First Mid Staff - Bloomington, IL
Principal Real Estate Office
The "Farm Manager of the Year" Award annually recognizes an outstanding professional farm manager or managers "whose dedication and commitment to agriculture benefit their clients, the American consumer and the most precious commodity, the land." The award is sponsored by the American Society of Farm Managers and Rural Appraisers (ASFMRA) and Crop Decisions magazine and is underwritten by Syngenta Crop Protection Corporation.
Criteria for the award include number and retention of clients, implementation of innovative crop production practices, achievement of crop yields comparable to the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) data for the area, involvement in agricultural and non-ag service organizations, the ability to adapt to changing economic and environmental conditions and success in marketing agricultural commodities.
National Winners of 2001 Farm Manager of the Year Award!!
Brian Thompson
President, First Mid Ag Services
Phone: (309) 665-0959
Email: Brian Thompson
Brian has overall management responsibility for the First Mid Ag Services business line, including overseeing systems and staff that manage over 1,000 farm properties in Illinois, Iowa, Indiana, and surrounding states. Our Ag Services Division manages approximately 300,000 acres of farmland, and performs real estate brokerage (sales and acquisitions), farmland appraisal, and consultation services from six locations in Illinois. Brian joined First Mid Ag Services through the acquisition of Soy Capital Ag Services in 2018. He is a 1982 graduate of the University of Illinois with a B.S. in Agricultural Economics. He holds the titles of Accredited Farm Manager and Accredited Rural Appraiser. Brian is also licensed in Illinois as a State Certified General Real Estate Appraiser and a Real Estate Broker. With over 40 years of experience in agricultural management and real estate for the company, Brian continues to represent clients in the daily management of their farms and serves their real estate brokerage needs. In 1997 he served as President of the Illinois Chapter of the American Society of Farm Managers and Rural Appraisers. This position placed him on the organization's national Board of Directors representing its largest chapter. As Regional Manager of the Bloomington Ag Services Office, Brian and the Bloomington farm management staff earned the nationally recognized Farm Manager of the Year Award in 2001. In 2006, Brian was named Outstanding Person in Agribusiness by the McLean County Chamber of Commerce.
David Klein
Managing Real Estate Broker, Auctioneer, First Mid Ag Services / First Mid Wealth Management Company
Phone: (309) 665-0961
Email: David Klein
David earned his B.S. degree in Agricultural Economics from the University of Illinois in 1993 and serves as the designated Managing Broker for Illinois and Iowa and Managing Auctioneer in Illinois and Indiana for First Mid Ag Services. He joined First Mid in 2019 through the acquisition of Soy Capital Ag Services. Prior to Soy Capital he worked in farm management at Magna Trust Company and later the insurance industry. In addition to auctioning farmland, David is licensed to sell and buy farmland / real estate. He currently manages over 8,500 acres of Midwest farmland for select clients. David is an accredited member of the American & Illinois Society of Professional Farm Managers & Rural Appraisers. He earned his AFM in 1999 and became and Accredited Land Consultant, or ALC, in 2006, through the REALTORS® Land Institute. David, along with four members of the Bloomington staff, earned the nationally recognized Farm Manager of the Year Award in 2001 by the ASFMRA. He became the principal managing broker for the organization in 2005 and managing auctioneer in 2012. In 2014, David was named one of 46 individuals across the nation to earn his ALC- Advanced designation. He served on the national accreditation committee of RLI from 2014-2019, being named Vice-Chairman in 2018, and is Chairman of the Illinois Farmland Values and Lease Trends Conference hosted by the ISPFMRA and RLI each year. Dave served as the President of the Illinois Chapter of RLI in 2013-2014, and remains on its Board of Directors. In 2014 and 2020 he was named the Illinois Land Broker of the Year by RLI and in 2018 awarded an APEX Top 20 National Producer by the organization for his production in farmland real estate sales. He is a licensed property, casualty, and life insurance provider with specialized training in personal, commercial and financial risk management. He continues to be active in management of the family farm near Gridley and Lexington, Illinois.
Craig Thompson
Bloomington Regional Office Manager, Farm Management and Brokerage
Phone: (309) 665-0048
Email: Craig Thompson
Craig Thompson serves as Regional Manager of the Bloomington office, a Farm Manager and a Real Estate Broker for First Mid Ag Services. He first joined the predecessor of First Mid, Soy Capital Ag Services in 2014. Craig manages over 27,000 acres in seven Illinois counties. During his tenure in Ag Services he has acquired his Real Estate Broker Licenses in Illinois and South Dakota. Further Craig achieved the Accredited Farm Manager (AFM) designation in 2021 from the American Society of Farm Managers and Rural Appraisers (ASFMRA) and the Accredited Land Consultant (ALC) designation in 2023 from the Realtors Land Institute (RLI). He is a 2006 graduate of the University of Illinois with a Bachelor of Science degree in Agribusiness, Farm and Financial Management. Craig also brings professional experience in public accounting where he earned his Certified Public Accountant (CPA) license in 2008. Craig grew up on a grain and livestock farm in McLean County where he remains active.
