Editor’s Note: Paige Gilligan will be speaking at the Ag Lenders Society of California’s Annual Meeting Wednesday March 23rd at 12noon in Clovis, CA for more info – https://www.aglenders.org/
By Jackie Taylor
Let me introduce you to one of my favorite women in agriculture, Paige Gilligan! Paige is a successful Certified Agricultural Consultant and powerful advocate for agriculture. She is also extremely active in promoting SGMA compliance and educating the public on the need for agricultural consulting and asset management. The following is a Q & A session that I had with Paige following her Thursday seminar during the World Ag Expo this year.
Q: What is your Name and Business Name?
A: My name is Paige Gilligan and my business is called Risk Mitigators & Advisors LLC. We are located in Clovis, California.
Q: Where are you from?
A: I am originally from Indiana.
Q: What brings you to this year’s farm show?
A: I attend the World Ag Expo every year. I was humbled to be able to give two presentations this year under the WAME Seminar Series (Women in Agriculture for Mentoring and Empowerment). One under the economics area and one under water.
Q: What are the dates/times for your seminars?
I spoke on Tuesday, February 8, 2022, at 3:30pm and Thursday, February 10 at 9:30am.
Q: How did you get into the collateral valuation industry?
A: I got involved in collateral valuation while working as an analyst for a large financial institution. I have been working in this field for 20 plus years. I specialize in agricultural business and currently complete field inspections on a multitude of row crops and
permanent plantings, collateral audits for banks to support their lending efforts for lines of credit to customers, machinery and equipment appraisals for lending and asset transfer, and SGMA water risk analysis reporting for individuals and entities of all sizes.
Q: Why is it important to have risk mitigation in agriculture?
A: Risk mitigation in agriculture is an everyday need. There are so many variables that we have no control over (temperature, precipitation, natural disasters, changes in the general economy, customer preferences, etc.) so we need to manage the risk that we do have control over. Risk mitigation touches all aspects of the business from financial, production, management, and employees to business expansion/contraction, generational transfer, and maximizing overall asset return. It doesn’t matter about the size of your operation; you need to manage risks to your tolerance level. Some producers/agribusinesses are trend setters while others struggle with any change.
Q: What do you see as potential risks involved with SGMA?
A: SGMA carries risk in the general sense that it is a program that is being developed and instituted over a 20-year period. Think about the changes that have taken place in the economy in the past two years. We had to pivot and maneuver, but we are getting through it. Likewise, SGMA needs will need to pivot and change over time as well. The main risk is
making sure that your long-term planning and decisions are not solely based on the short-term requirements. The idea of SGMA has been needed in California for quite some time. Even though farmers and growers are amazing stewards of the land, we have to remember the variables that we can’t control (i.e. Mother Nature).
Q: What agricultural organizations are you currently involved in?
A: I am currently involved in several agricultural organizations and sit on several boards including American Society of Agricultural Consultants, California Chapter-American Society of Farm Managers and Rural Appraisers, California Women for Agriculture – State Level and Local Chapter Level, and Ag Lenders Society of California.
Q: What services are your most popular?
A: My inspection and appraisal services are very popular; however, my general business consulting services as a trusted ag advisor keep me just as busy. I enjoy helping growers and producers run the business side of their operation more effectively and efficiently. My role is not to tell someone how to grow a better crop. I’ll leave that up to the PCAs and CCAs. My passion is to assist businesses with meeting their goals while sticking to their values and their checkbook.
Thank you Paige for taking the time to chat with WaterWrights.net after your incredible seminar at the 2022 World Ag Expo. We look forward to our future collaborations with Risk Mitigators and Advisors LLC. and California Women for Agriculture. If you are interested in any of Paige’s services , please her directly at collateralexec@gmail.com. You can find Paige’s monthly editorial on our website.
DISCLAIMER OF RESPONSIBILITY; Waterwrights strives to provide its clients with the
most complete, up-to-date, and accurate information available. Nevertheless, Waterwrights does not serve as a guarantor of the accuracy or completeness orf the information provided, and specifically disclaims any and all responsibility for information that is not accurate, up-to-date, or complete. Waterwrights’ clients therefore rely on the accuracy, completeness and timeliness of information from Waterwrights entirely at their own risk. The opinions expressed in this report are those of the author and do not represent any advertisers or third parties.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Copyright 2022 by WaterWrights.net/DAW
