Membership benefits fueled by more than discounts
Mike Videkovich can name a long list of the organization’s benefits, but there is one very tangible one that he said he’s bound to use almost every year.
Read MoreFarm Bureau’s partnership with StoneX gives members discounted access to StoneX’s customized commodity marketing plans, advisory services and data management tools.
As a Farm Bureau member, Bailey Elchinger has come to appreciate the member benefits the organization offers. Now, through her off-farm job, she is part of a team providing new member benefits to other Ohio Farm Bureau members.
On her family’s Henry County farm, Elchinger and her husband, Nick, produce corn, soybeans and wheat as well as baling hay and straw. Off the farm, Elchinger is the regional director for the StoneX branch office in Bowling Green.
The company offers members discounts on StoneX’s agricultural risk management tools. The national benefit is offered to all Ohio Farm Bureau members through American Farm Bureau.
While many of Farm Bureau’s member benefits help members save money on products and services, the partnership with StoneX can help them improve the profitability of their farms, said Elchinger. “This one is more focused on their farming businesses.”
For Bailey, the benefits of a Farm Bureau membership are nothing new. After all, she grew up in a family of active Farm Bureau members in Michigan, and when she went off to college she joined the Collegiate Farm Bureau at Michigan State.
Then, after she moved to Ohio and settled in Henry County, she was elected to the Henry County Farm Bureau board. Bailey and Nick are also members of Ohio Farm Bureau’s Young Agricultural Professionals State Committee.
“Being in Farm Bureau was just a natural fit,” she said. Farm Bureau’s partnership with StoneX is giving members discounted access to StoneX’s customized commodity marketing plans, advisory services and data management tools, Elchinger explained. Members can also get discounts on educational seminars and outlook conferences focused on risk management.
StoneX, an international financial services company, provides a wide range of tools and services to help clients protect their profit margins and manage market volatility. The company deals with a wide range of farm commodities.
One of the ways StoneX can help farmers manage market volatility is with trading accounts that allow them to hedge their risks, Elchinger said. Farm Bureau members who open new trading accounts with StoneX will get 10 free trades. Those free trades can help farmers use futures, options and over-the-counter contracts to manage risks and protect their farms’ profitability.
“Farmers always have one eye on the future,” said Dan Rapp, Ohio Farm Bureau senior director of health services. “The tools members have access to through StoneX range from customized commodity marketing plans to data management solutions and educational seminars in a variety of agricultural commodities, including livestock, dairy, grains and many sectors in between.”
StoneX also offers a market data management package, Know-Risk Crop Marketing, which provides software tools for data management as well as access to expert advisors. Know-Risk can help farmers aggregate information from various sources into an easy-to-use format so they can more easily use the information in developing risk management strategies. Farm Bureau members receive 20% off annual subscriptions.
Farm Bureau members can also get StoneX’s Market Intelligence packages at discounted prices. Farm Bureau members can get 40% discounts on registration market outlook conferences and other educational seminars as well, Elchinger said.
StoneX offers 10% off all Farm Advantage packages for Farm Bureau members. Farm Advantage provides farmers with the tools they need to market their products, manage risk, maximize margins and grow their business for generations to come. Informed by StoneX’s nearly 100 years in the commodities markets, Farm Advantage enables crop farmers, dairy farms and livestock operations to take greater charge of their operations – and their futures – by putting all the tools they need in the palms of their hands through a free app.
One of those tools is the Fertilizer Group. Fertilizer and fertilizer prices were a hot topic as plans for the growing season took shape this year.
“With fertilizer prices at historic and highly volatile price levels, it is as important as ever for producers to understand and manage their grain market risk,” Elchinger said. “Attaining market commentary from sources like StoneX could prove extremely valuable.”
This tool and more are discounted for Farm Bureau members and available on the Farm Advantage app, available to all farmers through Apple App Store and Google Play.
Mike Videkovich can name a long list of the organization’s benefits, but there is one very tangible one that he said he’s bound to use almost every year.
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