American Bankers Association

The American Bankers Association released its annual Farm Bank Performance Report, highlighting the critical role farm banks played in supporting Ag in 2024.

There is a lot of legislation on the books affecting agriculture every day, whether at the federal or state level.  But one piece of D.C. legislation you may not be familiar with is the Accessing Credit for our Rural Economy Act, also known as the ACRE Act.   “...

Drawing attention to the worsening economic conditions impacting the nation’s food growers, over 300 national and state groups, including the American Bankers Association, Oregon Dairy Farmers Association, the U.S. Canola Association, Idaho Barley Commission, and others,  sent a letter to congressional leaders about the need for a new farm bill. Signatories stressed the...

Despite numerous headwinds in 2022, agricultural lending by U.S. farm banks increased by 8.1% last year to $103.1 billion.  The American Bankers Association’s annual Farm Bank Performance Report said the change is due to a 9.7% increase in outstanding loans, secured by farmland and a 5.9% increas...

As conversations over the 2023 Farm Bill intensify in the coming months, all corners of the farming economy will watch the debate very closely for a variety of reasons.   But, what about the Ag Lending community?   Ed Elfmann Sr. Vice Pre...

One of the top points of discussion at this year’s American Bankers Association Ag Bankers Conference was the 2023 Farm Bill.  You may ask yourself, why do bankers care about the farm bill.  Ed Elfmann, Senior Vice President for Ag and Rural Banking Policy at the ABA says despite what many think, a large portion of the banking industry is connected to rural America, and the Farm Bill has a direct

The top concern facing agricultural lenders going into 2023 is interest rate volatility, according to the 2022 Agricultural Lender Survey report.  The report announced this week is produced jointly by the American Bankers Association and Farmer Mac.  Nearly ...

Despite a global slowdown in 2020, agricultural lending by U.S. farm banks remained strong at $98.6 billion, just a 1.8% drop from the prior year. The American Bankers Association’s annual Farm Bank Performance Report attributes the change to a 6.7% de ...

The Fall 2020 Agricultural Lender Survey report shows that ag lenders continue to remain focused on credit quality, even as the farm economy continues to work through the prolonged downturn caused by COVID-19. The survey from the American Bankers Association and Farmer Mac said when it comes to their customers, lenders continue to be most concerned about liquidity, income, and leverage ... Read Mo

When hemp became legal under the 2018 Farm Bill, there was a lot of buzz in farm country about what that would look like as an everyday crop, and who would grow it.  It’s not just farmers that are curious about the newly legal commodity, many in the Ag banking sector are watching hemp very closely.   T...