The People Behind Agricultural Finance

Some of my favorite conversations happen when I get the chance to sit down with someone who sees agriculture from a little different perspective than I do. That was certainly the case with Brad Guse, Director, Production Agriculture and Agribusiness Group at BMO Bank. BMO consistently ranks in the top 10 list of North American banks and is always high on the list of ag banks. This fact lends to the philosophy of the bank recognizing agriculture as an important portion of their portfolio.

The story of how Brad and I came to know each other is actually pretty funny. He met my husband, Greg, by chance at an airport. Now, if you know Greg, you know that a guy walking through an airport in camouflage during the fall is always going to be a conversation starter! One thing led to another, and what started as a casual conversation eventually turned into a great friendship. And now, here we are, having a conversation on the Field Good Life Podcast.

Brad has spent more than 25 years working in agricultural finance, but what I found particularly interesting is that his connection to agriculture started long before he ever entered the banking world. He worked on a dairy farm and absolutely loved it.

“I fell in love with milking cows and did that all the way through college,” he told me.

I love hearing stories like that because I think so many of us who have built our lives and careers around agriculture can relate. Our paths may not always look like a straight line on paper, but somewhere along the way, agriculture gets in your blood. And once it's there, it's pretty hard to get out!

For Brad, those early years on the dairy farm eventually led him into dairy nutrition, community banking and, ultimately, agricultural finance. Today, he leads a team at BMO that works with farmers and agricultural businesses across the eastern United States.

Now, you might think that sitting down with someone who has spent more than two decades in agricultural finance would mean spending most of our time talking about interest rates, balance sheets and lending. And while those things are certainly important, I wanted to hear more about the people and experiences that shaped his career.

One thing I've learned over the years is that agriculture runs on relationships. You can have the best technology, the newest equipment and a solid business plan, but at the end of the day, you still need people you know and trust. I believe that is especially true when it comes to the financial side of farming.

As farmers, we make some pretty significant decisions every year. Whether it's purchasing land, investing in equipment, financing inputs or considering opportunities to expand our operations, those decisions carry a tremendous amount of responsibility. And they don't happen in a vacuum. There are families, employees and sometimes generations of hard work depending on the choices we make.

Brad talked about how important it is for his team to really understand the farmers they work with rather than simply looking at the numbers on a balance sheet. That resonated with me because a farming operation is so much more than what you see on a financial statement. Behind those numbers is a family, a history, years of hard work and usually a whole lot of uncertainty. Having someone sitting across the table who understands that can make all the difference.

Another part of our conversation that I particularly enjoyed was our discussion about peer groups and the value of learning from one another. Brad made the comment that “Peer groups are a really cool way to learn,” and I couldn't agree more.

I've been fortunate over the years to be involved with some incredible groups of people in agriculture. There is something really valuable about sitting around a table with others who understand the challenges you're facing because they've probably faced some of those same challenges themselves.

We can attend conferences, take classes and read all the books we want, and there is certainly value in those things. But sometimes the best education comes from another farmer simply saying, “Here's what we tried.” Maybe it worked, and maybe it didn't. Either way, there is something to be learned from that experience.

I think we sometimes underestimate just how much knowledge and experience exists within our own agricultural community. The challenge is being willing to share it, especially when things aren't going particularly well. It's easy to talk about our successes, but being vulnerable enough to talk about our struggles is a little harder.

And isn't it interesting that the times when we could benefit the most from the experience and advice of others are often the times when we are the least willing to ask for help?

That's why I believe it's so important to build a circle of people you trust. People who will celebrate your successes but who will also be there when things get tough. You don't build those relationships overnight. You invest in them over time, and you build them during the good years so that support is there during the difficult ones. As we wrap up one of the most difficult years in history, leaning on those support circles is invaluable. 

Listening to Brad talk about his career also reminded me of something else I love about agriculture. There are so many different ways to be involved in this industry, and not everyone who loves agriculture is going to spend their life farming or ranching.

Some people find their place in banking or finance. Others work in research, education, policy, technology, equipment manufacturing or marketing. There are countless careers that support the farmers and ranchers who produce the food, fiber and fuel we depend on every day.

And really, whether you work in agriculture or not, you are connected to it. After all, we all eat every day! Agriculture matters to every single one of us, whether we realize it or not.

Brad's career is a great example of how a love for agriculture can take someone in a direction they might never have imagined. What started with milking cows as a young man eventually became a career helping farmers make some of the biggest financial decisions of their lives. He may not be milking cows these days, but he's still very much a part of agriculture.

As I thought about our conversation afterward, I kept coming back to the way this friendship began. Two people struck up a conversation in an airport, probably never imagining it would lead to anything more than a few minutes of visiting. Yet here we are, years later, sharing stories and learning from one another.

I think there is a lesson in that, too. Sometimes we get so busy with our schedules and everything we have going on that we forget the value of simply taking a few minutes to visit with someone. You never know who you might meet, what you might learn or where that conversation might lead.

That's one of the things I enjoy most about hosting the Field Good Life Podcast. It gives me the opportunity to visit with people who have taken different paths through agriculture and hear about the experiences that have shaped their lives. And more often than not, I come away having learned something I can apply to my own life or farming operation.

Brad and I covered a lot of ground, from farming and finance to leadership, mentoring and the importance of surrounding yourself with good people. But the common thread throughout our conversation was relationships.

Agriculture is certainly a business, and a complicated one at that. But behind every farm, every business and every financial decision are people. And those relationships, built on trust, shared experiences and a willingness to help one another, are what make our agricultural community so special.

Sometimes all it takes to build one is a simple conversation. Just ask Greg!

See you in the field!