Kevin Meiss
Farm Management and Brokerage - Bloomington
Phone: (309) 665-0056
Email: Kevin Meiss
Kevin is a 1998 graduate of the University of Illinois with a B.S. in Agricultural Economics. His interest in agriculture began on his family's grain and livestock farm near Fairbury, IL. In 1996, Kevin worked for Bayer Corporation testing chemistries available for agricultural production. Since graduation, he has managed Illinois farmland for First Mid Ag Services, formerly Soy Capital Ag Services, and its predecessors and spends significant time working with our institutional clients. He earned his Illinois Real Estate Salesperson's license in 1999 and his Illinois Real Estate Broker's license in 2003. Kevin now holds a Real Estate Managing Broker license and sells farmland across the central and northern part of Illinois. Kevin earned his Accredited Farm Manager designation in 2006. In 2008, he became a licensed property and casualty Insurance Producer and began writing crop insurance. Kevin continues an active role in agricultural property management, real estate sales/acquisitions, and writing crop insurance.
Dan Patten
Farm Management and Brokerage - Bloomington
Phone: (309) 665-0962
Email: Dan Patten
Dan is a 1996 graduate of the University of Illinois with a Bachelor of Science degree in Agricultural Mechanization. He joined the First Mid Ag Services through the acquisition of Soy Capital Ag Services in 2018. During his tenure in Ag Services, he has acquired his Illinois Real Estate License, has earned a Certified Crop Advisor designation from the American Society of Agronomy, and received an Accredited Farm Manager title from the American Society of Farm Managers and Rural Appraisers. Dan, along with four members of the Bloomington staff, earned the nationally recognized Farm Manager of the Year Award in 2001 by the ASFMRA. In addition to selling farmland as a licensed Real Estate Broker, he also has assisted investors from the U.S. and other countries to acquire and manage more than 10,000 acres of Illinois farmland. Dan is a farmland owner himself and operates his farmland near Dwight, Illinois
Mark Smith
Farm Management and Brokerage - Bloomington
Phone: (309) 665-0053
Email: Mark Smith
Mark is a 2010 graduate of the University of Illinois with a B.S. in Crop Sciences, concentrating in Crop Agribusiness. He joined First Mid Ag Services through the acquisition of Soy Capital Ag Services in 2018, and caries the title of Accredited Farm Manager from the American Society of Farm Managers and Rural Appraisers. Mark is licensed in Illinois as a Real Estate Broker and performs real estate brokerage (sales and acquisitions) and consultation services in addition to representing over 35 groups of Landowners from the Bloomington regional office. He grew up on, and remains engaged with, his family’s grain and specialty crop farm in rural LaSalle County, Illinois, where in his youth he earned his American FFA Degree and achieved the rank of Eagle Scout. Mark was selected to participate in the two-year Soy Ambassador Leadership Program through the Illinois Soybean Association in 2010, where he gained domestic and international exposure to the American soybean industry. Smith initiated into FarmHouse at the U of I and was also elected to the Alpha Zeta honorary. He currently serves as Secretary of the Bloomington Rotary Club and on the Ag Advisory Council for Heartland Community College.
Tyler Roth
Farm Management and Brokerage - Bloomington
Phone: (309) 665-0958
Email: Tyler Roth
Tyler is a 2008 graduate of Illinois State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in both Agribusiness and Agriculture Industry Management with a concentration in Agronomy. He holds an Illinois Real Estate Broker’s License and FAA UAS Remote Pilot License, which allows him to capture aerial photos and videos of client’s properties. He grew up helping his father and grandfather on his family's grain production farm near Mansfield, IL and is still an active part of the operation. Prior to joining Soy Capital, Tyler worked for Illini FS as a Crops Specialist where he earned the Certified Crop Advisor (CCA) designation from the American Society of Agronomy. Tyler’s experiences on the farm and in the agriculture retail industry have provided him with a unique perspective to farm management. He and his wife, Sarah, and their two sons, Brady and Logan, live in rural Downs, IL.
Michael Rhoda
Farm Management and Brokerage - Bloomington
Phone: (309) 665-0059
Email: Michael Rhoda
Michael Rhoda is an Assistant Vice President and Farm Manager for Fist Mid Ag Services. He holds an Illinois Real Estate Broker’s License and FAA 107 UAS Remote Pilot License, which allows him to capture aerial photos and videos of client’s properties. He is a member of the American Society of Farm Managers & Rural Appraisers. He is from Normal, Illinois and grew up helping his family’s grain production farm near Chenoa, IL. He is still an active part of the operation. Michael Graduated from Iowa State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in both Agricultural Business and Agronomy. Prior to joining First Mid, Michael worked for Grainland Cooperative in Eureka, IL.
Phillip Rich
Farm Management and Brokerage - Bloomington
Phone: (309) 665-0957
Email: Phillip Rich
Phillip Rich works as an Assistant Vice President and Farm Manager for First Mid Ag Services. He also holds an Illinois Real Estate Brokers License. He is a 2012 graduate of University of Illinois with a Bachelor of Science degree in Ag Business. Prior to joining the First Mid management team, Phillip worked as the agronomy manager in ag retail for Graymont Cooperative Association. Responsibilities included managing department employees, developing all fertilizer and chemical recommendations for the company’s customer base, and the purchasing of company agronomic products. He grew up in Pontiac Illinois, where he still resides with his wife and two daughters.
