Ag Loan Volumes Continue Rising As Lower Farm Incomes Persist

Apr 23, 2015

Loan volumes for almost all farming purposes rose at commercial banks, as many producers contended with tighter profit margins, according to the Federal Reserve’s Agricultural Finance Databook.

The report published by the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City found overall growth in loan volume was driven by increased borrowing for current operating expenses and livestock purchases. Persistently low crop prices and elevated input costs continued to increase farmers’ short-term financing needs, and high prices for feeder cattle further boosted loan volumes in the livestock sector.

Lower farm incomes kept loan demand strong throughout the Federal Reserve Districts surveyed, while loan repayment rates were slightly weaker. Despite reduced farm incomes and increased debt outstanding, loan delinquency rates declined and profits increased slightly at most agricultural banks.

Lower farm incomes also affected farmland values, but the changes varied widely among states. Farmland values in crop-intensive states decreased slightly, while demand strengthened for good-quality farmland and ranchland in states more concentrated in livestock production or with wealth generated from other sources, such as oil and natural gas exploration.

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Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.