Growing season is here and “growth” is always a focus for Carolina Farm Credit.  We see continued growth in agriculture in this state and we want to grow to continue meeting your financial needs.  We recently offered two opportunities to help our young, beginning and small farmers grow.  In March, we held our 14^th annual Ag Leadership Institute.   Twenty-seven (27) participants from across our 54-county region attended an intense three-day institute designed to help participants meet the challenges of agriculture, while maintaining a healthy balance between business and family.  We also just completed our fifth session of AgBiz Planner with 8 participants.  This program teaches financial management and business planning through a college-level 10-module online course.  It also included two face-to-face meetings.  The participants are partnered with a Carolina Farm Credit loan officer as a mentor for the process.  Both of these programs are focused on positioning the participants to grow.

We recently held a conference for all of our support staff in conjunction with the other two Farm Credit associations in North Carolina.  The conference featured speakers on communication, business-friendly writing, personal financial management, leadership and personal growth.  We are very fortunate to have a dedicated and competent support staff in all of our offices that enables us to deliver a level of customer service that exceeds expectations.

As a result of this focus on growth in agriculture, growth of our customers, and growth within our employees, we have experienced about 4% growth in our loan volume year-to-date.  Thank you for your continued business and support.  Operating as a cooperative allows us all to grow together to secure our future and the future of generations to come.