Tony Hotchkiss

Ag bankers fear an economic cliff in farm country without a new Farm Bill.  That’s according to one longtime Ag banker who recently testified before the House Agriculture Committee.  Tony Hotchkiss has spent the last 41 years in Ag banking and now chairs the Agriculture and Rural Bankers Committee of the American Bankers Association.    “With rising in...

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...

It’s a common story line nationally and across the Northwest.  Some producers are succeeding while other are struggling, with some declaring bankruptcy.   So, what's the difference? Ag lender Tony Hotchkiss says for him it’s not so much geographical location or commodity, but those that understand operating a farm, while it may be a passion, it’s a business.   “They’re making bu...