COMMUNITYCONNECTED 2013 Agribank Giving Report ROOTED in OUR COMMUNITIES Agribank Is on a Mission to Serve Rural America
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COMMUNITYCONNECTED 2013 AgriBank Giving Report ROOTED IN OUR COMMUNITIES AgriBank is on a mission to serve rural America. As Inside part of the Farm Credit System, a borrower-owned 4……………………………….…..To Our Stakeholders financial cooperative, supporting American agriculture 6………………………………..…….New Sponsorships is at the core of our business operations and extends to everything we do. Community involvement is an 10……………………..…..Focus: Urban Agriculture important way for us to further this mission. In 12…………………...Rural Community Grant Fund partnership with 17 affiliated Farm Credit 14.…....Minneapolis-St. Paul Charitable Giving Associations, we support all agriculture – traditional and non-traditional – in the hopes of creating a 16………………………………………...About AgriBank balanced approach for America's ag future. On the Cover NEARLY AgriBank sponsors Windy City Harvest, an $500,000 urban agriculture training program in Chicago. See page 10. in new sponsorships in 2013 Education Community Agriculture Support $2.1 MILLION Advocates Young, in total giving in 2013, Beginning, including: Disaster Relief Small Farmers $1.2 million to sponsor traditional and non-traditional agricultural programs $700,000 to support projects in western North Dakota communities affected by oil and mineral exploration and production Land/Water Conservation $150,000 to support Minneapolis-St. Paul charities Food Security and Local Foods $27,000 to match employee Urban Agriculture contributions 2 COMMUNITYCONNECTED 15 $1.1 MILLION awarded since 2012 through the Rural Community Grant Fund, a partnership with Farm Credit Services of Mandan and Farm Credit Services of North Dakota, to support projects in western North Dakota communities affected by oil and mineral exploration and production AgriBank joined United FCS in sponsoring this tractor for a student garden. SUPPORTING the next generation of American Agriculture AgriBank is proud to support programs that help to develop the next generation of ag talent. This includes local and national support for programs such as FFA and 4-H that help to open young people’s minds to the possibilities that a career in agriculture can offer. And each year, in partnership with Agriculture Future of America's Leader and Academic Scholarship program, AgriBank awards William J. Collins Scholarships to the children of AgriBank District employees planning to pursue careers in agriculture. We believe by helping the best and brightest pursue careers in agriculture, we can fulfill our mission to help secure the future of American agriculture. 14 COMMUNITYCONNECTED COMMUNITYCONNECTED 3 AgriBank continues to focus on our singular mission: to support American agriculture. The primary way we To Our fulfill this mission is to collaborate with 17 affiliated Farm Credit Associations in 15 states to provide a Stakeholders reliable source of credit to farmers, ranchers, agribusinesses, rural homeowners and other eligible borrowers — through good times and challenging times. We also fulfill this mission by providing funds to support the communities we serve and all agriculture. AgriBank is proud to In 2013, AgriBank enjoyed another extraordinary year, recording our help strengthen today’s second-highest ever profitability. This, along with other strong generation of American financial measures, enabled us to return significant dollars to our customer-owners through our patronage program. Our strong farmers and ranchers financial results also enabled us to increase our charitable contributions. … and the next. The United States is changing, and American agriculture is changing with it. Our population is becoming more concentrated in urban and suburban areas, as well as more diverse. Farmers and ranchers are growing older, on average, and fewer in number. Technology is making farming and ranching more complicated and efficient. Consumers are increasingly concerned about where their food comes from, and how it’s grown. New and emerging forms of agriculture that embrace these changes present AgriBank with new opportunities to fulfil our mission. AgriBank supports a wide range of urban and other non-traditional agriculture initiatives. This includes a wide variety of activities such as programs to educate children and adults about food and agriculture, training and other help for new entrants to agriculture, local food initiatives including community gardens and farmers markets, and other projects to improve access to fresh produce. Whenever possible, we address community needs in partnership with affiliated Farm Credit Associations, which may also provide financial advice, investment, volunteers or other support in their local communities. We also leverage opportunities throughout the entire Farm Credit System, giving us the size and scope to make more significant contributions than we could on our own. As an example of this cooperation, in 2013 AgriBank was one of four Farm Credit entities to contribute a total of $250,000 to launch a nationwide "Homegrown By Heroes" program, which supports farmers who are military veterans (see page 6). 