Four Michigan directors were recently reelected to the GreenStone Farm Credit Services board.
Ron Lucas of Alpena County and Peter Maxwell of Gladwin County were reelected to four-year terms representing voting region 1 (northern Michigan), while David McConnachie of Sanilac County and Scott Roggenbuck of Huron County were also reelected to four-year terms representing voting region 2, covering Michigan’s thumb area.
Lucas, a dairy farmer, has been a member of the GreenStone board for 11 years, currently serving on the Audit Committee. Maxwell, a cash crop farmer, has been a member of the GreenStone board for eight years. He serves as the board's vice chair and serves on the Executive and Compensation committees.
McConnachie, a cash crop farmer, has been a member of the GreenStone board for 20 years, and most recently served on the Finance Committee. Roggenbuck, also a cash crop farmer, has served on the board for 17 years and serves on the Audit Committee.
Along with the board positions, GreenStone’s 28,000 members elected individuals to serve on the cooperative’s 2025 nominating committee.
Uptick in potash traffic on St. Lawrence Seaway
With the 2024 marine shipping season on the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Seaway in full swing, the early statistics provided by the St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corp. and Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway Development Corp. show that movements of potash (an agricultural fertilizer), iron and steel, and cement are up when compared to the same period (March to May) last year. Specifically:
- Potash traffic was up 287,000 tonnes, for a total of about 335,000 tonnes (a year-over-year increase of approximately six times).
- Cement traffic was up 77,000 tonnes, for a total of about 527,000 tonnes.
- Shipments of iron and steel were up by 195,000 tonnes year over year, for a total of about 580,000 tonnes.
Women in Agribusiness Summit to tackle hot topics
The 2024 Women in Agribusiness Summit will tackle critical ag news making headlines — animal disease, ag’s role in decarbonization, meeting global protein demand and more — at its 13th annual summit Sept. 24-26 in Denver.
The WIA Summit will present a dynamic session on the ongoing efforts to fortify producers and regional ag economies against crises, such as avian flu, to ensure a resilient food supply.
Leading this discussion will be Tommy Bass of Montana State University, who has decades of experience in environmental management, emergency management, and local and niche supply chain performance, all focused on animal agriculture.
In keeping with animal ag, the event will delve into the demand trends, trade implications and notable impacts in the U.S. animal protein industry. Communicating in and through crisis situations will also be addressed and presented by key public relations and media experts.
More than 800 attendees are expected to attend this year’s three-day WIA Summit.
Visit womeninag.com to learn more.