The Farm Credit Funding Corporation hosted our group by sponsoring a
tour of the New York Mercantile Exchange (NYME). The NYME’s
trading activity was especially strong in the Natural Gas pit.
Imagine that! Nitrogen fertilizer prices will likely stay on the
high side.
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| IALP class members could have
easily been mistaken for NYSE traders as they took advantage of a
break on Wall Street to make a few quick cell phone calls. |
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Farm Credit Funding Corporation’s James A. Brickley, President
& CEO and Douglas Williams, the Managing Director of Finance for
Federal Farm Credit were the next to share their time and knowledge
with us. They made a tremendously interesting overview of the vital
role their corporations fulfill in providing financial funding and a
variety of services to meet the needs of production agriculture and
agri-business. The Farm Credit System graciously hosted the IALF
class to a delicious buffet lunch in their complex overlooking the
Hudson River. graciously hosted the IALF class to a delicious buffet lunch in
their complex overlooking the Hudson River.
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Our afternoon was filled with more power players in
the financial world. A quick tour of the New
York Stock Exchange was followed by a visit with Senior
Analysts at Moody’s Investors
Service.
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The Moody’s presenters fielded excellent questions from our class
members. Likewise, they delivered insightful answers. Our last visit
of the day was to Merrill
Lynch. The dealer representatives discussed the current economic
conditions and their outlook on the future of our economy. The visit
was concluded with a tour of their trading floor.
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| A view of the financial heart of
NYC from the offices of the Farm Credit Funding Corporation, located
across the Hudson River in New Jersey. |
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The last event of the day was possibly the most enjoyable. Philip
Morris International hosted a wonderful dinner at the Palio
restuarant. We were joined by Mr. Russell Laird, their
agriculture relations representative. It was certainly a time for
all of us to show our appreciation for all we have experienced over
the past several days.
Chairs: Tim Seifert, Gary Shupe & Ron Tombaugh
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