Michael B Yanney

Bio

Mr Yanney has over 40 years of investment, banking and business experience. Mr Yanney has significant experience in the development and operation of agribusiness projects in Russia and other countries of the Former Soviet Union, having been involved in a total of more than 40 agricultural related projects in the Former Soviet Union. In 1978, a company controlled by Mr Yanney successfully developed 10,000-hectares of soybean farms in the Crimea, Krasnodar and Stavropol during a three-year project. He was also involved in the operation of a large cranberry farm in Pinsk. In addition, Mr Yanney worked with Valmont Inc in the development of an irrigation equipment manufacturing plant in Rostov-na-Donu and also assisted the John Deere Company in licensing the manufacture of soybean harvesting equipment to the Ministry of Agriculture of the former Soviet Union. He was the principal leader in a major wheat production project in Russia, which was coordinated with several Western European agribusiness corporations. Mr Yanney has dealt directly with or is acquainted with each of the Soviet and Russian ambassadors to the United States since 1978 and with the Ministers of Agriculture and Food. Through his activities, Mr Yanney has developed numerous in Region business and government contacts and has gained extensive knowledge of both the importation and exportation of agricultural equipment and products to and from the former Soviet Union. Mr Yanney has served as the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of America First Companies (AFC) since its founding in 1984. AFC is a financial services firm in Omaha, Nebraska that manages public and private investment funds that have raised over $1.6 billion since 1984. From 1977 until the organization of the first such fund in 1984, Mr Yanney was principally engaged in the ownership and management of commercial banks. Fro Mr Yanney is the Chairman of the Board of Managers of the General Partner that oversees Agribusiness Management Company. Graduate of the University of Nebraska at Kearney and the University of Wisconsin, School Of Banking.