Robert Jones - Palmyra, IN
"My Crop Insurance Specialist, Market Advisor and Ag Finance Specialist are at the helm, helping my operation build its balance sheet. These individuals personally meet with my lender and the behind-the-scenes analytical team to explain my financial strategy and operating capital needs. Together, they uncover a financial solution that fits my long-term plan."
Troy Nielsen -- Imogene, IA
"With the financials, what I really like is that I have a spread sheet at my disposal every day. It's on my computer so I can pull that up and figure out what happens if I sell an extra 10,000 bushels of corn at whatever. I can plug in the "what ifs" and it brings up the number. I can say 'well, do I really want to sell it today or do I want to wait till tomorrow?' and I've found myself doing that, especially during this spring. What if I sold corn at $6.16? What does that do to my long term breakeven and my bottom line? Then it also allowed me to look at expenditures that way. It's just a quick easy spread sheet, but it has allowed me to make better decisions based on numbers. I always thought I knew what my breakeven was - and you always think you're doing a good job until they expose you to something else. And that's brought me another step closer."
Tom Kaminke -- Long Point, IL
"I used to work at a bank. I know a lot of my farm customers had trouble with marketing and bookkeeping. I'm a decent bookkeeper, so it's not like I needed that extra help, but I'm definitely in better shape than I was, even with the bookkeeping that I've done in the past. They've taken some things in different directions that I've never thought of and looked at my business in a different way than I have myself in the past. They'll actually give you some suggestions - not investment ideas or anything, but just ideas for taking that profit and thinking about where to reinvest it, whether it be updating equipment, or possibly purchasing farm ground, for example. Water Street's idea or course, is to keep you as a client because they want you to be successful in the future. They want you to build your business and I think they've really helped me in doing that."
Willis Kuhns -- Arthur, IL
"It seems what Jami does is takes the financial information out further for projection into the future to help a little more with cash flow and also with where we are today and what we might need to do as far as selling. A lot of times I maybe could do it, but it's just nice the way she puts out the spread sheet and helps out with that. Since joining Water Street, I'm able to spend a little more time working in the shop and checking crops and stuff instead of fretting and stewing over finances and marketing."
David and Dwight Jolly -- Versailles, IN
"We have taken advantage of a great opportunity - an annual financial analysis. It helps us answer questions about the overall health of our operation. We prefer to have a professional evaluate potential purchases such as land purchases or machinery upgrades and the financing options available with purchases. We put our advisory team through many questions. They are always interested in our view first. Then they share their input or validate our plan. The bottom line is that we feel comfortable with the decision in the end."
Aaron Schafer -- Pana, IL
"The folks that we work with here at Water Street Solutions are really good people. If we have questions, we call up and get them answered very timely. Recently I had lunch with my market advisor and my financial advisor to talk about purchasing inputs for next year. We sat down and looked at the costs and evaluated the expense on the interest side - we had to pay it all up front in this situation. It helps to talk through decisions and get an added perspective. When you have three people working on the problem it is a little easier to solve than just yourself sometimes. Water Street Solutions gives me many options and helps me make informed decisions.
We are a five generation farm that has grown quite a bit in the past ten years. It becomes more complex each time you grow. We focus on corn and beans because of the way the economy and agriculture has been the last several years. We continue to grow our operation and we're using good people."
Dave and Patti Gregerson -- Ute, IA
"When it comes to making purchases that help with expansion of the operation, we receive an in-depth analysis before making any investment. Our Ag Finance Specialist is very thorough in helping us weigh the pros and cons before a purchase. He provides several alternative solutions and keeps us focused on the long-term goals of our operation.
We were evaluating replacing trailers. While it is nice to have a new piece of equipment, Water Street Solutions helps us make sure our investment is going to help expand the operation. Our Ag Finance Specialist keeps a close eye on our working capital. He helps us understand the impact a large purchase will have on our long-term financial plan."
Nathan Kramer -- Stapleton, NE
"I've learned that working capital and machinery expense per acre are probably the two biggest things to watch. I've also learned how big purchases affect your working capital in a positive or negative way. Some purchases can affect your working capital in a positive way."
Jason Foltz -- Shelbyville, IN
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"I like it quite a bit because of how it ties in the financial aspect, the marketing aspect and the insurance. All three of them tied together -- which are all intertwined. Nobody else that we've ever used prior to this ever looked at the other two." Jason Foltz comments