More Than a Harvest Visit

Harvest season has a rhythm all its own. Long days. Changing weather. Equipment moving from field to field. Meals squeezed in wherever there’s time.

It’s also a good time to slow down, even briefly, and catch up.

This harvest, our ag lenders have been spending time with farm families across the area. The settings have been different, but there’s been a common thread through every visit: the relationships behind the farm matter.

A Rainy Day Around the Kitchen Table

Rain may delay harvest, but it doesn’t have to delay lunch.

For Robert Poppe, one harvest visit moved indoors on a wet day. Lunch was shared around the kitchen table, where the conversation included the rainy season, plenty of stories, and plenty of laughs.

And before sitting down, Robert did what he was raised to do. He took his shoes off at the door.

It was a simple afternoon, but sometimes those are the best visits. No agenda needed. Just time to catch up and be together.

The Next Generation Around the Farm

For Brian Hauser, lunch meant firing up the grill in a machine shed with a combine as the backdrop.

Ribeye steak sandwiches were on the menu. Brian also joked that he handled the baking, although we’re probably all better off that he stuck to the grill.

The conversation eventually turned to kids and grandkids. There’s something special about watching another generation grow up around the farm and seeing many of them want to come back, spend time outside, and be part of the operation.

Farming may be a business, but for so many of the families we serve, it’s also a family story.

For All That Changes, Relationships Still Matter

During another visit, Trey Sathoff grilled ribeye steak sandwiches off the tailgate in the middle of a bean field.

The conversation moved easily from planting and harvesting angles to technology, efficiency, and the many ways agriculture continues to evolve.

Trey gets to make a lot of these visits. When asked whether they ever get repetitive, his response was simple:

“It’s not about me.”

It’s about the farmers. Their families. The friends who show up when help is needed. The landowners. And yes, we’re honored to walk alongside them.

Trey’s very next thought was a little less philosophical:

“I might actually need to pick up some more ribeyes.”

Together We Grow

Three lunches. Three different conversations. Three reminders of why showing up matters.

Technology will continue to change. Equipment will become more efficient. Farming and banking will both keep evolving.

But for all the ways farming, and banking, continue to change, relationships still matter.

That’s what ‘Together We Grow’ means to us. It’s not just about what happens during planting or harvest. It’s about knowing the people behind the operation, understanding what matters to their families, and showing up.

Here’s to our local farmers and their families. Thank you for all you do.

Check out all of the pictures here:

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