[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 28 (Thursday, February 16, 2017)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E208]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             CELEBRATING THE RETIREMENT OF MR. GREG FARMER

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. ROBERT J. WITTMAN

                              of virginia

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, February 16, 2017

  Mr. WITTMAN . Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the 
contributions of Mr. Greg Farmer, President and CEO of Colonial Farm 
Credit of Mechanicsville, Virginia.
   Greg Farmer has been involved in agriculture for almost his entire 
life. From his education at the University of Maryland School of 
Agriculture to his first job in the poultry industry to his career at 
financial cooperative Farm Credit, he has worked tirelessly on behalf 
of farmers and their rural communities.
   Mr. Farmer's lasting legacy and greatest impact has been his work at 
Colonial Farm Credit. He began his career as a loan officer in 
Farmville, Virginia working with poultry, tobacco, dairy, and cattle 
farmers during agriculture's difficult times in the 1980s. His efforts 
kept a lot of farmers in the field and working. These early experiences 
shaped his determination that the best way for Farm Credit to serve the 
community was to maintain strong credit standards in order to have the 
ability to be a steady resource for farmers in both good and bad times.
   As Chief Credit Officer, he laid the groundwork to mold Colonial 
Farm Credit into the cooperative it is today. Respected and admired for 
his ability to understand credit policy and apply it correctly, he set 
the standard by which loan officers make and underwrite loans today.
   This straightforward approach served him well when he was chosen by 
the board of directors to be President and CEO in 2000. Since that 
time, the cooperative has grown in loan volume, become a standard in 
the industry for its excellent performance, and has become the lender 
of choice for farmers and foresters in eastern Virginia and southern 
Maryland.
   In addition to leading a $665 million lending institution employing 
76 people, Greg has also found time to be an integral part of the 
community. He serves on both the board of Agriculture in the Classroom 
and as a consultant to the Colonial Agricultural Educational 
Foundation. He is a participant in many agricultural events and has 
been an active voice on Capitol Hill meeting Members of Congress as an 
advocate for the interests of the rural and agricultural communities.
   Mr. Farmer is widely known as a man of great integrity, 
intelligence, and common sense and can be relied on to analyze problems 
and give a reasoned and researched response. He is also a great 
representative not only for Farm Credit, but for cooperatives and 
agriculture in general. He loves telling the cooperative story and also 
bragging about hard working farmers and their vital role in America.
   Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to recognize and congratulate Mr. Farmer 
on his distinguished career and I wish him all the best in this next 
chapter of life.

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