A Letter From the CEO

JumpStarting the Future of Agriculture

There are times when each one of us needs a little help or inspiration to move forward. In the morning, you may need a cup of coffee, or if you are wanting to play more golf, you may watch the Masters golf tournament to get inspiration.  These are modest examples of things that provide us a renewed energy or a jumpstart to something we want to do.

On a grander scale, many people have a vision for starting a business but need the financial resources to do it. I am often reminded of one of my previous bosses,  Michael Dell, CEO of Dell Technologies. In 1984, he started Dell with $1,000 that he borrowed from his mother. Today, his company is one of the largest companies in the world. He needed a financial jumpstart to implement his vision.

This is what Alabama Ag Credit does every day. We match financial resources with the vision others have, even when it means we need to be a jumpstart for them.  In this issue of Landscapes, we give you two real examples of these efforts. One example is our JumpStart program which we launched this year. This program focuses on beginning farmers with operations that started in the past two years or those about to start one in the next year. The five winners each received $10,000 in  September to use as their business plans described. These funds will not guarantee their future success, but like Mr. Dell, maybe it is what they need to jumpstart their vision.

Another example is one which aligns with what we do every day. The Ward family had a vision of owning a piece of property upon which they could build a home. We helped jumpstart their plans and made that vision a reality.

Alabama Ag Credit has been around for more than 105 years serving agriculture and rural Alabama. I challenge you to join us as we look for more ways we can help jumpstart the future of agriculture. After all, we are all depending on it.

Douglas Thiessen
Chief Executive Officer