Employees Hear From Ag Commissioner, Look Forward To 2013

The entire staff at Farm Credit & Country Mortgages meets each fall for their annual ‘All Hands’ conference to discuss the association’s financial position and to prepare for meeting the needs of the association’s member-borrowers in the upcoming year.  The theme for the meeting this year was Reaching Higher Ground – to strive to be the best we can be by providing industry-leading service both to our customers and to our co-workers.

The meeting featured guest speaker Matt J. Lohr, Commissioner of the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, who spoke to the group about the importance of all aspects of agriculture in the Commonwealth and its surrounding states.  He emphasized that both small and large scale agriculture have important roles in Virginia’s current and future economy and both will be presented with great opportunities as well as some obvious challenges moving forward.  To thank Mr. Lohr for his contribution to the meeting (he was kind enough to attend on his day off), the association donated $1000 on his behalf to Virginia Agriculture in the Classroom and $1000 to the VALOR Program, a premier leadership program for adults in agriculture .  Mr. Lohr serves as a board member for both organizations.  Virginia Agriculture in the Classroom is a statewide educational program providing resources and training for teachers PreK-5 and pre-service teachers so that they can easily integrate agriculture across the curriculum.  CEO Dave Lawrence and Chief Sales Officer Bette Brand also presented Mr. Lohr with a gingerbread barn featuring the Farm Credit Biostar logo.

Adam Shiflett (loan officer, Harrisonburg), Justin Cruise (marketing, Roanoke) and FJ Grady (branch manager, Oakland) deal with a precariously balanced Jenga tower

Employees gathered for a group photo atop a mountain in Nelson County, Virginia

from left: CEO Dave Lawrence, VDACS Commissioner Matt Lohr, and Chief Sales Officer Bette Brand

Melvin Woodson (loan originator, Bedford) carefully selects his team’s next move

GIft basket from Romney, WV office

To encourage team building, cooperative spirit, and inclusion among employees, the afternoon session featured a 30 minute round of “giant Jenga.”  Employees teamed up with others from different locations and departments to compete for an impressive bowl of candy and bragging rights at the end of the day.  With over 150 employees in 24 offices across 96 counties, it was a great chance to visit with old friends and make new ones.

Employees from each branch also brought with them to the meeting a gift basket that represented the local agricultural products and well-known “treats” from their area.  The diverse collection of baskets, which included items ranging from apple cider to ham to honey, were later given as door prizes.  Another highlight of the meeting was the introduction of SIXTEEN new employees who have been hired since the meeting last year.

Dave Lawrence Named to Virginia Tech’s VALOR Program Advisory Council

Farm Credit of the Virginias CEO Dave Lawrence has been named one of 17 advisory council members for Virginia Tech’s Virginia Agriculture Leaders Obtaining Results (VALOR) Program.

From the school’s press release:

http://www.vtnews.vt.edu/articles/2012/01/012012-cals-valoradvisorycouncil.html

BLACKSBURG, Va., Jan. 20, 2012 – Many of Virginia’s established leaders in the agricultural industry are donating their time to serve on the advisory council for the Virginia Agriculture Leaders Obtaining Results (VALOR) Program within Virginia Tech’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. The VALOR Program aims to prepare and develop leaders to meet future challenges in Virginia’s agricultural community, create collaborative solutions, and promote agriculture throughout the industry. “The contribution of time and talent from these individuals provides a solid foundation to help advance this premier leadership program,” said Megan Siebel, VALOR director. “The inaugural unveiling of VALOR and induction of its first class, anticipated for fall of 2012, is extremely exciting. The professional and pragmatic insight offered by the advisory council members is critical in these vital stages of program development. I am honored to oversee such a fantastic working group. The potential impact graduates will have on the agricultural industry in our state is immeasurable.”

VALOR advisory council members are

*   Michael Bertelsen, associate director, Office of International Research, Education, and Development, Virginia Tech;

*   Stan Brantley, president, Amadas Industries, Suffolk, Va.;

*   Mike Ellerbrock, professor of agriculture and applied economics, and director, Center of Economic Education, Virginia Tech;

*   Alan Grant, dean, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Virginia Tech;

*   Jewel Hairston, interim dean, School of Agriculture, Virginia State University;

*   Kern Houff, president, Railside Enterprises, Weyers Cave, Va.;

*   David Hughes, Rivermont Farm, Timberville, Va.;

*   Donna Pugh Johnson, president, Virginia Agribusiness Council;

*   Edwin Jones, associate dean, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, and director, Virginia Cooperative Extension, Virginia Tech;

*   Gary Larrowe, county administrator, Carroll County Public Service Authority;

*   Dave Lawrence, president, Farm Credit of the Virginias;

*   Matt Lohr, commissioner, Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services;

*   Vernon Meacham, director of development, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Virginia Tech;

*   Del. Robert Orrock, 54th District, Thornburg, Va.;

*   Wayne Pryor, president, Virginia Farm Bureau Federation;

*   Paul Rogers Jr., president, Virginia Board of Agriculture and Consumer Services; and

*   Rick Rudd, Community Viability Chair of Excellence and head, Department of Agricultural and Extension Education, Virginia Tech.

Seibel and the council members met in December to discuss specifics of the leadership development program and established criteria for applicants to apply to the program. The program will consist of experiential seminars for about 48 days over the 22-month period. Participants will include individuals with a vested interest in the success of Virginia agriculture who have exhibited leadership potential. For more information about the VALOR Program, please contact Megan Seibel<mailto:mseibel@vt.edu> (mailto:mseibel@vt.edu) at 540-231-2375 or visit the VALOR website.<http://www.aee.vt.edu/valor> (http://www.aee.vt.edu/valor)

Nationally ranked among the top research institutions of its kind, Virginia Tech’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences<http://www.cals.vt.edu/> (http://www.cals.vt.edu/) focuses on the science and business of living systems through learning, discovery, and engagement. The college’s comprehensive curriculum gives more than 2,400 students in a dozen academic departments a balanced education that ranges from food and fiber production to economics to human health. Students learn from the world’s leading agricultural scientists, who bring the latest science and technology into the classroom.