In last year’s fall newsletter, I focused on three themes as we approached harvest season:
- Abundance
- Reflection
- Preparation
This year feels a little different going into 2025. As such, we’ll focus on one theme that seems relevant to me personally and to our Ag Banking team and customers.
A season of new beginnings
With the lifecycle of our crops this harvest season comes new challenges and new beginnings for all family operations and, frankly, the First National Ag Team.
For my family, we had the opportunity to send our two oldest kids off to college this fall. We are extremely grateful that they are pursuing their passions — albeit on very different paths, but passions nonetheless.
As we drove through South Dakota on our way to Bismarck to drop our eldest off at the University of Mary, we noted the extreme potential for this crop, which is much needed given the current price levels.
Another aspect of this theme is changes within our Ag Banking team.
We’ve welcomed two new bankers, Darby Martin and Jeremy Zink.
They are great additions and offer new skillsets that will continue to help us provide value to producers.
We’ve also been blessed with the addition of many new customer relationships, which will open doors to some exciting things down the road for our Ag Banking team and The First National Bank in Sioux Falls. (Much more to come on this in future months!)
Also, we strive to ensure that we maintain and grow our existing customer relationships by adding value to their operations, and I believe that this will be essential as we roll into what appears to be a tighter agriculture and overall economy for the foreseeable future.
We are excited to bring Farmers ’N Bankers training back in 2025, which has helped many of our customers’ operations grow and thrive through good times and bad.
If you haven’t had a chance to view our testimonials on the program, you can watch those here. You can find details on how to apply for our next class inside the newsletter.
Finally, we’ve had some changes within our First Ag Risk Management team.
While Grant Olson continues his role as an Ag Banking Team Lead, he has grabbed the management of First Ag Risk Management by the “horns” and run with it! We are extremely blessed to have his leadership in all facets.
He has a strong understanding of crop insurance and has taken our Livestock Risk Protection services to an entirely new level. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to him if you have questions regarding either.
And, almost all of our bankers are now licensed to sell crop insurance, which has been a strong enhancement from years past. Feel free to reach out to your banker directly to discuss crop insurance options as well.
Stay safe out there this harvest season, and for those of you who also sent kids off to college, I know how you feel and I’m always happy to lend an ear. Give me a call at (605) 214-0546 for any of your banking needs or if you’d just like to chat!
