I speak on farm finance to farmer audiences all over the country. Thanks to the poor farm economy there have been great similarities in the audience member outlook no matter where in the country I have been. Simply stated, your customers are worried. [Continue]
I was a lot more positive about the farm economy at the beginning of 2017 than I am this year. Every projection I have seen for 2018 says this year is going to look a lot like last year, which means for many farmers, 2018 will be the fifth year in a row of poor or negative earnings. For community banks that lend to farmers and ranchers, this will be a very challenging year. [Continue]