42 JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2017 FEATURE Enrollment at the 44th session of the Midwest Agricultural Banking School was 35 students. The students came from four states: 28 from Indiana, four from Illinois, two from Ohio and one from Michigan. The school is co-sponsored by the Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky and Michigan bankers associations; the Ohio Bankers League; and the Department of Agricultural Economics at Purdue University. Usually the school consists of two full days of classroom instruction and, on the third day, students attend the Indiana Bankers Agricultural Clinic. However, in lieu of the clinic, participants of the 2016 school instead attended one day of the American Bankers Association National Agricultural Banking Conference in Indianapolis. An optional introductory session was provided on the afternoon prior to the start of the school for those students with limited backgrounds in production agriculture. In 2016, 22 students attended that session. The school is designed to help further the education of bankers and others involved in the field of agricultural finance. Classwork features the practical aspects of agricultural credit and finance. The curriculum includes the six core modules developed in cooperation with the Kansas and Nebraska bankers associations’ schools of banking; plus sessions on the FSA loan program, the commodity price support program, environmental audits, marketing alternatives used by producers, land acquisition and rental arrangements, crop insurance and building customer relationships. Faculty members include academicians, bankers and other agricultural professionals. Each instructor is carefully selected, with the selection based on knowledge and presentation skills. Purdue Agricultural Economist Freddie Barnard serves as director of the school. Laurie Rees, vice president – education & training for the Indiana Bankers Association, serves as registrar. Dates for the 2017 school are tentatively set for Nov. 27-30, with details to be distributed in early fall. For more information, contact Freddie Barnard, barnardf@purdue.edu, or Laurie Rees, lrees@indianabankers.org. HB Midwest Agricultural Banking School Attendees of the 2016 Midwest Agricultural Banking School are (front row, left to right): Jacob Swanson, Tiffany Jones, Megan Downing, Kathleen Walters, Kirsten Lovell, Don Widmer, Daniel Schmitz, Rick Doyle, Freddie Barnard; (second row): Ashley Lutz, Michelle Williams, Alyssa Crownover, Nathan Adams, Landyn Waugh; (third row): Court Rooze, Mike Warstler, Doug Simonson, Kara James, Michelle Dahlinghaus; (fourth row): Brad Ertel, Tyler Carlson, Steve Huff, Michael Kuhn, %QMI 3WFSVR ƤJXL VS[ /IRX &YVXSR &VERHSR &YVV 6]ER 6EWL 8VEZMW 7GLVSPP WM\XL VS[ %HEQ Parrott, Jonathan Lee, Danielle Trenkamp, Holly Hopkins, Rich Eisenmann; (seventh row): Ryan Harrell, Rich Eckert and Joan Johnson. Article author Freddie Barnard Agricultural Economist Purdue University barnardf@purdue.edu
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