When Andy's grandfather started farming corn and soybeans back in the 1940s, he couldn't have imagined the operation his family runs today — one where his granddaughter, Sarah, is preparing to become the farm's fourth generation.
What has stayed constant across those decades is something simple: the farm needs a financial partner it can trust.
For the last five years, that partner has been FBN Finance.
The family's relationship with FBN didn't start with a loan — it started with inputs.
"We started off buying chemicals through their website," Andy explains. Over time, as trust built, the relationship grew into something much bigger: an RLOC (revolving line of credit), a farm mortgage, and a financing partnership that now touches nearly every part of how they manage the operation's capital.
That expansion wasn't an accident. It happened because their previous lending relationship was starting to feel shaky.
"The lender we had before was becoming a lot more demanding," Andy recalls. "I think they were just getting nervous with the farm economy about five years ago."
Looking for an alternative, they happened to run into a former Wells Fargo banker who had since moved to another company — and he was the one who pointed them toward FBN.
"He said a lot of good things about it," Andy says. "We were already doing chemicals with FBN, and saw the opportunity to do the financing through them. So we thought it'd be a good opportunity — and [we’re] very, very glad that we did."
It's a reminder of something a lot of ag lenders have lost sight of lately. As Andy puts it: "A lot of the ag lenders are getting out of ag, which is unfortunate, but FBN wants to be there long term and also wants to help farmers, which is great."
Ask Andy about the financing process itself, and the word he keeps coming back to is easy.
"Our loan advisor is Kyle, and he's been great — very knowledgeable," Andy says. "The application was relatively easy. We did most of it online, if not all of it. And you could do it at your own pace, which was nice. There were little checks you could do when you got a task done, so you could keep track of that and also see what you [still] had to do."
Julie, Andy's wife and partner on the farm, points to something just as important as the technology: responsiveness.
"Kyle does a great job of getting back to us in a timely fashion," she says. "It isn't like we're waiting two or three weeks to be heard, to get our questions answered" like they might with a typical bank.
That combination — a self-paced digital application paired with a real person who answers quickly — led to what Andy describes as "a pretty quick turnaround” in getting their financing finalized.
The financial case has been just as compelling as the experience.
"With FBN, we're probably at least a percent less than what we were before," Andy says, "and [with] very flexible terms."
The family has since layered several products together: a fixed-rate mortgage, a variable-rate RLOC, and a couple of additional loans that tapped extra equity in their land. Together, those loans have effectively replaced their old annual operating line — with one major advantage.
"It's a 10-year program," Andy explains. "So you don't have to go in every year and redo it and spend six weeks or two months wondering if you're going to get your operating line done. It's worked very well for us."
There's flexibility built in on the rate side, too.
"We're able to lock in our mortgage, and then the RLOC is variable, which is great," Andy says. "But it also has the opportunity that if interest rates were to drop quite a bit, we could refinance or redo the mortgage and get a lower rate for just a small fee. You wouldn't have to do everything again."
Perhaps most valuable of all is the autonomy FBN gives them to run the operation their way.
"They allow you to just farm and make decisions on your own, without having to ask them, 'Can I buy this nut or bolt,' so to speak," Andy says. "They allow us to trade and sell equipment and things like that. So it's worked out very well. We do have a good relationship with our lender — we keep them informed on what's going on — it's been a very, very good relationship."
Beyond the numbers, Julie points to something that keeps her loyal to FBN: how the representatives treat farmers, and specifically, how they treat women in agriculture.
"What I love about FBN is that the representatives care. And we are heard," she says. "As women in ag, we are not always heard or seen — and I appreciate that greatly. I appreciate the sincerity of the representatives and how much FBN really tries to meet the needs of farmers. I love that."
For Sarah, the family's future fourth-generation farmer, FBN's appeal goes beyond financing — it's about a company investing in where farming is headed.
"It's a great company that really cares about, like my mom said, women in ag — and also just the next generation, and new things coming up, like AI," Sarah says. With “updated apps, [and] the machinery part of it — I think that's going to be really great for us young farmers, so we can keep better track of our records moving forward."
Andy points to one tool in particular: AcreVision, a free tool for members inside the FBN platform that lets farmers see what their land is worth alongside other property data.
"There are some fun [tools] on the FBN app," he says. "You can see what your property is worth and some information and data there."
Asked what he'd tell another farmer considering FBN, Andy keeps it simple: "Check it out. It doesn't cost anything to check it out — see where you stand. Just reach out to a loan officer and have the conversation."
Ready to see where you stand? Talk to an FBN loan advisor today and explore financing options built around how you farm, or click here to see what financial solutions might be a fit for your operation.
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