Starion Bank

Starion Bank Legacy Agriculture Program


Agricultural producers are suffering from a storm of volatile market prices, increasing costs for equipment and treatments, and thinning profit margins. Today, nearly all operations require at least some off-farm income just to survive.

Between rampant consolidation and the lack of succession, family farms and ranches are disappearing at an alarming rate.

Younger generations see the struggles of their parents and grandparents and decide that this isn’t the lifestyle they want. Can you blame them?

But there is hope!

Starion Bank is Here to Help Reverse this trend.

Creating this agricultural resurgence will take time, new ideas, and a thoughtful balance of four key elements: Soil, Finances, Lifestyle and Succession.

The 4 Elements of a Healthy Agricultural Operation


Soil Health:
Healthy soil is your most valuable asset and the foundation of your operation, whether your product is cattle or row crops. Current conventional practices disturb this fragile ecosystem and may seriously damage the long-term productivity of your soil.

Reinvigorating the soil is possible with the right mix of techniques. Cover crops, crop rotations, livestock integrations, multi-species grazing, and other practices help aerate the soil and improve moisture absorption and retention.

Learning how these techniques may apply to your unique operation can set you on a course for higher yields with less money spent on machinery and chemicals.

 


Financial Health:
Agricultural debt has risen steadily since 1991. Over the last 30 years, debt growth has averaged 3.9% per year. This trend is a major contributor to the decline is succession rates for family operations.

Moving towards regenerative agriculture can take years, not just a season. The problem is that your current financing tools may not match up with your transition plans.

Starion developed a range of new financial products tailored to the needs of all producers, including regenerative producers. We can help you match the right financial products with your strategic goals.


Lifestyle:
Which situation sounds like your current lifestyle?

1.  You live in reaction mode. After debt payments, there is almost nothing left for savings or reinvestment. Unexpected challenges leave you scrambling, stressed, and exhausted.
2.  You work with trusted advisors to develop a plan with a decision-making framework that helps you anticipate and overcome challenges as they arise. This keeps your operation on a path to long-term success and succession.

If the first situation hits close to home, we understand. Getting out of that rut is possible. Our goal is to help you move to the second situation. The one that puts you in control of your future.


Succession:
If your finances and yields are suffering, what are the incentives to take over the family operation and inherit a pile of headaches and heartburn? Not much.

A foundation of healthy soil and finances can improve your lifestyle, which in turn increases the odds of the operation passing to the next generation.

Succession planning takes a lot of family discussion and some consultation from financial and legal experts. Your operation is unique and complex, and so handing it over requires all the right boxes to be checked.


Legacy Agriculture Schools and Seminars

Starion Bank is producing workshops to help you learn about each of these elements and how they affect you, your family and your operation today and in the future.

All Starion Bank Legacy Agriculture schools feature speakers and facilitators who are experts in their fields. We want to give you the tools, frameworks and resources you need to create a more sustainable, profitable operation that will last for generations.

The schools also include time for you to network and connect with the speakers and facilitators, as well as other producers.
 

Financing for Regenerative Agriculture

Agricultural operations under a partial or full regenerative production plan typically carry less credit risk, due to:

  • lower input costs and lower capital needs

  • stacked enterprises for repayment diversification

  • soil health improvement for long term productivity, sustainability, drought resistance, and diversification of risk.

Starion pioneered new agricultural financing products to help producers who are at all stages of regenerative production. We offer operating lines of credit with staggered repayment dates if you stack enterprises within your operation.

Additionally, our operating lines grant collateral credit for soil improvement practices like cover crops and watering or fencing systems for rotational grazing or livestock integration.

We also offer long-term financing for soil improvement practices like planting cover crops, so you don’t have to pay it all back in the first operating year.

To learn more about Starion financing programs, call us today at 888-258-6050 or visit our Agribusiness Bankers page to schedule an appointment.