4 COMMUNITYCONNECTED COMMUNITYCONNECTED 13 In 2014, AgriBank joined our Farm Credit partners and USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack for an event announcing the RBIC. We are continuing such collaboration in 2014 as one of eight Farm Credit institutions investing a total of $150 million in the Rural Business Investment Company (RBIC), newly created by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The RBIC will allow the USDA to facilitate private equity investments in agriculture-related businesses across rural America. AgriBank-affiliated Associations participating in the investment include AgStar Financial Services, Farm Credit Services of America, Farm Credit Mid-America and United FCS. AgriBank is proud to help strengthen today’s generation of American farmers and ranchers … and the next. We’re pleased to present this report on the many innovative programs we fund in support of our important mission. AgriBank’s giving is only part of the millions of dollars given by Farm Credit entities across the country each year. Douglas Felton L. William York Chair Chief Executive Officer June 2014 12 COMMUNITYCONNECTED COMMUNITYCONNECTED 5 AgriBank supports a future of agriculture that is diverse, inclusive and prepared for the challenges that New lie ahead. Through our sponsorships, we contribute to a wide range of traditional and non-traditional Sponsorships agriculture-related programs across our District, often in partnership with affiliated Associations. In 2013, our sponsorships totaled approximately $1.2 million — including an increase of $500,000 for programs we funded for the first time. Our sponsorships are as varied as the needs themselves. HOMEGROWN BY HEROES — AgriBank was one of four Farm Credit entities to contribute a total of $250,000 to launch this nationwide program, boosting the efforts of U.S. farmer veterans to market their agriculture products. The program allows farmers who served in the U.S. armed forces to add the Homegrown By Heroes logo to their products' packaging and signage. The label is an easy way for consumers to identify farmer veteran products and support the nation's military veterans by purchasing those products. IMMIGRANT AND MINORITY FARMERS CONFERENCE — Immigrant and minority farmers gathered in St. Paul in February 2013 for the largest annual conference of its kind. AgriBank joined AgStar Financial Services and United FCS to support the event, which provided workshops covering both agricultural best practices and business topics to help the farmers be more successful. INVEST AN ACRE — AgriBank and Farm Credit Services of America support this partnership between the Howard G. Buffett Foundation and Feeding America, which encourages farmers across the country to donate one acre or more of crop proceeds to help fight hunger in their own communities. Farmers’ donations are matched, with proceeds going to local food shelves. SOUTH DAKOTA RANCHER RELIEF FUND — When an early October storm dumped heavy rain and up to 55 inches of snow in western South Dakota, killing tens of thousands of farm animals over 2-1/2 days, AgriBank joined CoBank, Farm Credit Services of America, Frontier Farm Credit and Northwest Farm Credit Services to contribute to a fund established by the South Dakota Cattlemen's Association, South Dakota Sheep Growers Association and South Dakota Stockgrowers Association to help affected livestock producers. 6 COMMUNITYCONNECTED COMMUNITYCONNECTED 11 2013 SPONSORSHIPS URBAN AG IN THE CLASSROOM Rural FFA students teach urban grade school students about agriculture PARTNER: AgCountry Farm Credit Services ANGELIC ORGANICS AGRICULTURE GARDEN AND FARM 2 LEARNING CENTER SCHOOL PROGRAM Strengthens small/beginning farm Maintains educational businesses through asset acquisition student garden and technical assistance PARTNER: AgCountry Farm PARTNER: 1st Farm Credit Services and Credit Services Badgerland Financial ARKANSAS GROWN: SCHOOL GARDEN PROGRAM Sponsors Arkansas Department of Agriculture contest for student gardeners PARTNER: AgHeritage Farm Credit Services, Farm Credit Midsouth and Farm Credit of Western Arkansas GARDENING FOR GREENBACKS Provides access to fresh, healthy and affordable food in THE BIG GARDEN an urban area Supports the development of community gardens in rural and urban areas in order to PARTNERS: CoBank and Farm provide residents with access to nutritious foods Credit Mid-America PARTNER: Farm Credit Services of America 10 COMMUNITYCONNECTED COMMUNITYCONNECTED 7 2013 SPONSORSHIPS