As of lately, it does not seem as if you can listen to the radio or television or read the news without another wild story about the economy and how bad it is.  Maybe the media should save us all some time and just have signs posted on the street corners reading that “THE END IS NEAR”.  I am of the opinion that one of the greatest threats to our economy is ourselves along with the panic and overreaction created by those pushing for trillion dollar bail-outs and economic stimulus packages.  If you listened to all of the hype, you would begin to think that “the end is near”  If the economy is so bad, then why are the parking lots at the Casino’s full every time I drive by?   Media folks claim that over $90 million changed hands in LasVegas on the Superbowl game alone.  It does not appear that we needed bailouts and sure don’t need more economic stimulation. 

Before we all start to believe those who continually tell us that the world is about to spin out of control, we need to give them all a lesson in farming.  One of the great advantages people involved in agriculture have over their city cousins is that we are fulltime students of the environment. (nature and business)  Our world teaches us that most things in this world are repetitive.  There are periods of cooler or warmer than seasonal averages, periods of higher and lower than average rainfall and periods when the markets are higher or lower than the average.  If we did not understand this it would be much more difficult for us in agriculture to persevere when the current weather or business environment appears less than advantageous.  The lesson we need to teach others will be upon us very soon as it is already the first of February.  And the lesson is, we in agriculture are eternal optimist because we plant and cultivate every spring regardless of what the media is trying to make us believe or not believe.  If we in agriculture would succumb to the end is near mentality that the media is feeding us, we would probably not plant or cultivate this spring which is a guarantee of NO harvest. 

I believe this is a time of great opportunity!  In fact, your coop is doing well financially and is embarking on the task of looking forward and considering future long term investments back into the business.  I guess you could say we are looking at planting seeds of opportunity!  This can only be accomplished because we have business partners that are committed to continue planting and cultivating every spring.  As the old saying goes, if you don’t like the weather wait awhile and it’ll change. 

Take it from a farmer; if you want a harvest, you have to have the courage to plant the seeds of opportunity!!

Credit
It is common business practice today for customers to charge their purchases. Credit is a privilege and a responsibility that should not be taken lightly. Credit needs to be earned! Your local charge account with this Coop is essentially convenience credit, and it is a commitment that you make to us to pay your bill when you use “convenience credit”. Your board of directors has fiduciary responsibility to the owners of Farmers Coop Elevator. They are to make sure that the credit policies of this Coop are being followed. They hold me ultimately responsible for insuring the policies and programs are being followed. Bad credit hurts your credit rating/history and it hurts the Coop to have to carry the unpaid account past the due date.  

Therefore, the next time you receive a letter or receive a call regarding your account, remember that you received the goods and or services and that we are only asking that you follow through on the commitment you made to us to pay the bill!!