Writing Our Future

Through many discussions with the Ag Business leaders in Christian County it was determined there is a great need for lender education in the Ag sector.  Today the majority of Americans are at least three generations removed from the farm.  That tells us that the average person walking down the street knows very little about farming, agriculture, or food production.  The Ag leaders in Christian County decided that we must take the time to educate our lenders so they can be knowledgeable of the loans they are preparing.

In fall of 2022 the Christian County Cooperative Extension service partnered with Farm Credit of Mid America to host two groups of Agriculture underwriters.  The groups consisted of 29 underwriters from the Louisville Metro Office.  Of the 29 underwriters, three had limited agriculture experience with the other 26 having little to no exposure to agriculture.  The program consisted of a two day tour of agriculture facilities and production farms.  During the tours producers and managers described their operations and explained the need for purchasing and working capital.  The underwriters we able to ask questions and clarify certain request they had seen come across their desk.  It was a great opportunity for the lenders as well as the producers to have dialogue about the lending process.

At the end of the tour the underwriters felt more confident about their ability to make loans and had an increased knowledge of the request they were receiving.  Many times during the program an underwriter would say, “So that’s what that is,” or “I get it now.”  It was a great feeling for producers to know that they are able to help the ones Writing Our Future.