This letter originally appeared in the Winter 2006 issue of Financial Partner (F.P.) magazine, Farm Credit of Maine's customer publication.

Core values are the foundation of successful businesses. Three of the values that we treasure most here at Farm Credit were recently experienced by 400 employees from across the Northeast Farm Credit associations while attending the Northeast Farm Credit Conference.

Those values are our commitment to:

• staying ahead of changes affecting our customers

• providing development opportunities for our valued employees

• partnering with other Farm Credit institutions

 to local, state and national agricultural and dairy organizations is an inspiration to those of us involved in 
"Farm Credit has grown significantly in 12 years, but its core values are still very much the same.”

Conference agenda illustrates core values

The October conference, held in Connecticut, was the fifteenth time since the early 1970s that employees representing Farm Credit associations across the Northeast had the opportunity to come together for idea sharing, education and socializing.

As you can see, we built the agenda for this year’s three-day conference around our core values:

• The presenters on the first day brought the entire Northeast group together in a general session that really got the juices flowing on a wide variety of issues:

• Bernadette Trujillo-Vaduro outlined the important topics that our group would consider and debate over the following days.

• Jeff Thredgold offered an entertaining and insightful perspective on U.S. economic trends and issues.

• Jamie Stewart provided a positive financial outlook for Farm Credit. Jamie is the chief executive of the Funding Corporation, which sells System-wide bonds to investors in the United States and throughout the world.

• Andrew Zolli engaged the group with fascinating mega trends in population demographics, medicine, technology and agriculture.

• The next day participants attended breakout sessions and spent time socializing with fellow employees from other offices or associations:

• A candid debate on the direction of the Farm Credit System, with insights into conclusions reached during the national HORIZONS study. HORIZONS identified key trends in agriculture and Farm Credit’s opportunity to respond to these trends in order to carry out its mission — providing credit to rural America.

• Answers to participants’ questions on their own financial future, such as trends in the stock and bond markets and pension plans

•  A dialogue with professor David Kohl, an agricultural economist and highly regarded educator from Virginia Tech. Dr. Kohl is an enthusiastic speaker who enjoys challenging the status-quo.

• Recent developments in appraising, where standards and regulations are constantly changing how we document the value of agricultural, forestry and fishing-related assets

•  Timely tips for honing financial service management skills

• Today’s best practices for delivering quality customer service

• The final day began with breakout sessions — ranging from technology or agricultural economics to credit analysis, customer service and financial investments — and concluded with participants coming together once again to hear a presentation entitled “Preserving Values in a Changing World.”

I don’t think I was the only one at this conference who felt a sense of commitment to staying on top of so many changes occurring around us, yet maintaining the traditional values that have been the foundation of our success. These values were on exhibit for all to see at this conference.

Before I sat down to write this letter, I read the material that was about to go to print for this magazine. I noticed a comment in the centerspread (page 6) by one of our new employees — actually a returning employee, Shannon Walton. After being away from Farm Credit for 12 years, she captured one of our most important goals when she said, “Farm Credit has grown significantly in 12 years, but its core values are still very much the same.” I could not have said it better myself. The Gladys E. Conant Memorial Farm Credit 4-H Scholarship In 2006, the board of directors voted to rename our 4-H scholarship in memory of Gladys Conant and cr

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