990s, the
Ag Show provided a place
where other well-estab-
lished industries — straw-
berries, blueberries, nuts —
began having their industry
wide meetings.
“The Nut Growers Soci-
ety would have their annual
meetings up there with 25-50
people that would gather,”
Hatley said. “Now that same
meeting is held every Janu-
ary in Corvallis with 1,000-
plus people attending.
“The hort society, nurs-
ery growers and hazelnut
growers were the three orga-
nizations that essentially put
on the Northwest Ag Show
throughout the 1980s, 1990s
and into the 2000s,” Hatley
said. “Through that, North-
west Farm Credit Services
became big supporters of
many ag organizations.”
When given the oppor-
tunity to sponsor the after-
hours Oregon Women for Ag
reception, Northwest Farm
Credit Services jumped at
Randi Bural, relationship manager for Northwest Farm
Credit Services, pays a visit to John Frank Schmidt III
and Jan Barkely of J. Frank Schmidt & Son Nursery.
Northwest FCS is sponsoring Oregon Women for Ag’s
after-hours reception at this year’s Northwest Ag Show.
the chance.
With 44 branches across
the country, Northwest Farm
Credit Services is a fi nan-
cial cooperative provid-
ing fi nancing and related
services to all phases of
agriculture.
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An important part of that
is providing pertinent infor-
mation to their customers.
“We have a real passion
for education, helping our
customers to be better at
what they do,” Hatley said.
Northwest FCS created a
business management cen-
ter on its website that pro-
vides pertinent information,
seminars and other learning
opportunities.
The fi nancial coopera-
tive’s other big focus is stew-
ardship. Last year’s grants
totaled $14 million in the
Pacifi c Northwest, includ-
ing a $250,000 grant to Ore-
gon State University’s Col-
lege of Veterinary Medicine.
Local branches often sup-
port 4-H, FFA, Habitat for
Humanity or specifi c proj-
ects including the Imagina-
tion Library in rural Yamhill
County and the skate park in
Silverton, Ore.
“We have a heart for
improving rural commu-
nities and one way we can
do that is to invest a lot of
our profi ts back into these
communities,” Hatley said.
“Anybody in a rural com-
munity can apply for a
grant; they range from $500
to $5,000 and are designed
to go to a nonprofi t orga-
nization with a program or
project they need some help
with.
“Of course, our core
business is helping farm-
ers, ranchers, fi shers and
the timber industry with the
fi nancing they need to run
their operations with enough
working capital to help them
through the down times
because we all know that
agriculture has its ups and
downs.
“The customers we work
with own the company,
and we have local advisory
committees throughout the
Northwest and a 14-member
board of directors, mostly
farmers, who provide the
governance and oversee the
business itself,” he said.
“That kind of governance is
good practice and a way to
stay close to our customer
base.”
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For the Capital Press