On Friday, June 7, more than 100 Missouri poultry farmers gathered for a workshop in Buffalo, Missouri. The educational event focused on predator management for pasture-raised poultry.
“Over the last few years, we have seen a significant expansion of pasture-raised poultry operations. Our goal with this event was to create a meaningful and relevant educational seminar for our existing member-owners and prospects within this segment of agriculture,” said Geoff Bowsher, FCS Financial loan officer.
Event speakers included Josh Wisdom, Wildlife Damage Biologist with the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC), and FCS Financial loan officers, Geoff Bowsher, Tyler Keatts, and Jacob Johnson.
Wisdom explained his role within MDC, property protection for landowners, permitting, types of predators, and best practices for combatting them. He also showcased different types of traps and how to effectively use them on the farm.
A team of loan officers gave a presentation on understanding FCS Financial. Within their presentation, they shared about being a member of the Farm Credit System, FCS Financial, and how the cooperative structure and ag expertise sets FCS Financial apart from other lenders.
“Based on feedback received after the event, we accomplished our goal of providing relevant industry information to the producers and attracting prospective members-owners to FCS Financial,” shared Bowsher.
Matia Hartley, Financial Service Specialist, helped to register attendees at the event. She says, “It was great getting to see so many member-owners at the event, I always love getting to chat with them and this was a great event to do so.”
“I also enjoyed getting to see so many young kids joining their parents for this educational seminar. They are the future of agriculture so seeing that they are getting an educational experience this early made me proud that FCS Financial was able to offer this educational experience to the community,” said Hartley.
As a cooperative, FCS Financial is dedicated to serving Missouri’s farmers and ranchers. Follow us on social media or sign up for email alerts to find out about upcoming education events.
FCS Financial provides services to 102 counties in Missouri through a network of 21 offices and is a member of the Farm Credit System. The system is a nationwide network of cooperative lending institutions that provides credit and financial services to farmers, ranchers, rural residents, and agribusinesses. With more than 105 years of agricultural lending experience, the Farm Credit System is the largest single provider of agricultural credit in the United States.
