Capital Farm Credit Members Visit Capitol Hill During Farm Credit Young Leaders Program
Capital Farm Credit members Jack and Carrie Cowen of Abilene, Texas took their interests in agriculture to Capitol Hill on June 22.
As participants in the 2023 Farm Credit Young Leaders Program, the couple met with Representative Jodey Arrington and staff on their Hill visits.
Jack and Carrie Cowen were selected by Capital Farm Credit to participate in the Young Leaders program, hosted by the Tenth District Farm Credit Council. The four-day event recognizes and rewards young Farm Credit stockholders for outstanding leadership and involvement in the agriculture industry, and teaches them about the Farm Credit System, the legislative process and the nation’s financial markets.
This year’s program took 27 young emerging leaders and Farm Credit borrowers from Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico and Texas to the nation’s political and financial centers, Washington, D.C., and New York City. There, they met with Farm Credit, USDA and elected officials to discuss loan programs and policies that affect the country’s farmers and ranchers.
Besides visiting Capitol Hill, participants also gained an inside perspective and behind-the-scenes look at the nation’s largest source of financing for agriculture and rural America. During a visit to the Federal Farm Credit Banks Funding Corporation, they learned how investors purchase highly rated Farm Credit notes and bonds, supplying steady funding for loans and related services.
“This event provides young leaders in agriculture the experience to see first-hand how Farm Credit supports agriculture and rural communities across the United States,” said Jeff Norte, Capital Farm Credit president and chief executive officer. “We believe this inside look at the Farm Credit System cultivates an appreciation for the value and service we provide to sustain agriculture and rural America.”
Capital Farm Credit is a part of the 107-year-old Farm Credit System, a nationwide network of rural lending cooperatives that finance agriculture and rural communities.