Farm Credit Mid-America is a $23-billion agricultural lending cooperative serving nearly 90,000 farmers, agribusinesses and rural residents in Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky and Tennessee. Only customers with voting stock were eligible to vote – customers purchase voting stock at the time of their loan origination.
Owner-customers elected the following to the board:
- “Doc” Cottingham, Attica, Ind.
- Todd Clark, Lexington, Ky.
- Andrew Wilson, Somerset, Ohio
- Brandon Robbins, Cookeville, Tenn.
“As a cooperative, our directors, who also are owner-customers, make critical decisions about our business, including strategic planning, leadership development and succession, operating performance, compliance and stockholder value,” said Bill Johnson, president and chief executive officer.
“They are proactive and focused on operational excellence that represent the best interests of the organization and our borrowers, so we appreciate the energy and time members take in learning about the candidates and making their selections.”
Cottingham is a fifth generation farmer, raising corn and soybeans on 1,150 owned acres and on 1,350 rented acres with his son. Clark is a first-generation farmer who raises burley tobacco, hemp, alfalfa hay and grass hay, along with beef cattle, poultry and sheep on 2,000 acres. Wilson is a fourth-generation farmer, raising corn, soybeans, wheat and forages. He is a contract swine grower, beef cattle producer and sells freezer beef. Robbins is part of a family farming operation, raising beef cattle and hay on 1,150 acres, and owns and operates Mountain Farm International, LLC, an agriculture equipment dealership.
The Board typically comprises 14 members – 12-stockholder elected positions and two directors appointed by the Board who meet regularly to set policy and provide overall direction to the Association’s leadership. The Board currently has three appointed directors – Laura Knoth, an owner/partner in M&L Farms, Grand Rivers, Ky., and executive director of the Kentucky Corn Growers Association and Kentucky Small Grain Growers Association – was selected in April, and will replace Barney Barnett, Shelbyville, Ky., who will leave the board in September.
New directors from Indiana, Ohio and Tennessee will serve four-year terms; the Kentucky director will serve a three-year term. Following that term, future directors from Kentucky will serve full four-year terms. Board-approved structure changes voted on in late 2018 created the one-time term change for the Kentucky director.
Customers were mailed information and directed to online information about the candidates. Voting opened May 9 and closed June 6 by electronic and paper ballot. The ballot was created, printed and mailed by a third party vendor, which also gathered, tabulated and reported on the election outcome.
Customers also voted on the Nominating Committee by state. The 20-member committee – five from each state – selects candidates for both the Board of Directors and Nominating Committee. Members of the 2020 Nominating Committee are:
Indiana
- Dan Arnholt, Columbus
- A.J. Booher, West Lafayette
- Lisa Hammock, Madison
- Allen Mohler, Lebanon
- Woody Nichols, Frankfort
- Kenneth Anderson, Winchester
- Ben Furnish, Cynthiana
- Chris Mitchell, Flemingsburg
- Alice Maze Porter, Maysville
- Glenn Williams, London
- Cathy Lennartz, Ft. Recovery
- Wayne McMichael, Wapakoneta
- Mile Pullins, Urbana
- Nancy Wuebker, St. Henry
- Ginny Zumberge, Celina
Tennessee
- Mike Brundige, Martin
- Melanie Loyd, Pikeville
- Jason Moore, Paris
- Ben Sanders, Columbia
- Kyle Wills, Greeneville
For information about the Farm Credit Mid-America Board of Directors, or to learn how you can become a candidate for a board position, click here.
