Opening Remarks

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Krista McDonald, Executive Vice President – Chief Strategy Officer, FCSAmerica
Krista joined FCSAmerica in 2015 as vice president of strategy and innovation. In that role, she was responsible for strategic planning, customer experience and fostering a culture of innovation. She was named chief strategy officer in 2020, and today leads strategy and innovation, emerging markets and organizational capacity and execution. Krista previously worked at ConAgra Foods as a brand director and served as a Washington D.C.-based agricultural policy aide for a Colorado congressional district.

Our Agriculture Journey

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Jennifer Zessin, Board Member, FCSAmerica
Jennifer lives in northeast NE where she operates a grain farm with her husband and youngest son. She graduated from UNL with a Bachelors degree in Business Administration/Finance and has previous experience in banking, internal auditing and human resources. Jennifer was elected to the Farm Credit Services of America Board in 2009 and recently served as Board Chair. She also serves on the AgriBank District Farm Credit Council, the Farm Credit Council and FCCS where she is currently Vice Chair. She is also the treasurer of Trinity Lutheran Church and School.

Susan Voss, Board Member, FCSAmerica
Susan lives in southeastern Iowa where she, husband, son and daughter-in-law operate a grain farm and cow-calf herd. She graduated from UNI with a Bachelors degree in Accounting. She is a CPA and has been a partner in a top 300 accounting firm with a heavy client base in closely held farm operations and agri-business. She has retired from the firm recently. Susan was elected to the Farm Credit Services of America Board in 2014 and serves as Chair of the Human Capital Committee. She is also a board member of Foundations Farm Credit. Foundations provides benefits and payroll administration for FCSAmerica as well as over 30 other Associations within the Farm Credit System, serving nearly 10,000 team members in total.

Panel Discussion
Members of the Farm Credit Services of America Board and Executive Leadership Team provided an outlook on the agriculture industry and share tips for getting involved in the ag community.

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Financials 101: How Healthy is Your Operation?

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Denise Scheef, Credit Underwriter, FCSAmerica
As a credit analyst, Denise analyzes financial data such as balance sheets, tax returns and cash flow statements. With more than 15 years of experience at FCSAmerica, Denise has worked with a variety of different farm operations to help them meet their financial goals. She is passionate about educating producers and equipping them with the knowledge and tools to make smart business decisions. Denise’s agricultural roots run deep, and she and her husband also run a small cow/calf operation in Nebraska. Denise will discuss the key items to look for and understand when analyzing your operation’s financial health.

Transition Planning

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Lisa Quist, Regional Vice President with Nationwide Land as Your Legacy
Lisa is the Central Regional Vice President for Nationwide’s Land As Your Legacy® program, a division of the Nationwide Retirement Institute®. Along with her team in Ohio, Lisa helps farmers, ranchers and other ag business owners build transition plans with the goal of keeping their family’s operation intact and suited to transition to the next generation.