STATESVILLE, NC – Vance C. Dalton, Jr., CEO of Carolina Farm Credit is pleased to announce the participants who recently graduated from the 10th annual Ag Biz Planner program and the 3rd annual Ag Biz Basics program.
This year, the programs included a total of 53 participants from five Farm Credit Associations throughout North Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia and Maryland. The graduating participants from Carolina Farm Credit were:
- John and Logan Hoffner from Locust, NC
- Adam and Carrie Barnhardt from Mooresville, NC
- Philip Toomey from Siler City, NC
- William Craig and Tracey Baldwin from Yanceyville, NC
- Fred and Julia Schafer from King, NC
- Melvin and Patty Benner from Carthage, NC
- Derek and Sherrie Turner from Walnut Cove, NC
- Erica Fernbach from Morganton, NC
- Amanda Hodges from Ruffin, NC
The Farm Credit University (FCU) Ag Biz Planner and Ag Biz Basics programs were developed and led by Dr. David Kohl, Professor Emeritus from Virginia Tech. Dr. Kohl is considered an agricultural finance and business management expert. The courses teach young, beginning, small, veteran, and/or minority farmers new business skills to successfully manage and grow their operations.
In addition to the online course, participants had a close mentoring relationship with a Carolina Farm Credit loan officer that served as coach and facilitator as their participants worked through the material, leading to the creation of a business plan for their farms. The mentors this year were Jody Smith from the Monroe branch, Scott Lee from the Statesville branch, Kyla Craven from the Siler City branch, Bill Miller from the Graham branch, Jacob Sawyers from the Rural Hall branch, Baron Maness from the Carthage branch, Tim Merritt from the Rural Hall branch, Suzette Smith from the Shelby branch, and Teresa Dabbs from the Yanceyville branch.
The course recently concluded with a conference in Raleigh where the participants shared their business plans and had a chance to meet and network with other participants and Dr. Kohl. The conference also featured presentations from Dr. Alex White, Professor at Virginia Tech, who spoke on the importance of sound personal finance.
“Our Ag Biz Planner and Ag Biz Basics programs are two more ways that Carolina Farm Credit helps support agriculture and the rural communities in which we live and serve. The programs allow young, beginning, and small farmers the opportunity to learn many valuable lessons that will help make their businesses successful,” says Vance C. Dalton, Jr., CEO, Carolina Farm Credit.
To learn more about Carolina Farm Credits Ag Biz Planner and Ag Biz Basics programs and to apply, please visit our website.
Carolina Farm Credit is a stockholder-owned cooperative providing financing to full and part-time farmers and agricultural-related businesses and also provides financing for the construction and purchase of homes in 54 counties through 32 branch offices. Other financial services available are credit life insurance, appraisal services, leasing programs, and financial planning.
For more than 100 years Farm Credit has been supporting rural communities and agriculture with reliable, consistent credit and financial services.
Carolina Farm Credit serves over 10,000 members with loans outstanding totaling more than $1.5 billion. The association’s territory covers the western half of North Carolina, with branch offices located in Albemarle, Asheboro, Asheville, Browns Summit, Burnsville, Carthage, Concord, Conover, Ellerbe, Graham, Hendersonville, Jefferson, Lenoir, Lexington, Lincolnton, Monroe, Murphy, Pilot Mountain, Roxboro, Rural Hall, Salisbury, Shelby, Siler City, Sparta, Spindale, Statesville, Taylorsville, Waynesville, Wilkesboro, Yadkinville, and Yanceyville.
Directors for Carolina Farm Credit are W. Rex Bell, Chairman, Statesville, David M. Coltrane, Vice-Chairman, Pleasant Garden; John M. Barnard, Statesville; E. Bernard Beck, Seagrove; Mark A. Bray, Lawsonville; Susie J. Gambill, Sparta; Joseph A. Lail, Shelby; Clark M. Newlin, Haw River; Thomas E. Porter, Jr., Concord; Eric McPherson, Snow Camp; D. Kaleb Rathbone, Waynesville; Lewis E. Smith, Lincolnton; Vickie N. Smitherman, East Bend; L. Kim Starnes, Salisbury; Dr. Alton Thompson, Summerfield.