What is the most rewarding part of this job? One of the most rewarding parts about being involved in financing agriculture is being able to watch a customer or client succeed in what they are doing. Agricultural lenders help customers achieve their goals. They get out to farms and homes, visit with the customers, and form friendly relationships with them.
Background Information: Agricultural lenders are hired by farm credit service providers or financial institutions. They provide finances to the rural area in the form of loans, leasing, farm cash management, crop insurance, accounting and tax services, life and disability insurance, and appraisal services. There are many different positions available at financial institutions. These positions may include loan officers, tax accountants, appraisers, and insurance salespeople. Jobs like these involve managing loans for farmers, financing farmland, setting values on collateral, analyzing client credit, and handling the client’s taxes and accounting.
Experience/Education Needed: For this career, you need at least a bachelor’s degree. Degrees in financing and accounting are very beneficial. There are also opportunities for training classes in many different aspects of financing, like insurance, sales, credit analysis, and real estate. Because you will be working with farm finances, it is helpful to have some sort of experience in agriculture as well.
Average Salary Range: The salary for someone employed in the agricultural financial sector can range from $13-33/hour, depending on your administration, certifications, and expertise. There is a lot of room for advancement for positions in this area of agriculture.
Career Roadmap: These are the steps one might take to get to this career.
Graduate high school, go to college and start working towards a bachelor’s degree (4 years) in financing, accounting, or a related field that interests you. While in school, take a variety of classes and get at least two different internships. Get any required certifications and complete any on the job training provided.
