With more than 615,000 customers spanning all fifty states and Puerto Rico, keeping Farm Credit banks and associations connected with their customers, employees, leadership and communities is no small feat.
At the core of these connections lie Farm Credit communications and marketing professionals — the people who keep their borrowers and teams engaged, informed and aligned. They publish press releases to local news. They keep a website up-to-date for customers. They produce marketing strategies and content. They post business resources on social media. They write statements in support of modernized ag policy — and much more.
Most importantly, the Farm Credit marketing and communications teams across the country carry out their critical roles centered around a single, unifying message — that Farm Credit supports rural communities and agriculture with reliable, consistent credit and financial services, today and tomorrow.
A shared national mission requires diligent collaboration and partnership. To equip these teams with the tools and ideas to serve their communities as part of the Farm Credit System, Farm Credit Council is proud to host the Farm Credit Communications Conference, or “FC3” — an annual opportunity to meet with other Farm Credit marketing and communications professionals nationwide.
Dozens of Farm Credit professionals gathered in July for FC3 2026 to spend two days learning, sharing and networking with colleagues and speakers in Chicago. Seasoned Farm Credit veterans and new team members alike heard from leading experts on ways to strengthen focus and spark innovation in their teams, plus measure key insights, develop strategic partnerships, prepare for crisis events, and more.
The goal is simple — leverage new ideas and valuable connections to strengthen Farm Credit’s national, unified message and reputation.
“The energy, focus, and creativity generated when Farm Credit marketing and communications professionals come together is truly inspiring,” said Debbie Wing, executive vice president of communications at the Farm Credit Council. “These gatherings strengthen the alignment and consistency of Farm Credit messaging while fostering valuable partnerships and collaboration. Together, these connections play a critical role in building and enhancing our national reputation.”
Farm Credit Council President and CEO Christy Seyfert kicked off FC3 with a timely update from Washington, outlining key policy developments and Farm Credit Council’s continued advocacy efforts on behalf of its customers. She also discussed the current status of the 2026 Farm Bill, which hosts critical provisions to strengthen America’s farmers, ranchers and rural communities.
Attendees heard from father-daughter duo Jones Loflin and Sydney Loflin Moftah, who tour the country sharing tangible and grounded strategies for enhancing focus and achieving goals in both personal and professional lives. Former Google executive Steve Lerch compounded on professional development training, offering insights into sourcing innovative ideas and thoughtful change within the workplace. His double session provided attendees an opportunity to build on those lessons in a workshop, during which they brainstormed and shared ideas to improve stagnant team projects.
Day one concluded with peer roundtable sessions — which many past attendees credit as one of the most valuable parts of FC3. With Farm Credit communications veterans at the helm, communicators participated in small group discussions on topics from thought leadership to metrics reporting to AI guidance, asking questions, sharing advice and brainstorming new solutions.
A full slate of accomplished Farm Credit professionals led the second day of programming, commenced with a crisis communications tabletop workshop orchestrated by Becca Stoops of Horizon Farm Credit and Morgan Hosman of the Farm Credit Council. Attendees collaborated to develop plans addressing a realistic emergency situation to build their crisis management skills under pressure.
Anne Thompson of the Farm Credit Council led the next session on developing strategic partnerships. Farm Credit proudly partners with a wide variety of agriculture groups at the local, state and national levels across the country, sponsoring special events and awards, professional development training, business resources and competitions, and more. Attendees were briefed on the value and impact of robust partnerships, and how to forge and strengthen these connections.
The final session, presented by American AgCredit’s Sarah Kolell, reinforced the importance of an association’s communications team as business critical. Sarah emphasized the importance of connections — to our employees, customers and communities — and a communications team’s role in developing mission-focused, clear strategy that supports those ties.
No learning opportunity was lost between sessions. Attendees networked between speakers and workshops, sharing ideas over group meals and coffee breaks, and an exciting pre-conference architecture tour on the Chicago River helped set the stage for two days of innovation and robust discussion.
From social media teams and digital strategy experts to seasoned writers and public relations professionals, marketing and communications professionals are often a quiet, but integral part of every Farm Credit cooperative — with many wearing multiple hats daily. Their work encompasses the connections between customer, employee, association and community, keeping employees informed and aligned, providing resources to customers, supporting executive teams, spearheading local events and charitable giving, and more.
FC3 provides an opportunity not only for these marketers and communicators to learn and improve, but to share their successes with a group of like-minded individuals with the same shared goal — to support America’s farmers, ranchers and rural communities, in good times and bad.
